Why Art?

A lot of people ask me why my major is what it is. People are construction management majors since they are almost guaranteed a job after college. Accounting majors generally make a decent salary, but artists salaries are derived solely from commission based on whether or not someone else likes your work. So becoming wealthy as an artist is not impossible, it is just not likely. But I am not driven by money, and I am an art major because it is what I love and what makes me happy.

My goal in life is to do what makes me happy; to have an occupation in which I enjoy going to work rather than dread it each day.

I have switched my major multiple times since I used to be nervous about the security of my future; being financially stable to support myself and a family. I hate being reliant on others and want to know that I can make it on my own. However, I found that I was unhappy with those majors. Sure, I could graduate college with a nice diploma in my hand and find myself in a pretty decent job, but I would hate going to work each day. And for me personally, going to a job each day which I absolutely hated is not worth it, no matter how much my salary was.

I chose visual art as my major since I feel like that is what I was born to do. I have been drawing, and painting since I was very young (and not just stick figures and finger painting). As I got older I explored more mediums, taking pottery classes during the summer, and studio and photography classes during the school year. Every time I tried to “run away” from art, it somehow managed to pull me back in. I have switched my major four times during my freshman year and each time I found myself sitting in class doodling, wishing I was drawing or sculpting instead of listening to my teacher rant about reinforced concrete, or the exponential growth of peanuts.

To me, money makes no difference. It’s like that old saying, “money can’t buy happiness” which in my case is true. Sure one can have all the money in the world, but are they happy? I’ve been told on numerous occasions, do what you love and everything will work out; that if you love what you do, money will find its way to you since your heart and soul is in what you do. With this being said I will now ask my socratic question, are people with money happy with their job because they have money, or do they have money because they are happy in doing what they do?