# To art or not to art



## valaxy.galaxy (Jun 2, 2016)

So, I'm a 17 year old high school student whose graduation day is approaching imminently. 
And all I can say is...God , help me , I am so lost.

And..well..I've always been passionate about drawing and writing..

Since a very young age I was very passionate about creating stories and drawing. My dream changed quite a bit from character designer to illustrator/graphic designer to architect (gave this one up quickly though , because I''m not good at technical drawing) and so on , but mostly artsy and creative related fields. As a child anything seemed possible , of course.

And then I grew up , became very depressed because of unfortunate events , lost all my creativity and flair etc etc. (...unimportant sob story..).And.. I realised that I probably have no chance to get into this field , especially since I come from a rather poor country where art is barely given any importance. I'd have to leave the country but I doubt I have what it takes and don't have the financial possibilies anyway..

My parents didn't even take this option seriously. They suggest I go into nursing or study foreign languages. And while helping others and/or having a stable income sounds good , it just seems..not for me? I don't know. I feel like my "calling" is somewhere else. But i'm worried I might just be delusional.

And since I don't know what I should do , I lost my desire to draw as well. Since it won't lead anywhere , I don't see much point in it anymore. I don't think I was that great to begin with anyway..

You've probably noticed I don't have much self esteem either.Which is quite a burden on me as well.. I just don't know what to do..

My greatest wish is to inspire and help others. I want(ed) to create a story , a comic book to more specific , that would teach people life lessons , bring a little happiness into their life or maybe bring them to tears. I wanted others to feel as happy reading my works as I was creating them..but i''ve lost my hope of achieving this dream for now..
If I somehow managed to get back on my feet and be able to draw again , should I pursue a career in arts? Or should I go on a "safe" path and just try to draw in my spare time..? I am afraid of having a job I hate that would suck the life out of me , but then I've heard that if you pick your passion as your job , you'll end up hating it..dsdsfd ??

Ahh I'm just so scared and I don't know what to do. I'm sorry for rambling here..I've been so anxious and sad lately because of this I can't help myself but cry. There is no one else that can help me , not parents , not teachers , and not friends because I don't have any..So i'm asking strangers on the internet for help..At least my fear of being judged here is diminished.


Thank you for your time..and I apologise once again. If this thread bothers anyone I'll delete it..


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## MolaMola (Jul 28, 2012)

Hey kid. Don't make the mistake I did. 

I was in a similar position. I did not choose art. I should have.

You CAN make a REALLY good living doing art-related things. UI design, multimedia, graphic, etc, if you are a good and have talent.

I am/was really talented and didn't pursue it, and I really regret it tbh.


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## WickerDeer (Aug 1, 2012)

There's nothing wrong with your post @valaxy.galaxy 

I would suggest a middle path, but I don't know how your country's education system works. But a double major in something else and art, or a major/minor. 

Or training in several areas. Whatever you choose--you don't have to give up everything else...and it is helpful to continue advancing various skills and bodies of knowledge, often times. You can always cut down later and focus more on one path, with more experience. But it's a process.

At least, that makes most sense to me. No one will really know the answer. But I do want to say that your feelings sound familiar to me, and I wish I hadn't given up art for so long. And it does sound important to you--plus I like your dream, and it sounds important to the world.


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## Markolise (Nov 29, 2016)

I always follow what I call "The One Rule" especially when I'm out of Ideas but really want to draw or create.

"The One Rule" is simple, take your given art that you want to work on and start with one thing dealing with that art.

If its drawing, draw one line.
If its writing, write one word.
If its programming, write one variable.
If its wood working, cut one board.... etc, etc.

Always pursue what makes you happiest, money will always follow later.


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## shameless (Apr 21, 2014)

My most recent boss was a fine arts majoy (painter). 
She still does that. And has gallery set shows etc. 
Anyways her day job tho is in a wellness center, she leads painting classes for example. As well as does other therapeutic recreation type stuff. 

I just thought it was valid what I know one fine arts major does. Anyways so she gets to do a two in one.


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## douleur (Mar 12, 2017)

valaxy.galaxy said:


> I've heard that if you pick your passion as your job , you'll end up hating it..


More like if you don't pick your passion as your job, you'll end up hating your job

Just give it a try! If it doesn't work out then you could always study something different. A friend of mine is 4 years into medical university and now she realised it's not for her she is going to study 2 more years and do sht else  Prada designer has a Phd in Political Sciences for example


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## Dream_Crusader (Mar 30, 2017)

Do what you feel is right for you. It's your life. I've been where you've been. I'm a Commercial Art- Grad and when i started out in college. I had to wrestle with my dream vs. whats practical. Some people, look for jobs that pay the most, or have notoriety. I was told to look for those jobs. I stayed with my degree. When i got older, i noticed my friends that took more practical jobs, well.... they had stability, but they never seemed happy, or content with what their doing. I mostly got out of them is "It's a job, or "it helps pay the bills." When i asked them if they we're happy with what their doing. They got annoyed or slightly disheartened. ( Like they wanted to avoid the question.) 

