Overcoming Criticism + Condescension as an Artist
When you’re an aspiring artist, you get used to people judging your life decisions. Seriously, I’ve heard it all:
You’re an art major? What are you gonna do with that?
I hope you’re prepared to be broke.
That’s a bold move.
…and my personal favorite…
Don’t worry. One day I’ll pay you to paint all of the art for my mansion.
And, you know what, I can’t even be mad because—no matter how condescending—they usually make a good point.
There is so much uncertainty to being an artist—and it terrifies me. I’m the kind of person that likes to have everything planned out to a tee. As an avid planner user and color coder, I don’t like the idea of not knowing, which does not mesh well with my ambitions of being a working artist. The moment I decided to give all of my money to an education in art, I placed a huge bet on myself and my future that most people cannot fathom (because, to be completely honest, it’s not practical at all). Sure, I probably would have been way better off to go into accounting or journalism or business administration. But, although there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of those fields, I know in my heart that they’re not what I’m meant to be doing. They are definitely safer than art, but I spend a lot of time working to convince myself that the less risky path is not always the right one.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a big dreamer. I think life’s too short to not shoot for the stars. I wouldn’t want to leave this world someday feeling unfulfilled, regretful, or mourning what could have been, so I set huge, nearly impossible goals. And for a girl who stands at 5’2” without heels, I can reach pretty high.
To be honest, success alone isn’t all that important to me. I’m more concerned with fulfillment, but it’s no secret that more times than not, the two go hand-in-hand. For several years of my life, I thought that I would go into music. I would imagine sitting in the recording studio all day and night…meeting all kinds of talented musicians…releasing albums to my adoring fans (yes, this is how I thought). It took me a while to realize that this was just a fantasy. It was a way for my mind to escape while I was making my way through the horridness (is that a word?) of my middle and high school years—and it took me a while to realize that it would absolutely not fulfill me. Once I started diving into visual art a little more, I realized how good it made me feel. And I quickly learned that I way preferred sitting alone with my canvas to getting up on stage in front of hundreds of people. And that’s when my future started to become clearer. That’s when I decided I would go to school for art in hopes of being a working artist someday.
I’m about to go into my second year at Belmont University where I’m working toward a BFA in Studio Art…and I’m loving it. Every time I start to question the logic of my largely emotional decisions, waking up and spending my day in an art studio pulls me right back in. I can’t lie—art school has kicked my butt. A lot of people think art students just coast on by, and I will tell you right now, with every fiber of my being, they are wrong. Sitting through 18 hours of studio classes every week on top of the relentless homework loads is not easy on the emotional wellness—or physical wellness, really. My freshman year, I spent so much time at the Watkins College of Art & Design that I started to call it home. But, even though it might not feel like it in the moment, I am so extremely blessed to be stressed out and spread thin over something that I love.
A comedic display of the stressful life of an art student
I don’t have any concrete, methodical solutions for dealing with criticism and condescension as an artist. It simply just has to be overcome—and that takes a ridiculous amount of confidence, passion, and drive. Even though I’m spouting off all of this positive energy right now, I am constantly getting beat down by other people’s two cents. I take it extremely personally…pretty much every single time. One condescending look can make me feel completely illogical and irresponsible; it can make me question all of my choices. So I have just had to learn—with a lot of trial and error—how to combat that, and I still have A LOT of growing to do.
Every time someone doubts me or I doubt myself, I just have to remember what I’m doing this for. I’m doing this so that I don’t have to regret not doing it. I’m doing this for the challenge and the fight. I’m doing this so that I can spend my life doing what I love. I’m doing this so that I can look back one day and be proud of the life that I have lived.
If you feel the same way, I encourage you to think about the bigger picture. Take a step back, and realize that you have a whole life ahead of you. Then ask yourself what you want that life to look like. You only get one chance, so make it count. In the big scheme of things, the hateful words and doubts and condescending looks that you get don’t truly matter. What matters is whether or not you’re doing what feels right with your life. The key word there is your. This isn’t anyone’s life but your own, and we all have a duty to ourselves to make it a good one—and better yet, a fulfilling one. Someone is always going to have something to say about the way you’re living your life. So, instead of dwelling on other people’s opinions of you, take that step toward a fulfilling life. And it’s perfectly okay to start with baby steps because even baby steps get us where we need to be in the end.
So, the moral of the story is…
We don’t listen to haters; they don’t know what’s up.
And whatever this looks like for you, live well—you owe it to yourself.
Much love,