Anyone who is pursuing a degree in the fine arts knows how tough it can be to convince people your major is worthwhile. Every time I tell someone that I am a creative writing major, I get the same facial expressions and responses. The person initially lights up with curiosity at what I may be devoting my life to, as they ask what my major is; will I become a doctor? An astrophysicist? A nuclear scientist? I can physically see their face change from proud and optimistic to confused and uncomfortable when I explain that I am majoring in creative writing--and it only goes more downhill when I mention that I am minoring in film studies. They fidget and nod their heads politely, shift their weight from one foot to the other before the inevitable question: "Oh...ah....well, so, what are you going to do with that? Are you going to be a teacher?" I frantically start listing off the things writers can do--which is actually a lot, believe it or not, and watch their gazes become more and more disinterested. "Yeah, yeah, well, you're not going to do anything with that degree, so have fun working in fast food for the rest of your life, kid," their facial expressions, polite nods, and prodding at why I didn't pick something else to go to school for tell me. It's almost like I can see them patting themselves on the back, praising themselves, thinking "Phew, at least I didn't do that with my life." I am only in my second year of college, and I cringe just thinking about all of the uncomfortable conversations I have had with acquaintances, family members, and students alike regarding my choice of major. I am so sick of it already, but I try and hold my ground; the fine arts matter too.
For my entire life thus far, I have never been even slightly left-brained. From the time I could hold a pencil, I started drawing and writing and I haven't stopped yet. As both a child and an adult, I have preferred movies, books, art, and music to the sports and activities that a lot of other people excelled at growing up. They would tease me for not being able to catch a ball, but then would flock to me when we had to draw a picture for a project or write a paper for English class.
Throughout my life, I have noticed an unsettling trend. People can excel exponentially in the arts. They can paint portraits of people and landscapes that look identical to the real thing. They can act with such true emotion and feeling that you aren't sure how they aren't actually the character they are portraying. They can write beautiful poems and stories that are so compelling that you can't understand how they were able to craft such vivid images and plots through black and white words on a page. They can play music so complicated that you aren't sure how their hands are capable of such intricate playing. Any one person can do all of these things, and yet still not be taken seriously. They are terribly undervalued just because they don't have "M.D." at the end of their name, or they weren't a quarterback in high school or college. On the other hand, if someone can't play an instrument, draw anything more complicated than a stick figure, act, or write a poem or story, we shrug it off because it is socially acceptable not to be skilled in any of the fine arts, especially if that person can catch a football or solve a math equation. If you Google the phrase "fine arts," the definition that comes up is "an activity requiring great skill or accomplishment," but society does not treat it as so. It is more acceptable for people not to have any passions and spend their lives hating their jobs in our society than it is for an artist or musician to spend their lives pursuing their dreams.
Society puts college majors into two categories: there are those that are considered useful and worthy of praise and bragging, and those that are considered shameful, useless, and the punchline of a joke. The first category is almost exclusively for fields involving math, science, medicine, technology, or law. Anything else within that category is not considered exceptionally good or bad, like business, education, or criminal justice etc. The other category consists of anything involving art, theatre, film, culture, gender studies, writing, or performance based: the liberal arts.
What people do not understand is that just because I am getting a fine arts degree, that does not mean that I am at college doing nothing. My classes are not easy, nor are any other fine arts classes, like so many people assume. I may not have to memorize the muscles in the body or calculate the solar mass of a star for the classes pertaining to my major, but I have just as much, if not more, work I need to get done for each of my classes every week.
Every day I wake up and hear the voices of people ridiculing my major in the back of my head. They tell me a million things they think I should be instead, a million things that are considered more practical, safer in terms of job security, and with a guaranteed higher salary. It makes me shake my head. They think I don't know that there is a pretty high chance that I won't make a huge salary, and they think I care. Sure, money is something you need to buy your food and pay your bills, but if I get to spend my whole life doing what I love and having just enough to get by, I think that is a pretty good life to live. Our society equates having a lot of money with happiness and a better life. I think the pursuit of money tends to make people forget about the things that actually make you happy, like having a job that fulfills you even if you do not get paid as much as the next guy.
From the time we are born, we are encouraged to go after our dreams, but simultaneously, we are made to feel bad about our passions if they do not typically wield steady careers. The arts are not supposed to be a job, they are supposed to be useless hobbies in the eyes of our society. We are taught "make art--but don't ask for money for your art." "Be a good artist, but don't try to make a career out of it." Because of this, many people have lost the ability to appreciate the arts and haven't had the chance to fall in love with them. Those who do appreciate the arts, whether they be music, visual art, or performing have trouble finding programs that fit their interests, especially considering many schools all over the country are cutting their music and art programs left and right. We are living in an age where people are devaluing the arts and simultaneously asking for more than ever before, with mediums such as graphic design and online journalism becoming more and more relevant as the years go by. When people go to college, all of the stigma of pursuing the fine arts means much of the time, they fall into the trap of forgetting that their artistic passions matter, in favor of a job promising more money, but ultimately less fulfillment for them.
People pursuing fine arts majors are not people to be scoffed at, nor are we the punchline of jokes. We are the people courageous enough to go after our passions in a world that tells us to play it safe. We are the people reminding others that art, music, film, and writing matter. Without the people like us, there would be no TV shows, movies, books, art, billboards, advertisements, fashion, or music; there may never be another Vincent van Gogh, Elvis Presley, or William Shakespeare without the people like us. The next time you are going to criticize someone pursuing an arts degree, ask yourself: "did I have the guts to go after what I wanted like they do? Could I go the rest of my life without reading my favorite book? Without listening to my favorite song? Without watching my favorite show? Without seeing my favorite movie?" If you answered "no" to any of those questions, you probably should not ridicule someone based on what their college major is.