I can't tell you what profession you should take. But never settle. ever. Once you start doing that with your dreams, you'll be doing it with everything else. And in the long run ,your just have years of regret. "Would have, Could Have, Should have." You'll be starting college soon right? Just keep an open-mind and relax. I know it'll be scary at first. But you'll have a lot of options. Just take your time. Don't let anyone rush you in your decisions. Like i said, Choose what you feel is right for you. 

((Sorry if this was a long.))


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## Markolise (Nov 29, 2016)

Dream_Crusader said:


> Do what you feel is right for you. It's your life. I've been where you've been. I'm a Commercial Art- Grad and when i started out in college. I had to wrestle with my dream vs. whats practical. Some people, look for jobs that pay the most, or have notoriety. I was told to look for those jobs. I stayed with my degree. When i got older, i noticed my friends that took more practical jobs, well.... they had stability, but they never seemed happy, or content with what their doing. I mostly got out of them is "It's a job, or "it helps pay the bills." When i asked them if they we're happy with what their doing. They got annoyed or slightly disheartened. ( Like they wanted to avoid the question.)
> 
> I can't tell you what profession you should take. But never settle. ever. Once you start doing that with your dreams, you'll be doing it with everything else. And in the long run ,your just have years of regret. "Would have, Could Have, Should have." You'll be starting college soon right? Just keep an open-mind and relax. I know it'll be scary at first. But you'll have a lot of options. Just take your time. Don't let anyone rush you in your decisions. Like i said, Choose what you feel is right for you.
> 
> ((Sorry if this was a long.))


Nope not long at all and was perfect explanation.
I've seen this a lot with old schoolmates and friends, and have read that this is up there on the list of regrets for people on their death beds.


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## Allonsy (Mar 30, 2017)

Do it, but learn about marketing and market trends, how to run a business and etc..

You can achieve anything if you're smart.


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## dulcinea (Aug 22, 2011)

As someone who's been creating art for years, I've learned that it's good to have more diversified skills as well. But then again, I'm not a very talented artist despite my experience and the fact that I've took classes. Art, in a professional sense, can be very competitive, and I don't think it's even a meritocracy anymore. You can have a gallery display garbage, representations of feces, and a literal giant butt, and these exhibits generate money.

I'm not in a great position to give advice, because I haven't legitimately done these things yet, but, if your stuff is really good, try starting an Etsy store and promoting it. Maybe try learning web design/development and app development. Apps can be such great tools for artists. Also freelancing sites, I've heard can be good places to network. Just some ideas. 

Also choosing art as a college major? In my opinion, that's a massive waste of money. I'm not a fan of Universities, however. I feel that people should only go if ABSOLUTELY necessary. I can go on and on about why I don't think going to a University to learn a skill that you could learn from YouTube, is a good idea. You could probably learn it better on YouTube too, because colleges these days are so full of feminist and SJW oriented leftist propaganda, depending on which college you go to, if you get any art or humanities degree, you're going to come out learning how everything is racist and sexist, and the whole intersectional victim culture narrative. Maybe not in all Universities, but I've been hearing and reading that it's become pretty common. Also college has a hefty price tag regarding debt. The average american has incurred a hefty $35,000 in college debt. You're better off learning from YouTube and joining a community of artists and networking.


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## justkenzie (Feb 11, 2014)

To art! When in doubt the answer is always to art.

But on a more serious note.. If you love drawing then figure out a way to incorporate that into your career. Maybe it's not as simple as being a comic book writer. OR maybe it is! So your country is small and art isn't a big thing there? Figure out a way around that. And hey, I'll give you a major pointer for that one - use the internet to your advantage. You can come up with a million excuses or reasons not to pursue your dream. OR you could come up with a million ways around those excuses. Will it be hard? Probably. Is life going to be hard regardless? Definitely. Would you rather work hard at a job that you don't like but is stable, or work hard to make your passion produce a stable income? I know which of those two I'd rather choose.

If you want to create a comic book then create a comic book. Use the internet. You speak English really well. I don't know what your first language is, but you can most certainly use English on the internet. Write your comic because you enjoy it. Share it on different platforms on the web. Research how to get it out there. Find websites to publish your comics on. Figure out advertisement algorithms. If you put in the effort it takes then eventually something will come of your comic book writing.

But maybe that's not the career you want to work in. Maybe you want to do that as a side thing while you work in some other artsty, creative job. So do some research. Find out what jobs are around you. Find out what jobs you can get via the internet. There are many opportunities for jobs that don't require you to exist in a certain location. It takes a lot of effort to find them, and sometimes it's about connections, but again - everything takes effort. You're either gonna be putting in that effort to get the job that you want or you're going to be putting in that effort at a job you don't. It's really up to you. 

I think you really have to do some figuring out. I know for me that I absolutely love writing and painting. One day I'd love to sell my paintings and publish a book. That's not where I am at just yet, but in the meantime I'm not gonna be stuck at a job I hate either. I find jobs that suit me until I have invested enough in my artwork that it's ready to sell/publish. Sometimes that's just how life goes. You just have to work around your issues.


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