I grew up with a book always in my hand, ready to go on whatever adventure it would take me. When I wasn't reading, I was drawing, practicing an instrument, or playing soccer. I no longer play soccer (its place was taken by music), but I still read, write and, occasionally draw.
In high school, the distinction between those more inclined towards the arts and those more inclined towards the sciences became clearer. The distinction of the two in the mind of society was made even clearer still. When I was in junior high, the school district released a statement that basically stated that they were making budget cuts that would predominately affect the arts (which in my school district meant band, orchestra, theater, and art classes). These budget cuts were happening around the same time a new $6.5 million stadium was built.
Once in college, the disapproval took on the form of peers and floormates who would say, "I don't know why you're complaining, art/music/film/writing isn't that hard," or "All you have to do is take photos, I don't get it." The people who tell you that art isn't hard are the same people who refused to take any art/music/film/literature class listed in the course catalog because it was "irrelevant," or the only reason they did take one is because you attend a small liberal arts college that requires them for graduation. Just because we aren't reading out of a textbook and laboring over a problem set, it doesn't mean that we don't have work to do.
When I worked on a TV show this summer, someone told me, "Everyone loves watching TV, but when filming, everyone gets suddenly annoyed when their street gets shut down for a few hours." People want the product without realizing the amount of work that gets put into fabricating said product. They scoff at theater majors or state that dancing isn't a real profession, but will go to concerts, binge Netflix for hours on end, and attend shows on Broadway.
The fact of the matter is that art (no matter what form it possesses) connects people. Humanity has the basic need to be connected to the world they live in, whether it be with others, religion, the universe, nature, or themselves. Books take readers to places they have never been before, a painting or a photograph can make you feel deeply, and a film can show you a new reality.
Some of the greatest minds in science were artists as well. Art should not be something that is brushed aside or looked down upon. Students shouldn't have to worry if their family will be disappointed that they chose to study English literature instead of law. They shouldn't wonder if their peers look down on them because they aren't a political science or biology major.
Creativity and curiosity go hand in hand.
