Artistic people are always fond of the idea of breaking molds and fighting the status quo and whatnot. I’ve been telling people that I was weird because normal was boring for years. Occasionally I’d meet resistance, but not often. People want to be outstanding.
People also want to get jobs. Crashing and burning isn’t really an option in the world today. That’s what I’ve found in college. We are encourage to try things and even to fail, but only in a relatively controlled setting. When our grades aren’t really on the line. So what does that mean?
I think that risk is necessary for art without a doubt. Does that still make me uncomfortable? Yes. As much as the group of English majors I live with joke around about living on the streets, none of us really want that. We want a level of security. Even our books on the subject suggest, jokingly of course, that marrying rich is always an option.
So while the idea of breaking the form and not being a cog and flying close to the sun is inspiring, it might not be realistic. As much as anyone knows it’s necessary, what happens if we don’t have a place to live or food to eat. We die just like Icarus. We have to get the internships and make the connections and do all those things (that aren’t all that risky) to “make it” as creative people. It can be stifling… but so is drowning.
I should probably read this book. I imagine I’ll come out of it with the same uneasy feeling. A mix between the desire to create and the fear of not being able to.
Katelyn Garmong 