Often in today's society you get the question "what are you majoring in?" and usually you get praised for choosing a topic like English, Math, Science or anything in between. But have you seen or heard the remarks one receives if you mention you want to pursue a career in Arts?
Pursuing a degree in arts is a very time consuming endeavor as a student must spend at least 3 hours of studio time per hour they are in class, per week. This being said if they carry more than 1 studio class it can be hard to juggle between giving enough time to each project. It can also be very difficult to have to present your art to a group of students and teacher and watch them critique the very work you have spent weeks mulling over. Don’t get me wrong, its an excellent feeling when you receive praise but often the praise comes along with a plethora of rejections that need to be reworked and even then a piece will never be fully complete.
Arts are also very skills based, meaning every day an artist is being critiqued and tested to the limit, in order to get better. Often times the skills one needs to improve on are so basic that it can be difficult to go back and retrain. This would be similar to a football player having success in throwing a football the same way he has always been taught too, until one day he is asked to change his form in order to improve. Much like the artist they must take steps back in order to move forward and improve. You can often find an artist taking more time away from their work because if you stare at the same piece for a long period of time you will overlook the small details that can only be seen from stepping away.
Many will also attempt to enlighten you on the idea that seeking a degree in the Arts is way too risky. But every company may it be food, clothes etc., needs logos and different elements to set them apart from the others. This is were some of those with Art and Design majors can excel and use their creative input to grow any business. Even if you chose to not peruse a career in the arts there will always be a need to be creative in any job. Business are always on the hunt for that next edge to set their company apart, may it be a different color scheme or a slight change in font to catch the attention of the viewer. Art students would also make excellent educators, with all the patience they have built up from having to rework their pieces and all the dedication they put into a single project, it is safe to say they can handle teaching their passion to those willing to listen.
Next time you see a tired, highly caffeinated art major make sure you acknowledge all the work they are doing because their major required just as much a Physicist.
