Growing up in Wyoming, I dreamed of becoming an interior decorator, but my parents said, "There is no work for decorators in Wyoming. You will become a teacher." In high school, when I fell in love with art, they said, "You can't make a living as an artist. You will be a teacher." So, I went to college, got a Masters in Humanities--because I can't stand little kids and knew I didn't want to work with them--and got a job teaching. I have to admit it: I love teaching. I love the Humanities, and I love sharing my passion with other people. However, my parents didn't consider one very important factor in guiding my education. They never considered that I would spend almost my entire adult life living outside of Wyoming. They never imagined that I might partially pay for grad school by selling paintings of magnolias and pelicans. They never dreamed that I might find actual work as a home stager or sell my drawings in a gallery.
Sometimes people ask me if I wish I had pursued art as my career or if I wish I "could make a living as an artist." The answer is quite frankly, "No." Some people are blessed to make a living through their art. Some of us are blessed to have lives that inspire us to make art. I am one of the second group. All of the places I have lived have influenced the work I produce. So have all of the things that I have done. Working in museums and cultural centers, teaching cultural geography, and studying interior design have all helped to make me the person I am and to provide me with a wealth of experiences that express themselves in my work. More importantly, I never feel pressured to create a work. I draw when I am inspired to draw. For me, this is life in perfect balance.
I so relate to this, Glenda. My father wanted me to study electrical engineering and join the military. He went out of his way for years to criticize my devotion to the arts and refused to help pay for my schooling unless I followed his suggested path. Like you, I found a way to pay for it on my own - through work, loans, and scholarships. Even today, the best he can say about my accompishments is that I "married well."
ReplyDeleteMy mother, however, an artist, supported my direction from the beginning. (In fact, early on the morning of the day in 1992 that the Blue Dog landed on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, she lined the walkway of my dad's house with the story.)
George's parents pushed him initially towards the priesthood, and his mother stressed all her life that he never got a "real job, like with the telephone company." I am glad that you too found your way.
Admittedly, there are times that I feel pressured to write and that George feels pressured to paint. More often, however, our pressure comes from social obligations. For us, that is WORK. But it's a necessary part of the path we've chosen and, like you, we feel and have felt for some time "life in perfect balance."
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ReplyDeleteI hear you, Wendy. I am often told, "At least you married an engineer."
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