(this is a formal essay, so it’s kind of long and a little on the cheesy side, but I wanted to share.)

            When we’re little, our dreams are pretty grandiose. We all wish we could sing the world’s next hit single, become a famous actor, or play football for a major league team. As we grow older, however, we are repeatedly told these dreams are childish and impractical, and we are forced to abandon them in favor of more realistic ambitions. Meanwhile, these earlier pursuits are downgraded to mere hobbies, or just something to do in our spare time (which, coincidentally, seems to shrink as we get older). Those who try and turn their childhood dreams into a real occupation are mocked and ridiculed, and I can safely say I’ve been there. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “art isn’t a real job” and “have fun working at Starbucks for the rest of your life”.

            At some point, though, you quit worrying about the legitimacy of your goals, and realize what everyone else has to say about them shouldn’t hold you back. You realize that doing anything else for a living would be both a waste of your potential and ultimately a huge source of regret. Which is why I want to spend my life making art – art that changes the way people see things.

            Let me elaborate on that a little bit. I don’t mean painting bowls of fruit or dramatic landscapes and expecting everyone to simply line up waiting to pay me exorbitant sums of money. Art has a massive constructive power that people overlook all the time, despite how frequently it shows up in their day-to-day lives. I’m the sort of person who looks at a billboard and starts wondering how the ad could be graphically improved, instead of deciding if I’m interested the product. In the world of advertising, first impressions are incredibly important – it’s all up to imagery and presentation to relay all the necessary information to the viewer, and if that chance is wasted, it’s gone for good. Humans are visual creatures, and if something can’t hold our attention, we give up on it. That initial impression is crucial.

            It’s a little bit intimidating, having such enormous pressure placed on you from what seems like a simple task, but it’s also kind of exciting when you manage to find the right design and elicit a “Hey, that’s pretty cool.” To some extent, I’ve experienced that, from making posters or art for group projects, but I can only imagine what it feels like on a larger scale. Realistically, art is far more practical than we give it credit for, and it’s all around us: in logos, greeting cards, license plates, website layouts, commercials, product packaging, pamphlets, book jackets, magazines, textbooks. And thanks to the ever-narrowing attention span of the average person, it’s becoming increasingly vital that all of these convey their message in an effective and entertaining way.

            I would certainly be stretching the truth if I said that I had goals to work for any particular company, or spread any particular message. After all, I’ve not been fully immersed in the world yet, and my own values and ideals are still changing every day. But as society grows and evolves, so too will the approach marketing must take: one need only look at advertisements from past decades to realize this.  Advertising is truly the messenger that brings innovation and fresh concepts to the general public. The old adage ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ may be tired and cliché, but a well-designed graphic has the power to make such concepts all the more dynamic. To play a part in a radical ad campaign, one that really knocks people off their feet, would be nothing short of astounding for me.

            This is not something I expect to accomplish overnight, or even straight out of college. Developing artistic skill is a long and arduous process, and there are few things more discouraging than being unable to properly create the image you envisioned in your head. Art is so undervalued in our society because people perceive it as effortless. They feel entitled to it as a cheap service because, after all, artists must have some sort of innate talent that allows them to churn out flawless works of art over and over with little trouble. How dare they charge prices similar to the rest of the work force!

            The truth is, designers go through dozens of concept sketches before settling on a final product (which may take multiple attempts). They may need to do practice exercises to become accustomed to drawing a subject with which they’re not familiar. And then there lies the matter of basic technical skill – the reason art students spend hours hunched over in studios drawing nude models and arrangements of bottles and flowers. This is not simply tuition dollars flying out the window (as much of the population would be inclined to believe, unfortunately), but rather preparation needed to make artists versatile and ready to handle whatever request a future client may throw their way.

            The fact of the matter is this: art is hard work. It requires dedication, persistence, willingness to drudge through exercises in anatomy, perspective, lighting… (the list goes on and on) and is every bit as valuable as the chair you’re sitting in or the coffee you drank this morning. It serves a purpose for both the world of advertising and the world of self-expression.

            Of course, this isn’t to say that making art isn’t enjoyable. After all, I began this essay by discussing how hobbies can be difficult to translate into careers. But if twelve years of public schooling have taught me anything, it’s that I sincerely cannot see myself doing anything else for the rest of my life. Dozens of history and math and science classes have passed me by but at the end of the day, it’s art that puts a smile on my face. It doesn’t really matter how realistic or attainable it may seem to others - it’s my goal to both be able to do what I love, and play a role in communicating the messages people otherwise could not spread.

1. droolskie liked this
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3. meltyblendy said: Wow this is better than my essay where I basically said “I like to learn I guess? PLIZ LET ME IN”
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