The other day I was watching a TED Talk entitled “Do schools kill creativity?” and Ken Robinson, the speaker, discussed ways that school kills people’s creativity.

After reflecting on my own experiences throughout my schooling, I can completely agree with the idea that school kills creativity. Whether it is by clearly favoring the importance of sports over the arts or telling people that their passions for arts cannot translate into a job in the real world, it is clear that school kills creativity in students.

Let me give you an example that I am currently facing. I am double majoring in journalism and political science, but I am always asked why I am going into these fields. I am constantly reminded that I will not find a job in the field of communication and that I should study math, science or something more significant. The reason people tell me this is because that is what is engrained in them by the school system. They are taught that math and science are of utmost importance and that the arts are hobbies not jobs. If the school system supported and nurtured these subjects, then there would not be such a negative stigma associated with them.

Even though the school system does not support the arts, if that is what you love doing, then continue doing it. Do not be discouraged from doing what you are passionate about because an institution does not support it.