First of all, if you are a self-proclaimed artist in college, a thousand hats off to you.
It isn't easy dealing with the constant questions: "What can you do with a degree in that?" "So you're gonna be a teacher, right?" "Good luck finding a job in the real world."
News flash to the people who ask these questions:
We, artistic minded people, find jobs because we work hard and network. We have passion and dedication because art teaches us to persevere until everything is perfect. Sure, maybe job opportunities aren't handed to us like a diploma as we walk off that graduation stage, but we end up where we belong because we work tirelessly in our field.
Being an artist does not mean inevitable failure and bankruptcy.
It means challenging yourself to find like minds and work with them. It means perfecting your skills day in and day out until opportunities arise in front of you.
If you do what you love, everything else falls into place.
This is for every artist out there struggling to survive in a college world where schedules, payment plans, charts and graphs block our path like orange cones in a construction zone. The most important thing to remember is:
You are not alone.
Being a passionate artist who did not go to "art school" can get lonely. You go about your day studying what keeps you alive- brush strokes and stanzas and color wheels- and wonder if anyone else out there feels the same. Good news: There are biology students with oil paints stuffed in their closets, business majors with acrylics lost somewhere at the bottom of their desk drawer. The artists among us each have a stash somewhere of poetry, paintings, or drawings from high school days when it wasn't a crime to create, because the world was your canvas. Now we are fed the lie that the path of study we choose will dictate the rest of our lives. Don't buy into that lie...
Create every day.
It doesn't matter if you're a visual artist with nothing but printer paper and a ball point pen. Take what you have. Make something out of nothing. Let's face it, you can't afford big art store supplies anyway, so pick up that #2 pencil and get started. As an artist, it's better to be broke with talent than to be surrounded by money with no creative spirit. I don't care if you have to scrawl poems on toilet paper during bathroom breaks between classes. Never let your limited resources be an excuse to stop creating.
Get outside your comfort zone.
Nothing can open your mind like experiencing cultural and artistic events off campus, particularly if you're in a city. Take a figure drawing class. (These tend to be no more than $10 per session, and they are offered almost everywhere. An imperative experience for any visual artist. Bring your own supplies.) Go to poetry readings. Go to local concerts. Go to museums. Take a road trip with some friends. Take the train. Take a bus. Walk.
Keep learning.
If there's pile of poetry books on your shelf, study them all. Research that artist whose paintings mesmerize you. Discover up and coming writers, musicians, and artists who have become successful through sweat, blood, tears, and innovation. They will inspire you. Put on your big kid pants and meet with university faculty who have the knowledge and resources to point you in the direction of workshops, internships, or even free community classes and events where you can learn more about your craft.
Don't be afraid of offending people.
This should go without saying, but if you're an artist surrounded by bio majors and future lawyers, the last thing you should do is censor your creative passion to avoid conflict. Some of these purely scientific minds might even be your best friends. So explain to them what you do. Invite them to experience the art you create. Consequently, these people will benefit from opening their minds and learning to appreciate what they don't understand, and you will feel less alone. If you need some (or a lot) of alone time to make art, let your friends know. If you are sick of comments about how "art gets you no where in life," say something. Stand up for yourself and your art, and stop caring about offending people who don't understand you in the first place. The more these pre-med, science-minded students get to know you, the more they will endear your unique perspective on life. If your art offends them because they can't understand it, walk away from them, not your art.
The future is brighter than you think...
As I said recently to one talented and struggling artist, "Please please please, never feel undervalued because of your choice to pursue a passion that some deem meaningless because of the average income it generates."
It doesn't matter what you're studying or where you're future takes you. You can be an artist and a college student without losing your mind. Do not doubt. Do not lose hope. Do not beat yourself up; you have time to develop and room to grow. You belong right where you are.
The most important thing is that you keep doing what you love.
Haz lo que amas.
The path we take as artists is not an easy one, but you will be renewed periodically with the total joy and excitement of doing what you love, pursuing your passion, and finding people who think like you do.
