As an honors student for most of my academic career, I found myself shoved in the direction of academics, and it makes sense. I’m good at it, so why wouldn’t I pursue it? I’ve asked myself that question hundreds of times over the past couple years, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it might not be for me, even though I find myself submitting abstracts for research conferences. And here’s why.

Because that’s not the best thing I have to offer the world. As someone who finds them fascinated (and majoring) in the arts,

it’s hard for me to say that my research is what I have to bring to the table. Am I proud of it? Of course I am, and I’ll proudly present it. But when my love falls into a discipline that prides itself on creation, it’s difficult to think that using a lens to analyze a novel is my greatest contribution to humanity because I know I have something else. Something that I think is better.

Culture has always been survived by the arts. When studying ancient civilizations, we, as a Western culture, look at plays, paintings, novels, and sculptures because they’re all unique to that one area of the world. No one can take Greek architecture from the Greeks. It’s forever theirs. Same goes for various art and literary movements. Artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway, and Leonardo DaVinci will never be forgotten for the beauty they have given to the world, and that’s what I want to be a part of.

Now, I’m not downplaying the importance of research. Research is how societies advance, whether it be in medicine, technology, or conservation. But it’s not the only thing that matters in the world. There are people who are meant to create. They’re meant to capture the beauty of the world and translate it into lyrics, a painting, or a novel. Artists are the best people to make sense of the emotions and forces of this world. While the sciences seek to understand the world, artists seek to experience it, taking solace in the fact that they don’t know what’s happening, and that’s okay.

The message here is that deciding to pursue the arts isn’t a cop-out. It’s the beginning of a journey to understanding how we see the world around us. I discovered that I love learning and challenging myself. That’s how I fit into academics, to gain the tools necessary to be able to translate my definition of beauty and reality. I will always appreciate science and research. There is certain magical quality to knowing how to save a life or to create ways to advance as a society, but art chronicles. It creates an archive where we can appreciate where we’ve come from and be excited (or terrified) of where we’re going. My life doesn’t hinge on an abstract waiting to be accepted but thrives when I start creating. Some people are meant to be in labs and think of ways to change the world, and others are meant to experience and remember it.