By Lindsey Gantt
My passion is art. I went into high school thinking I had my future career all figured out. I wanted to be a nurse. However, one day it hit me, sitting in anatomy class while memorizing the 206 bones of the human body, that being a nurse was not my passion. I have always told myself that whatever job or career path I follow, I want to love doing it every single day. I came to the realization that art is what truly makes me happy and allows me to express who I am and where I come from. I guess you could say it’s in my dreams.
Early Roots
As a child, I remember waking up every Tuesday and walking out into the kitchen to see my mom instructing one of her private art classes. I had always tried to eavesdrop and hear the conversations about art that day. I was curious and wanted to learn more. Not only was my mother in the art profession, but my grandma used to be, too. I also inherited this special talent from my grandma, too. I remember going to her house on weekends and she would teach me something new about painting. She would pull out her old painting supplies and we would spend hours painting together. When we weren’t painting, I would watch her skillfully create calligraphy on wedding invitations. I would sit in disbelief as she hand-crafted the most beautiful lettering. My grandma continually expresses to me how talented I am. She emphasizes that I have a gift that I need to share with the world. I believe that I am not only pursuing art as a career for myself, but for her as well. She and my mom have both influenced me and have ignited my passion and love for art. I hope that one day I can motivate and inspire others through my art as much as they have inspired me. I know that God gave me this gift to share with the world and make everything around me a little more beautiful.
Challenges in Pursuing the Arts
There is a negative connotation in the world about pursuing art as a career. There is a strong stereotype that if one were to go into the arts, they won’t make that much money. Another reason that people are afraid and choose more “safe” options is because the arts programs and arts in school districts are known to be the first programs to be cut and dropped from curriculums. However, this shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your passion of doing art as a career. Every job has its obstacles, but this is just the one for the arts. However, the arts are a $740 billion dollar industry and the 3rd highest contributor to the GDP. I decided to ignore this big factor and make a change in what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because I understand the idea that if you work a job with something that you like, then you will never actually work a day in your life.
In college, I decided to go with the degree of Communication Design with a Minor in Arts Management. I picked arts management because it gives me the basic and detailed information of the business side of the arts. It also pairs well with my major of Commutation Design, because it offers skills in generating income, stimulating public access, and understanding the mission and vision of organizations whose purpose is the presentation of the arts and their culture. After learning these subjects on the business aspects of art, it gave me a clearer peace of mind. Because it proved the stereotypes of art to be wrong. If I could give anyone a piece of advice, it would be to immerse yourself into the program and learn about how you can make art a career and not think twice about it.
To learn visit the Arts management website, https://bulletin.miamioh.edu/creative-arts/minors/arts-management/
Lindsey Gantt is a sophomore at Miami University. She aims to complete her major in Communication Design with a minor in Arts Management.