When a parent asks their teenager what they want to be when they're older, they hope for answers along the lines of engineer, doctor or lawyer. They settle for answers like teacher or business owner. But if a teenager says they want to be an artist when they're older, they immediately get shot down and told there are no jobs in that area. Why is art always looked down upon as a career?
One big reason many people say artists can't get jobs is because they think of an artist as someone who gets their work hung in galleries and spends all their time creating portraits and landscape paintings. While that is one type of artist, there are many other types that aren't commonly thought of.
An artist is someone who creates a logo. Every company has had to hire an artist, or even a team of artists to create their logo. Every brand has artists who designs their products. A soup label was designed by an artist. A stuffed animal was designed by an artist. Even the nice boxes that an iPhone comes in were designed by an artist. Everything created around us is designed by an artist. Artists are needed to design a window display in a store, or create advertisements for companies. They design websites for brands that look nice so more people will visit them. Many people don't realize, but a large part of marketing is art.
There is also the entertainment side of the world, where artists are always very important in every role. In video games, artists are needed for the landscape, character design, and if it applies, the 3D characters and model rigging. Artists are needed for any animation to occur, and even this one area has many different kinds. Not to mention the illustrators who create book covers, pictures in books, and draw comics.
Despite all the ways art can be put in use in other fields of work, there is always just art. The Internet is transforming the way people take in art. Art blogs on social media have thousands of followers. People can commission their favorite artists over the internet to get specific pieces they want, or just enjoy the general art they post. There are even websites like Patreon where people can donate a monthly amount to an artist and receive special works they don't show to the rest of the public. Artists can create their own stores on websites like Etsy and redbubble, where people can buy their designs. In today's Internet world, anyone can become an artist if they practice enough and are willing to show their work to the world.
One thing parents seem to forget is that there are art schools. There are literally school all over the world dedicated solely to artist becoming better at art. These school are often very competitive and hard to get into, and usually have ties to well known artists. When an artist is able to get in, they are often surrounded by people just like them, just as motivated to create things, and are able to get even better. If art is a career that doesn't lead anywhere, then why are so many schools for artists to go to?
As stated by Samaaya Jayamaha, "Artists are people who generally feel like outsiders in school. They can't express things in words as well as most people do, they do it through art. Every artist has a story, and going to an art school allows for those people to find others who are just as passionate. It's such an amazing community and everyone is united through their passion in art."
But the most important thing for parents to understand is that even if your child tells you they want to be an artist, it's their choice. You have no right to decide what they will be doing for the rest of their lives, and if art is where they are happy, then they should be able to have their parents support. After all, art is all around us, and someone needs to make it.
