There are lots of different reactions you get when you tell someone that you are any kind of fine arts or humanities major. Lots of people don't seem to understand how you could possibly be happy if you aren't making an insane amount of money.

So story time, a friend of a friend works at a bakery. She is a college graduate and loves her job. A middle age man comes in and starts making conversation, and is super suprised when she tells him that she is finished with college. He is very rude and basically tells her that she is wasting her education. She doesn't even have to tell him that she was a theater major to recieve this unwarrented criticism. The point is, the fact that she is happy and loves her job is irrelevant to this ignorant old man because she isn't making the most money that she possibly could. She is happy and she is making it by, so who cares? These kinds of things happen all the time, and as an art major I have already heard plenty jokes and comments about why what I'm doing is a waste of time.

I was very sad to hear this story, because I know what that feels like and I'm sure that I will have more of these kinds of stories to share in the future. Because of this, I wrote this girl a little poem about the whole experience to try and pick her up a little bit. Here it is:

Dear Kind Sir,

I’m sorry that the four gray walls of your cubicle

Have corrupted your mind

I’m sorry that you’ve lived this long and never managed

To learn to love something other than money

Because here’s the thing

You will make money

I might make less money

But I will move mountains

Don’t mind me while I manipulate flour and sugar to make masterpieces

Don’t mind me while my smile and creations brighten days and change lives

Don’t mind me while I make use of my theater degree

By dealing with you and everyone else in this world with a smile on my face

Pardon me while I follow my dreams

You’re not actually in my way I’m just being polite

You’ll have to excuse all these people, they follow me everywhere

Loving and supporting me

You might not be used to what it feels like to have a community like that

Do you have some extra chairs for my friends?

I’d say you and I both earned an “A” in life

Except mine stands for Amazing

And yours stands for Asshole

Have a nice day

I wanted this girl to know that even though I don't know her, I feel her struggle and I think theater majors are awesome and working at a bakery sounds like the best job ever. I am so glad that she has found something that makes her happy, because then maybe she won't feel the need to lecture random strangers about how their life isn't as fullfilling as it could be. So to everyone, maybe don't judge other people for what they chose to major in or work as. And to everyone who has had to deal with this, reach out to other people and let them know you are rooting for them. We artsy folk have to stick together.