Whether or not the majority of our population will ever admit it, art is a part of our daily lives. Life as we know it would look almost unrecognizable if it we did not have all of the creations and inventions gifted to us by the artistic world. Maybe that same person who sat down and decided that our dreams die the day we turn thirty is the one who also decided that pursuing art is not a legitimate career path. This is simply not true, and deep down, every artist knows this.
But knowing that your career is legitimate and believing in this legitimacy are two very different things. You may know your value, but how can you believe in the power of a dream that the rest of the world consistently denies the validity of? There is only so much ridicule one person can take before they will leave a dream behind forever. Please do not let the narrow-minded views of the world around you determine the validity and path of your life. That same person who keeps telling you that you should have gotten a real degree most likely spends their evenings watching Netflix or using apps designed by the very artists they firmly believe are not real.
If art was not a legitimate career, then there would be no path to go down to pursue it. There would be no option to study art if there was not a reason to study it. If you find yourself drawn to a career and a life dedicated to the arts, do not pull yourself away from it because someone else doesn’t feel that same pull. You do not have to have anyone else’s validation to prove that your dreams are legitimate. The arts and the artists within this world will be there for you when others around you simply cannot understand the creative, complex being that is you.
Please don’t give up on your dreams because someone else cannot see them.