I recently started my freshman year in college as a declared Art Major. I'm loving my classes, my professors, and all of my classmates who have the same love for art that I do. Now that I'm working towards one of my dreams, sometimes I think about all the moments that brought me to decide to study art. It seems like yesterday I was 3 and my mom was watching me color on the walls of my room. It seems like not even ten minutes ago I was a freshman in high school who wanted to be a physical therapist. Yes completely different, I know, but I loved sports and the human body always fascinated me. As I job shadowed physical therapist and doctors, I began to realize that none of them suited me. None of them fueled the fire in my heart, and none of them made my soul feel at ease in the ways that art did. I call it the talent that was hiding right under my nose because I loved art, and I had since I could remember, but it took me until my junior year of high school, when I didn't have a single art class on my schedule, to realize that not only I wanted art in my life, but I NEEDED it.
Now to my fellow artist/ art majors out there, you all have a different journey and a different dream, all unique in their own ways. You came to the same realization that I did at one point in your lives; that we have in common. Another thing we have in common is the amount of judgement that is constantly thrown our way.
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Now that winter break is here, I am waitressing again and therefore holding casual conversations about college and my future plans.
Here are how a lot of them went.
"So where are you going to school and what is your major?"
"I'm going to the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and I will be an Art major!"
*Cue the bug eyes, fake smile, and casual head nod* "Oh...lovely"
Whether someone has the guts to straight up tell me or not, I can always tell when someone thinks that my choice of career is bound to be a disaster. I've noticed, and I think other Art majors could agree, that people automatically assume three things:
"What's your plan B?"
"Why? Are you not smart enough for something else?"
and "Have fun being broke!"
To answer these questions quickly, my response would be "Don't have one, look at my high school and college GPA, and I will, THANKS" but I'll give you all the full run down because I think I speak for all Art majors when I say, no you don't have to feel sorry for me.
First of all, I'm not a fan of "Plan B". "Plan B" is something you put behind "Plan A", which in my eyes means you have doubts about your "Plan A". It also serves as a way out when college is too hard, classes are too tough, and life just sucks. I don't personally allow myself to even look at anything else besides "Plan A" because I have one dream career and anything else is just distracting.
Also if I apparently need a "Plan B" written down on paper, shouldn't everyone? And by everyone I certainly include those who want to be doctors or lawyers. The amount of schooling is endless, debt very high, and the competition in college and in the field comes down to the wire. If I need one, they need one too. But if that is their dream and they are willing to work for it, then there is no need for "Plan B". What's the difference between that and my "Plan A"?
My "Plan A" was thought out thoroughly and I had guidance from my parents and school advisor. I'm confident in my decisions because yes I am smart. Saying someone is only an Art Major because that's all their good at is the worst stereotype to ever face artist's. Like I said earlier, I always loved science, in fact it was the highest scored category on my ACT. Yes in high school, people who took art classes might have been quiet, or had color hair or some tattoos. Some might have been stoners, loners, and outsiders, but that doesn't mean any of us are not smart. I would love to see anyone that doesn't agree with me try and draw the way some of my classmates can. We might not be good at the same things you are, but that doesn't mean our interest aren't important. My least favorite subject is math. To me it's boring and a waste of my time, but to someone else it's a noble profession, and highly beneficial to society, which it is.
Art might not be your thing, but it's somebody's, and by saying my thing might not make me as much money as your thing is implying that I won't be happy in my career. Artist's might be on the lower end of the income scale, but there are quite a few that are making it big time, doing something they love. By all means take that high paying job with the beautiful views of a cubical if that's what you want, but don't come complaining to me at our 40th high school reunion saying you fell short.
It's kind of like the game "Would You Rather". I would rather live 1,000 lifetimes with little money, doing something I love, than 1 lifetime with all the money I could think of, doing something I settled for.
