From the minute I graduated high school, I knew theatre was not something I wanted to leave in high school. It was a place where I could be myself and open up to people with similar interests as myself. Whether it was behind the scenes or right smack dab in the middle of the brightly lit stage, I felt like I was home. Well, I started the college career as a secondary education major, something I was also passionate about; teaching. But as my first year of college ended, I felt like something was missing from my life. I enjoyed all my classes and the idea of teaching, but I could not help but think I probably did not pick the right field of study.
So like any nineteen-year-old college student, I did some soul searching during the summer and decided I wanted to become a theatre major. When I made the changeover, there was this feeling of totality within me. Like I did the right thing for my future and myself. If that change were not made, it would have slowly beaten me down until when I finally figured it out, it would have been too late.
The same reactions and questions always arise when I tell people that the career path I have chosen is in the artistic field. Some of the nicer ones include; “Cool! What’s that?”, Or “Oh, well, at least you enjoy it!”. Along with some of the nicer reactions, there are always the slightly crueler and pessimistic reactions, which ranged from; “What does your family think about your career choice?”, or “Oh, that must be easy and not a lot of work”, and my personal favorite, “So you aren’t going to make a lot of money?”.
It is easier to smile and give a polite response to the nicer reactions, although hearing the same few things can get bothersome. But, the crueler ones are a lot harder to dish back and still be respectable. There is no class out there for art students called “Dealing the with critics 101”. Believe me, if there were I would have taken it once, failed it, and then again not for the grade but for my sanity. But that is all these people are, critics. They do not know who I am, or what I do every day or my struggles.
Now almost ending my undergrad career, I have always pondered how I can handle the critics. I the solution for myself is not a statement you can say to them, but it is something you can tell yourself and let it show in the art and projects you work on: “You cannot buy passion”. Sure having a career making six figures a year is comfortable, but is it worth it? Is that person happy working a job, not a career? I refer to the arts as a career because it is something I love. A job is where a person makes money, but usually is not entirely satisfied at the end of the day.
So to all those who are art majors, music, majors, theatre majors: You have passion about your talent. If you work hard and never give up, there will be opportunities for you. People who criticize you sometimes don’t understand. But if you know your worth and continue to show you can create incredible masterpieces you will be successful. Never give up on your dreams.
