"What's your major?"

"Art"

"...Oh, that's...interesting! So what kind of jobs are you looking into?"

I can't tell you how many times I've had this conversation. It's almost becoming awkward for me to talk about my major, because I feel like I need to justify my decision to be an art major. "Don't worry, I want to be a teacher! See, I'm using art for an actual job!"

So yes, I'm going to be an art teacher, but why should I feel bad about majoring in art? Where did this stigma come from? Why do you assume that all art majors are aspiring starving artists?

In all honesty, I've had a conversation with someone before who asked me why I was spending so much money on going college...to color.

First of all, majoring in art is SO much more than "coloring." It takes practice, patience, and skill. Even the base-level art classes stretch your understanding of the visual world around you. For figure drawing, students have to learn about every muscle and bone that forms the body. Sculpture classes are all about learning balance and structure. There are exact sciences behind mixing paint, or plaster, or watercolors. This isn't a high school art class.

Secondly, art is everywhere! Art is life! Stop and think about how many times you encounter art every day. The paintings on your wall. The color scheme in the office. The paint job on your car. The website that catches your eye. The pattern on your shirt and design of your shoes and the stained glass window in the old church. Art integrates itself into every part of life. Even the doodle you draw on the back of your notebook while you're talking on the phone is art.

And thirdly, so what if I want to spend my time and money studying art?? How boring would life be if everyone answered the same thing when asked about their major. We can't all be engineers, friends. Just like we can't all be teachers or plumbers or chefs. Today's children are being flooded with math and science and writing -- they are being told that the only way to get into a good college and get a good job is if they can answer all the math problems and successfully write an essay. These things are important, don't get me wrong. But they aren't everything.

So stop shaming art majors. Stop making us feel like we're never going to get a "real job" with our major. My art major friends are some of the best people I know -- and they're brilliant, wonderful people who are going to go far in life. They will be art therapists, teachers, painters, graphic artists, and more. Art is a rich and fulfilling major to pursue, and it's a challenge! My hours spent in the studio aren't always pleasant. Art is frustrating work at times.

This is why I want to be an art teacher: I want to rekindle a love of art in young students. I want art to be reestablished in people's lives and I want other people to find the joy that I see in art. And, of course, I want to spend my days surrounded in paintings.