Roberto Sayes

Holly Batty
English 101
March 19, 2019
Art Majors and the obstacles they must overcome

Art majors are some of the most fascinating people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.

They are capable of pouring their heart and soul into their works and often if not all the time it

shows. But like many people, they too face problems, and some are harsher than others. But

that’s not to say all stuff art majors go through are negative, and some have people supporting

them every step of the way. These people are usually friends or sometimes supportive family

members who provide constructive criticism or tend to throw an idea or two if the student is

stuck in a rut.

It’s not completely strange for an art major to live alongside a family who is completely

unsupportive of their study of choice because they think they won’t make any money with an art

degree. But with the internet boom in recent years artists find themselves making money in

different ways by selling art over the internet, digitally. With the more recent internet boom,

artists have found a vast audience online that people back in the 80s would’ve killed to have.

Artists use these online audiences for criticism on works they may have uploaded to a gallery or

may even sell their works on social media for a price. Anyone can get into art, what’s difficult is

even considering selling it and will it sell as Sandeep Joshi on Quora states “It is difficult

sustenance for emerging artists and old artists who are not so familiar with the online selling

routes of earning”. There are no concrete gallery sites online so many artists branch off onto

many sites hoping to reach an audience.

Of course with these platforms there’s always a negative. There’s always going to be

those who get a sick kick from picking on people on the internet. On the internet there’s always a
sense of anonymity since they are behind a computer or phone screen; so of course they don’t

take into consideration the repercussions of deliberately being awful to someone online, because

they think they will get away with it. Artists who are confident in their skill and craft don’t take

crap from these kinds of people because they know they’re just awful people on the internet and

the block button exists. There’s people aware of this but the negative feedback still affects them

greatly and often times makes them feel as if there’s no escape from harsh cruelty. In addition, it

makes these artists ponder if their works are flawed entirely and that there’s no saving them.

Usually people don’t sweat the small stuff but art majors tend to be the complete opposite

where everything either must be perfect or looks amazing upon first glance then isn’t when

looking at it closer. In her article about art majors, Julia Murphy emphasizes how artists are

confident with their work until they eventually have to present it. She explains how it can often

be nerve wracking when one has to display the work they thought was absolutely perfect in front

of the class and teacher and how suddenly the allusion of that all comes tumbling down and

every flaw becomes visible. Julia Murphy states “It's hard not to compare yourself, but

remember someone else in the room is probably envious of what you made”. Even though this

seems trivial to some, it’s an important thing to keep in mind as an artist or no matter what you

do really.

A common mistake several people seem to make is that art is restricted to one or two

mediums, those being painting or drawing, and while they are common amongst art majors, they

aren’t the only things available to them. Whether it’s a hobby, for education, or a career, there

are several paths an artist can take with being an art major or having an art degree; such as

photography, web design, graphic design, fashion, or even an animator. Those cartoons people

enjoyed as a kid, those clothes you’re even wearing right now, the way the websites you frequent
look, all done by someone with an art degree. Art is all around us each and every day in different

ways, shapes, and forms.

Another common problem amongst art majors is deadlines and procrastination. As

mentioned before, artists sometimes tend to see their work as perfect at a certain point then

flawed the very next minute when presenting it to literally anyone, so procrastination could be

deadly to an artist. Sandeep Joshi’s answer on Quora mentions “Every artwork is a labor of love

for an artist. It is a creative process and takes time”. This is important because it’s pretty much

true to anything but especially artists. If anything’s rushed then the result won’t be what they had

in mind and it’ll probably just be an awful experience they’ll want to never remember but I

suppose these are the types of experiences you live and learn from.

A challenge artists usually face is developing their own style used to distinguish

themselves from others. By style think of something like Disney, if an artist has a Disney like

style then it isn’t unique and they only adapted to using that style. Of course there’s so much

these days that it’s hard to make something truly unique that probably hasn’t been done, but it’s

alright to have similarities between one another. Artists’ styles change with the years so what

may be their style one year may be something completely different the next year.

Art majors go through several trials and tribulations to try make it out in the world and

make a name for themselves or perhaps already have made a name for themselves online and just

want a comfortable career. Artists are at their worst if they procrastinate because their heart and

soul isn’t in their work, and they are definitely capable of creating or capturing amazing things if

they put their all into it. Many artists have to juggle their school, personal, and home lives and it

can be a bit overwhelming at times especially when it gets super hectic and busy but in the end
hopefully they remember to get everything done nice and neatly. It’s also best to change up what

one does so you don’t get stuck in a rut and things don’t get stale.