February 2014
After applying to numerous schools and getting admitted to many, as well, I had narrowed my choices down to two schools. I was either going to go to Indiana University and pursue business in the Kelly school of business or attend Miami University and study architecture. I was very torn between the two and was really struggling to make a decision. I had talked to numerous people and they seemed to advise me to pursue business because there were more jobs in that field and a better possibility of getting a job after graduation.
March 2014
I was fully on board with attending the University of Indiana, I was about to commit to this school until something changed. As I was walking to lunch one day, I ran into my old art teacher. Just to give some background on my relationship with her. I took an art class with her the fall semester my senior year of high school. Before this class, I had never taken an art class. I had never sat down and dedicated my time to drawing or painting, but in this class, I did just that. The first assignment we were to draw a self-portrait, I sat down and went to work. Three hours later, I had surprised myself with the outcome. I had produced a very nice drawing that I did not know I was capable of. The next day I brought my art to class and presented it to my teacher. She was very impressed and asked me why I had never taken an art class before. I simply told her that I did not know I capable of this. After this assignment, we were given a couple other drawing prompts throughout the semester, that I out a lot of effort into. After the class had ended she had encouraged me. She asked me where I was going to attend college and I told her my two choices and that I was leaning toward Indiana. She then talked to me about how I had a skill that not many other people have and said I would be wasting it I didn’t pursue Architecture. I went home that day and thought a lot about what she said.
August 2014
This was when I moved into my dorm at Miami University. I was very curious to see what my classes were like and how I could incorporate art into my major. For the beginning of my freshman year, I was regretting my decision. My architecture classes did not incorporate art into them as much as I thought they would.
March 2015
At this point in my career, I was beginning to enjoy my classes. I had started to blossom in the architecture field and was happy with the choice I made late in my senior year of high school. For our last studio project and was starting to see how my artistic ability and thoughts steered my work.
February 2016
This is the day I decided to pursue arts entrepreneurship. After having a long discussion with my academic advisor about a potential minor or thematic sequence in this department, I decided to enroll IN CCA 111.
December 2016
I was wrapping up my first ever CCA class. This class was extremely different from any other class I had taken. It required me to think outside of the box. It also taught me about how valuable art can be in a business industry and all the possible ways I could use it when I graduate.
March 2017
I was about to finish up my semester abroad in Barcelona. Being abroad made me appreciate art in a way I had not before. I got to travel all around Europe and go to various art museums and see how a different culture looks at art. The European culture appreciates art a lot more than Americans because they have had a longer existence and have had some pretty incredible minds throughout their history. In my studio for class abroad, our project was different than anything I have had to do at Miami. I was challenged to create a sustainable device that was aesthetically pleasing. This is where my artistic background had really come in handy. I was able to choose and construct a square algae pod. For our final presentation, I had to create handmade renders and was able to utilize my drawing ability.
December 2017
I have just finished up my first arts entrepreneurship class. This class has helped me combine what I love into a way I can possibly make a profit. I have created a website where I can sell my own artwork and the artwork of others as well. This is something that I look to continue doing in the future. After this class has ended I have look back at my life and saw how much art has influenced it. Art made me enroll at Miami, and if I had not done that I would have never met all the wonderful people that I call my friends today. My life would be very different if I had not gone to school here, I would be just another business kid taking finance and other classes that I would not enjoy. But instead, I am taking classes that I love and that I am extremely interested in. I am very happy what art has done for me in my life and I look forward to how it will affect my life in the future.
Andrew Walker is an aspiring architect and a student at Miami University studying Architecture and Arts Entrepreneurship.