Graduation is approaching and for many people this is a wondrous occasion. Many students have a pretty clear idea on what they are going to do after school and already have work lined up. However, there are the few poor souls who don’t have a plan. Of those poor souls, there’s a handful of students who have less than practical degrees. I am one of these students, graduating in fine art.
Don’t get me wrong, I knew what I was getting myself into. I have been tempting fate by slipping my foot into the unemployment grave by choosing a degree and field with a very slim market, but I did it anyways. It is understood as an art student that you will not be getting an awesome job after graduation. Especially if you choose to peruse being a professional artist.
A professor once explained to my class that we will get some shit job after graduation, working minimum wage and making just enough to barely pay bills. He explains that if we are lucky then we might occasionally sell our art, but even still we hardly make a profit.
Though my professor would often give us depressing ‘pep-talks’ of life after graduation, he would also frequently tell us that we have to make it happen. We can’t expect it to be given to us. We must work for it. Even though it may not happen overnight, as long as we continue to work hard and stay motivated then it will pay off. While there isn’t necessarily a ‘demand’ for artists in that sense, it still takes a lot of work to develop a professional creative career.
Don’t be discouraged when starting a new chapter doesn’t happen as quickly as it does for your peers and keep in mind that you aren’t the one.
If you aren’t graduating soon, you should take this time to consider your future and make sure you are making the most of your time now to help make that transition easier, and make back-up plans for your back-up plans.
Otherwise, enjoy your hiatus. Just don’t get lazy.
Nothing says, “Congratulations graduate!” more than a mattress on the floor of your old room at your parent’s house.
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