The Perks of Being an Art Major

So today was an adventure for me, one that made me question the future I have planned for myself. What was this adventure? Going to Utrecht Art Materials in Salt Lake to buy the materials I need for my Painting class. Have you ever looked at the prices of paints and other art supplies? If not, here's a quick rundown: 

37 ml. oil paint: $11.99 - $42.75

1 gallon of artist grade Gesso: $83.99

Assorted Hog Hair Paint Brushes: $6.80- $21.25

150 ml. oil paint: $42.99

32 oz. Turpenoid: $18.99

and the list could go on forever...

I assume that at this point I'm not the only one who is questioning my major. It's kinda pricey, in fact it's ridiculously pricey! And I completely skipped on buying watercolors today. Even still I spent close to $300 dollars on these supplies. (All the above prices are without the sale, which cut my bill in half!) So why do I stay in such a ridiculous major? There is no guarantee that I will make it big as an artist and most people think that being an art major is like throwing your future at the wall. So why stay? Why push yourself into the darkness, from which you may never emerge into light again? Well, this is the conclusion I came to. 

The reason we art majors are art majors is because we share a similar dream. What is that dream? That someday one of our very own pieces will hang in your home, in your office, on your lawn, in a renowned gallery. Maybe it's a far-stretched dream, but it is our dream. We share a love to create, a desire to express the inner being on an outer surface. Whether we work in clay or paint or chalk, we all want to be known as someone who creates beauty and inspires others to look at the world in a new light. 

Now let's think of some other majors. Finance, Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Nursing, again the list goes on forever. However, when a finance major finishes some big financial record, it's not something you want to hang on your wall as a memorandum of what they accomplished. When you have a new biological find you'll get praise and maybe you'll be in the books, but your find won't be found on the walls of the average citizen's home. As a nurse? Thanks for saving lives, but I'm not going to record your name all over my office because you helped my child when he was sick. 

But then there are the art majors. They've created a painting, maybe it's an abstract rendition of the community you grew up in or maybe it's a detailed painting of the scenic prairie. Where does that painting end up? In your home, in your office, but perhaps most importantly it engraves itself on your heart and in your mind. It becomes a symbol of you, although expressed by someone else. It comes to represent some part of your inner being, and is cherished by many for years to come. So when I'm not 'rolling in the dough' and I'm not 'making bank', that's okay. The perks of being an art major is that we are willing to drop our wallets on the counter and spend a fortune on supplies, all for the legacy we will leave for the future generations. The legacy that hangs in the home, in the office, in the heart. The legacy that is the perk of being an art major.