One thing I realized lately that has allowed me to feel more content with my decision to pursue a career in art is that even though I would rather be a successful writer than a successful artist, I would much rather be an 'unsuccessful' artist than an 'unsuccessful' writer. And by unsuccessful I mean, not able to make a career from only writing or only art making, so having to supplement it through teaching. Basically, I would rather teach ceramics at a college or University than teach something like writing or english.
Since I will most likely not be a successful writer or successful artist, I figure I should base my plans on what I would rather be unsuccessful at.
In a sense, I am planning my life based on assumed 'failure'. (Which seems kind of funny that art is my safe plan, when art is normally people's idealistic dream and something like graphic design or business would be the safe plan.) But through pursuing art educationally, I don't feel as if I am closing any doors on writing. I will continue writing, working on my book (which I recently re-started and I feel much more confident about it) and trying my half-hearted best to find somewhere willing to publish something I write. And if that never pans out, which it probably won't, then I will still get to be an art professor, which seems like a dream job.
Plus, for whatever reason, I do not enjoy studying writing. Not at all. I very much look forward to the next two years studying ceramics at Saic, but imaging if instead it were in a writing program fills me with the opposite of excitement.
And even if I did somehow become a professional writer, I think I would still like to be an art professor. That may just be my romantic notion of how it will be and after I actually teaching for awhile I could feel differently, but for now I think that is true.
Also, if anyone reading is a publisher or editor of some sort, will you publish my writing please?
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1 comment:
I do think this is the right decision for you. In any case art teacher makes more sense than writing teacher, but then I am a little prejudiced against "creative" writing courses. Certainly pupils at school (as opposed to college: being English I mean school = up to 18, college = > 18, approx) should be taught how to use the language correctly, though there are not too many teachers capable of doing that, at least here, where English first developed.
Writing is something we all need to learn, like doing up our shoelaces. You cannot teach someone to write a novel, or rather you don't need to. We swim in language, think in language. Art and music do require specialist study and teachers.
I am "an editor of some sort". I am helping one writer of short stories to put a collection together. You can email me from my site.
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