I am a Musical Theatre Major.

That sentence means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. If your life is anything like mine, you might find one or more of the following sentences to be a fairly common response to this life decision. "Isn't that a little unrealistic?", "You know you're going to be broke, right?", or my eternal favorite: "Oh! That's... nice."

If you detected a hint of sarcasm in the final syllable of that last entry, welcome to the typical opening conversation of a Musical Theatre Major — or, quite frankly, any artistic major whatsoever. In a world where Arts Majors are continually belittled and berated by society (and Wells Fargo - thanks again for that), I'd like to take a few minutes today to explain why the Arts are anything but useless.

1. Because Art Is Often More Authentic Than Reality

As artists, we pour our heart and our souls into every piece of work we create. Whether you're a painter, a sculptor, a poet, a musician, an actor, or anything else under the son, Art is the outlet for your feelings. It is the canvas of your emotion, the parchment of your past, and the instrument of your very being.

When someone is creating, they expose a very vulnerable part of themselves and their past. Yet, no two people have the same story to share. When someone is creating, they put in parts of themselves that they want nothing more than to keep hidden. They expose their insecurities, their pain, their fears, their dreams, and a hundred other things that most people keep hidden every hour of every day. In real life, we push feeling away. We try everything within our power to censor ourselves and our hearts into something that resembles normalcy. In art, no such barrier can be afforded, and what the world sees is a pure, unfiltered exposure of the self. Art, in many ways, is more realistic than reality.

2. Because Art Reflects Society's Problems

Art isn't just a window to expose the artist's inner self, but also a mirror to reflect the world back at itself. It takes the issues plaguing society and exposes them in all their gnarled malformity. It takes real issues such as racial equality, feminism, political views, the plights of adolescence, and other very real issues of the human spirit, and shows the world exactly how broken it really is.

When was the last time a real social issue was addressed by a football game? By a science lecture? When was the last time Congress got anything done on its own? If we're truly honest with ourselves, the times we see the most discussion in society about these issues are the times when artists take a stand and force the issue to be noticed. If artists aren't around to make people think about these issues, who is going to step up and do it instead?

3. Because Art Encourages Individuality

The kid from a troubled home who always signs up for Art classes because he needs a venue to paint his feelings.

The foreign exchange student who can't speak a word of English, but she can speak volumes with her music.

The jock who has played basketball all his life but his high school crush convinces him to try for the spring musical.

Okay, that last one was just High School Musical. Regardless, the fact of the matter is that every artist has their own story, their own life, and their own reason for joining the arts. Art gives people a venue to be themselves, and to deal with issues they could never have faced on their own. It offers a community where you can be yourself, and where your unique past gives you a unique voice that no one else can imitate. Individuality isn't just accepted in the Arts; it's encouraged.

4. Because Art Encourages Diversity

This point works in tandem with the importance of individuality, but it's distinct enough that it warrants its own section. Just as artists use art as a venue to discover and appreciate themselves, the Artistic Community also uses these individuals to tell stories they never could on their own. No one, no matter how absurd or ludicrous their life might be, can tell every story in existence. No one has all the experiences necessary to even properly understand every story. However, the moment these individuals band together and combine each of their own unique life stories is the moment they can create just about anything.

5. Because Art Cultivates Discovery

There is a common misconception that because someone is an Arts major, they suddenly lose any and all interest or ability in any kind of academics whatsoever. This is — to the shock of many — not actually true. Art, if one hopes to go anywhere with it, requires a great deal of study in a variety of areas. If an actor is doing a period piece, they must pour hours of research into the era the piece is set in. Additionally, they might analyze major themes within the text, learn pieces of a foreign language and culture for their role, and possibly even research scientific or historical discoveries relevant to the piece at hand (Lord help the working actor without at least a basic grasp on Psychology).

In short, being an artist doesn't mean that you suddenly lose control of your academic faculties. It just means you apply them in different ways. If you ask an Arts Major how much time and schoolwork they devote towards their major, I promise you that they work just as hard as anyone on your campus, if not harder.

6. Because Art Is The Universal Language

Remember that hypothetical foreign exchange student I mentioned back in Point 3? Well we're going to circle back around to that concept. See, the thing we don't always like to think about is that not everyone speaks English (Americentrism, say what?). Not everyone comes from our very specific culture. Foreign cultures may not understand our culture or our language. Likewise, we may not understand theirs 90 percent of the time. I turn to a quote from one of the most iconic and definitive movies of our generation: "Mean Girls."

"Yeah, I like Math."
"Eww, why?"
"Because it's the same in every country."

Thank you Cady Heron for perfectly stating why Art is important. See, Math isn't the only thing that is the same in every country. Art is just as universal a concept as Math is, if not more so. Not everyone speaks English, but everyone speaks emotion. Not everyone comes from American Culture, but Art lets us share cultures worldwide. Art isn't just a transfer of ideologies, it's a bonding of them. It fosters understanding and communication in ways that most people can only dream of, and brings people together who may never have talked without it.

7. Because Art Is What Makes Life Worth Living

With all of this being said, let's just take a minute to be blatantly and excruciatingly honest: the world could survive without Art. There is very little doubt that humanity could go on through its entire existence with no music, no painting, no sculpture, no theater, no poetry, and no beauty, and the world would still keep on turning. Science would still progress, business would keep functioning, politics would keep on trying (bless their hearts), and humanity would continue surviving. Not living, but surviving.

Art isn't necessary.

Art is a privilege.

Art isn't what makes is so we can get up in the morning. It's the reason we get up. Art isn't the reason we can cure disease. It's the reason the diseased want to be cured. Art isn't the entity that keeps this world turning. It's the reason we want it to turn at all. Art is beauty and truth and life personified in a whirlwind of visual, audial, and kinesthetic expression. I think Robin Williams said it best when he played a man named John Keating in the film "Dead Poets Society" when he gave us the following quote:

"Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

Art isn't necessary. If that's the basis of your argument for why it's not important, then I guess you're right. I can't argue that. Art isn't necessary, but that doesn't mean it's useless. Art is the only reason that some people want to remain alive. Maybe my degree isn't the quick way to get famous, or to guarantee a steady income. Maybe the life I've chosen will never be successful in the materialistic sense of the shallow world we live in. I've accepted that I probably won't be rich or famous. However, if all I do in my entire existence is bring enough life back into one person to make them continue living, then I have done enough.

I don't make Art to survive. I make Art to live.

Maybe my degree isn't necessary, but never tell me that it's useless.

I am an artist, and this is the life I've chosen. Maybe it isn't much, but it's mine, and it is worth it.

Then again, I'm a Musical Theatre Major: What do I know?