Drew Gets Inspirational
by Drew Kolar
There comes a point in most of our lives when it is time to think about the future-where we want to be in the next ten years, what we want to be doing, and all those big questions that most college students can't really answer easily. This, my friends, is the time of graduation... and these questions are ones that I have yet to answer for myself.
Careers in the arts are pretty hard to come by. Unless you are lucky enough to get discovered as an actor or musician/composer, get published as a writer or sell your first major work as a painter (or any other artistic endeavor that takes off), there is not much hope in the near future. Without getting too technical or taking too much of an argumentative stance, it seems pretty obvious that a degree in the arts may prove fairly useless in the "real world." So what's a journalism and music double major like me supposed to do with his life? Well, here's a bit of first-hand advice for all you artist-types out there who are either in the same boat or will be within the next few years.
One: Though it is pretty trite, never give up. Giving up means the system of the "real world" has already won, and you could very well be stuck in a dead-end, monotonous office job for the rest of your life. What free spirit really wants that?
Two: Make as many connections as possible, even (and especially) while still in school! Find a local band to support and follow, make friends with professors who could help out along the way, find someone established in your industry to chat with from time to time-even if about trivial things. Also, some good news for journalists is that many contacts you make in the field could help out in other areas of life once you've finished with your article on them.
Three: Along the same lines as my first bit of advice, don't let yourself get too side-tracked in things that you may not necessarily enjoy or want to focus on. Sure, you need to pay attention to your grades, but don't let your family bring you down. Mom may not like your "starving artist" dream, but throwing that away for a job as a doctor-while well-paying-may not prove to be enjoyable for you in the end.
Four: Don't get too carried away with college partying, trust me. It seems fun, but it will put you behind on goals AND in school when you least expect it. Just because Amy Winehouse does it doesn't mean it's a good idea.
Five: Stop being lazy! Make sure you have a steady job to support yourself, but keep looking for things that could be more appealing and more geared towards what YOU want in life. One of the best quotes ever (from one of the most amazingly cheesy movies ever) that I try to tell myself is, "Don't dream it. Be it." Yes, that's from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but don't you think that's some pretty good advice, even if it does come from such a wild, debaucherous "sweet transvestite"? Think about it.
If you can't tell by now, most of these stem from mistakes or missteps I’ve made. But yet another bit of advice that I have been trying to convince myself of lately is that it is never too late to catch up to your dreams, even if they may seem pretty outlandish and unreachable. So you want to be a writer, director, actor, musician and professional golfer? Stars like actress-turned-singer Scarlett Johansson seem to be on their way to such a full résumé, so why can't you?
So if you're suffering from a case of "useless degree-itis," there's no need to fear. You might have to work a double-shift from time to time at your local fast food restaurant (or hopefully another less greasy workplace),but there's always a chance to make it in the entertainment industry-no matter what form of entertainment you may want to take part in. Just know you're not alone in your fears. There's always room for a new J.Lo or two-even if she does have pretty big pants to fill (Yeah, I said it).
