aerynth
02-02-2010, 09:58 AM
Once upon a time, I used to be an artist. As a young child, my life revolved around giving life to the pictures in my head. If you had asked me or anyone who knew me, I would be an artist when I grew older. I seemed a natural career choice for me.
However, as I started to move through high school, my main focus in art became music and writing. Art is a talent that needs to constantly be practiced so you can grow, but music was the same way. Being a singular-minded person, I had to focus on music so art took a backseat in my life.
Despite being a talented musician, I realized music education wasn't the ideal career for me and so I took a break from college within one semester, hoping I could learn a little more about what I wanted in life. Fast forward to five years later, and I'm still idling at the same spot I was at years ago.
Being an artistic jack-of-all-trades meant that I was trying to spread myself too thin, which resulted in me not having a large amount of experience in all areas. I dabble a little bit in traditional art, graphic design, video editing/creation, web design, and I'm of a moderate level in Photoshop. Everything is self-taught, but with little focus on a single one. Because of that reason, I had been staying away from considering any of the arts when looking at potential careers this entire time, despite always being drawn to it. After talking with my boyfriend and some friends, however, they think it's at least worth a try to pursue it, to at least take a few art courses to give it a chance. I tried arguing that art is not only a talent, but an acquired skill one hones for years and years with experience and personal growth. They believe if you're an artist, you're an artist; with practice, it will come back if you truly have passion and talent.
I fear being too behind when it's a competitive field, especially considering most people in art and/or graphic and web design have years of experience, self-taught or professional. So here's the biggest question I pose to you: will my lack of experience hinder me? Are there many successful people who go for art-related majors with no background besides it being an occasional hobby? Is it realistic of me to consider this field as a career option? Will I be taught basics or be expected to go into art classes at an intermediate level at the very least?
Thank you all kindly in advance.
However, as I started to move through high school, my main focus in art became music and writing. Art is a talent that needs to constantly be practiced so you can grow, but music was the same way. Being a singular-minded person, I had to focus on music so art took a backseat in my life.
Despite being a talented musician, I realized music education wasn't the ideal career for me and so I took a break from college within one semester, hoping I could learn a little more about what I wanted in life. Fast forward to five years later, and I'm still idling at the same spot I was at years ago.
Being an artistic jack-of-all-trades meant that I was trying to spread myself too thin, which resulted in me not having a large amount of experience in all areas. I dabble a little bit in traditional art, graphic design, video editing/creation, web design, and I'm of a moderate level in Photoshop. Everything is self-taught, but with little focus on a single one. Because of that reason, I had been staying away from considering any of the arts when looking at potential careers this entire time, despite always being drawn to it. After talking with my boyfriend and some friends, however, they think it's at least worth a try to pursue it, to at least take a few art courses to give it a chance. I tried arguing that art is not only a talent, but an acquired skill one hones for years and years with experience and personal growth. They believe if you're an artist, you're an artist; with practice, it will come back if you truly have passion and talent.
I fear being too behind when it's a competitive field, especially considering most people in art and/or graphic and web design have years of experience, self-taught or professional. So here's the biggest question I pose to you: will my lack of experience hinder me? Are there many successful people who go for art-related majors with no background besides it being an occasional hobby? Is it realistic of me to consider this field as a career option? Will I be taught basics or be expected to go into art classes at an intermediate level at the very least?
Thank you all kindly in advance.