In the beginning of school, students are encouraged to be creative. Elementary schools had art and music classes integrated into their schedules to allow them the freedom to see if it was something that they liked.

In art class, remember being able to recreate Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night," in the way that we saw it through our own eyes. There were no restrictions. Only guidelines to try to use the same sorts of techniques that van Gogh did. There were so many different variations of this famous piece of work, and no one said that it was done wrong or that it was bad because it came from each individual's imaginations.

In music class, we didn't just stand around and learn about the experts that came before us. We learned thee songs that we forged by different cultures and different events of our countries history. We even sang songs from the current times. But we didn't just sing. Once, we had a drum instructor come in and teach us how to make drums and how to use them. We made the drums in art and had a concert for the school for music class.

In high school, it was only electives, but you were able to take part in the fine arts if you chose to. There was wood workshop, ceramics, choir, art, band, photography, digital art, fashion design, etc. All of which were very popular with the students, if not to try new things, then to get a break here and there to put away the logic and enjoy being creative.

We only got tastes of these things and were taught the fundamental skills of each art. That way, if we enjoyed ourselves, we could continue on with it.

I don't see this in schools anymore. The fine arts have become an elective that is going to the wayside. In result, creativity is becoming wiped out. I watch my little nephews bring home drawings that give us only glimpses into their unsoiled minds. They have such creative minds at such a young age, but it will most likely be sucked out of them as they grow up. I've watched my little sister grow up without these opportunities and she only just recently learned that she loves to draw. And for me, I have been so consumed with the logic part of my brain that I haven't had any time to create things.

Talking with the people in my life, they say the same thing. I used to be great at creative writing and drawing things that I would just dream up one day. Now, I'll sit down and think about all the other things I should be doing, or overthink the whole process because that's what we do in school (which is every waking moment). My roommate used to play the piano all the time. She even brought it with her when she moved into the apartment. I haven't heard her play it once since the school year began. She just has no motivation to do it after all the homework she has. My best friend used to paint and draw beautiful pictures, but now, she agrees with me that she just doesn't feel like she can anymore.

It's like school is sucking all of the creativity out of us because of the requirement of the sciences and math over the fine arts and creativity. And who said that those things have more stock than the fine arts?

So, I have taken a stand. For my last semester in college, I decided to take an art class because I want to be able to be creative again. I want to be able to enjoy my time at school instead of feeling completely overwhelmed because I have 15 chapters to read out of one book, five out of another, two articles, and two papers to write in less than three days (true story). I want to remember how to be creative. I want to make something out of nothing without having to cite some other person who did it first. To not pay attention to theories made by a bunch of old guys, equations that never change, or the what other people want.

I want to remember what it is like to be creative, and I think more people should too.