At just 13 years old, Rowan Alberson never expected a simple suggestion from his mom to lead to thousands of people seeing his artwork.
But that’s exactly what happened when the homeschooled young artist earned first place in First Electric Cooperative’s inaugural apparel-design contest — beating out more than 20 contestants, many several years older than him.
“I was surprised, honestly,” Rowan said with a laugh. “I was mainly just surprised and honored.”
For Rowan, art has always been more than a hobby. It is something deeply personal — a way to tell stories, create characters and express ideas that exist only in his imagination.
“I like to draw characters and outfits and the backstory to those characters,” he explained. “I wanted to incorporate what I knew about First Electric and fuse it with what I like to draw.”
That creative approach is exactly what made his design stand out.
According to contest organizers, Rowan’s artwork captured not only creativity and originality, but also heart — something judges immediately noticed during the selection process.
“We could tell he poured himself into the design,” said Austin Martin of First Electric, who organized the contest. “It wasn’t just artwork. It told a story.”
Rowan spent days refining his entry, revisiting and reworking the concept repeatedly until it felt complete. What began as a simple character sketch evolved over time into the final design featuring a larger heart element and visual details inspired by First Electric’s service and community presence.
“I just kept making it better and better,” Rowan said. “That’s basically all I drew during that time.”
Despite his talent, Rowan remains humble about his artistic journey. Entirely self-taught, he credits years of watching videos, studying other artists and constant practice for helping him improve.
“I didn’t really go to art classes,” he said. “I just watched a lot of videos and practiced a lot.”
That dedication became even stronger a few years ago after watching a video by an animator discussing her own artistic journey.
“I related to that,” Rowan said. “That’s when I really kicked it into overdrive and started learning as much as I possibly could.”
Today, Rowan continues exploring new mediums, recently experimenting with charcoal while continuing to develop his traditional drawing style using pencil, pen and alcohol markers.
Outside of art, Rowan enjoys reading, gaming, dancing and spending time with family — especially competing against them in Mario Kart, where he confidently admits he usually wins.
But even among his hobbies, art remains at the center of who he is.
“It gives me hope, honestly,” Rowan said about winning the contest. “It inspires me to try harder and branch out and look for more opportunities.”
The future may one day include illustration work= or even creating a graphic novel — something Rowan describes as his “dream challenge.”
“I’d love to make a graphic novel someday,” he said. “It would be a lot of work, but it would be really exciting.
For First Electric Cooperative, the contest represented more than simply designing a T-shirt. It was an opportunity to encourage creativity, provide a platform for young people, and celebrate the unique talents found throughout the cooperative’s communities.
And for Rowan, it became something even more meaningful: proof that hard work, imagination, and passion can take you farther than you ever expected.
Soon, First Electric employees and community members alike will proudly wear Rowan’s winning design across the cooperative’s service area — a moment the young artist says would be surreal to witness in person.
“If I walked by someone wearing that shirt,” Rowan joked, “I’d probably say, ‘Hey, you like that shirt? I drew it.’”
And thanks to one unforgettable design, plenty of people soon will.
