So my wife and I had a very nervous conference with my son's high school art teacher.

[NNadir]

He has announced his intention to be an artist.

Neither my wife and I know anything about how to approach that life. We like his work, but we weren't sure, well, if he had the talent, or at least <em>that</em> kind of talent.

So I approached the art teacher with a mix of trepidation and fear.

She told us that many of her past students are working artists, some of them extremely successful and well paid, and that her students return all the time to report on their success.

My boy, she said, has definite talent - she places him in her upper tier of students - and she said, "let him go for it!" Let him paint, draw, sculpt. It's work, she said, but work well worth loving.

I'm trying to be fine with it. I kind of hoped he would be an engineer, or at least an architect, but I'm proud of him, even if he is going in a direction completely different than I expected. I have no right to rain on his dreams, and maybe <em>his</em> dreams will work out better than <em>I</em> dream.

He has started painting again, and there is, in fact, some creeping seriousness in his work, but I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

[MrScorpio]

1. When he starts starving, he'll figure out where he went wrong

Take it from another "future artist"

[femmocrat]

2. It isn't easy, but if he is dedicated to art, he can earn a living at it.

There are so many ways to go in art, especially today with all the new technology.

Best wishes to your son from another art teacher. :hug:

[mopinko]

3. is he a self promoter? is he focused enough for the

business end of it? being an artist is a small business. if he can't do that half, he won't make it.

i also recommend that he start planning now to get to new york. even here in chicago, the market is a poor second to new york.

whatever he does, these days he needs to have good computer skills.

[NNadir]

4. We're New Jerseyans. It's easy for us to get to those peasants across the River.

;-)

(Just kidding.)

He's just 16.

Whenever I talk to people from other parts of the world - something I've done quite a bit actually - they tell me that the thing they admire the most about the United States is that in this country one can constantly reinvent himself or herself.

If he does art, loves art, and never makes a dime, it will, I think, still be OK. If our country survives, we have a culture where he can pick himself up and do something else.

[mopinko]

5. without a doubt, it is great training for the mind.

not that big on 16 year olds needing to have a plan. he should study away. but those who actually make money are few.

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. Please, for the love of God, let him give it a shot. We need more artists.

[NNadir]

8. OK. You talked me into it. Truth be told...

...I can't "let" him do anything.

He has his own mind.

That, I think, is a good thing.

[applegrove]

7. It used to be that 3 out of 4 architects were unemployed.

[zen_bohemian]

9. If he really has a passion for it, let him go for it

if he became an engineer or an architect, and he didn't enjoy going to work, had no passion for it, how happy would he be? I have a few artist friends; they are not millionaires, but they truly enjoy their work.

There are other avenues for the artist. Graphic art, visual media, design, video game design is a big thing for artists now.

[grace0418]

10. There are a surprising number of ways to make a living as an artist even if straight

making art and selling it in a gallery doesn't pan out. I had dreams of being an artist. Became a graphic designer. I love it and make an excellent living, I get to be creative and still have creative energy to make art on the side.

But you never know, he might actually make it as a fine artist. I know lots of them.

[NNadir]

11. Thanks. The kid down the street who used to baby sit my boy when he was a baby is a graphic

designer.

He's under 30 and making over $200,000/year according to his father.

[grace0418]

13. Yeah, if you're good with interactive design you can make a boatload of cash.

I'm a print designer so my pay is a bit more modest but as an independent I make twice as much as I ever did working at a firm.

[Skittles]

12. ok, NNadir

you can be disappointed with his decision but not with HIM........it is HIS LIFE and all you should do is support his efforts.

[NNadir]

14. I wouldn't say I'm disappointed, not at all. I'm maybe surprised, but not disappointed.

That boy has been teaching me stuff since he was a toddler. It may be that he is teaching me something now.

I worry of course, for him, but I would worry were he choosing engineering or science as well.

[Flaxbee]

15. My advice, is when he's going through art school (if he

does take post-high-school coursework) is to keep teaching in mind. A few very close friends are artists, but they also, during lean times, took up teaching at local community colleges. One became the director of the art department and made a very good living while also having a LOT of free time (much more than an engineer would) to pursue his work.

[hunter]

24. My dad's an artist.

Teaching paid the bills. He's a retired teacher now with a comfortable pension and he's still an artist.

[Biker13]

16. My Niece Is An Artist!

From Jersey too! She went to Mason Gross at Rutgers, as a compromise to her parents. My family is big on education, so this was a bit out of their comfort zone too.

She does some strange stuff, but it sells, and she makes a very good living now. I have a lot of her early work, and I'm astonished by what it's worth now!

The best to your Son!

Biker's Old Lady

[guitar man]

17. Good for him

It's not easy to pursue your dreams but if you don't try, you'll always wonder if you could have made it.

Something I can tell you, from making a living as a performer when I was younger, is that you don't always get to do exactly what you would like all the time. I never really liked playing country music but I was pretty good at it and it paid well in the early 90s for a while so I did it. I would imagine that would be similar in the art world. He might want to spend all his time working on his masterpiece, but if he can get a gig painting flames and graphics on custom cars, motorcyles etc. , or work with an ad agency on advertising or anything else that pays the bills while he works on that masterpiece, at least he's doing artwork for money rather than washing dishes in some greasy spoon.

Management. Some artistic types are good self promoters and others need management. When looking at managers and agents it's important to choose wisely and as talent, you always have to remember, they work for you, you dont work for them.

I wish him all the good luck and success in the world :)

[proteus_lives]

18. Tell him to develop a wide variety of skills.

He should go for his dream but not put all his eggs in one basket.

[XemaSab]

19. I hate to be the turd in the punchbowl here

but I think kids don't know what they want to do when they're 16.

Today he wants to be an artist, but in 10 years he might decide he wants to do something else, and if he has a BA in art he will have to start over at square one.

If you're paying for him to go to school, tell him you won't pay unless he gets a double major, such as art and CAD, or art and GIS, or art and... something employable. That way, if he's 26 and he decides he wants to, say, get married and have a family, or he wants to go goof off in South America for 6 months, or he wants to go back to school to study Hemiptera, or whatever, he has something that will pay the bills.

I mean, with no job and no money and nothing to lose he might go and decide he wants to do direct action for Greenpeace. :scared:

ETA: Or worse, Earth First. :scared::scared:

[NNadir]

25. Maybe I should test his talent by commissioning a work called "Turd in Punchbowl."

If he executes it well, he's home free.

[Phentex]

26. I picture a punchbowl earth with a tiny GWB clinging

to a small piece of ice that has broken off an iceberg...

[XemaSab]

29. And here's where I'm coming from:

My mom always wanted me to do something creative, like music or art or creative writing. Or failing that, something like history or English literature. :P

I knew that getting a science degree would be much, much harder, but I also knew that it would be more practical and it would also be something I would really have to work hard at.

So I ran counter to a lot of people here. :D

[XemaSab]

30. WiFi cut out mid-post, accidental dupe

x(

[SoCalDemGrrl]

20. Let him go for it- if he is truly talented he will figure out a way to make a living at it

there are many ways for a talented artist to succeed...

illustration, advertising, fashion, graphic arts, animation.

a friend's daughter just landed a beginning position at Nickelodeon in animation and
it pays $36 per hour (starting salary).

Consider yourselves lucky to have this gifted son!!! Congrats!!

[HopeHoops]

21. Each must find their own path and all we can do is support them.

If they ask for guidance, provide it without judgment. I've got three daughters, 15, 17, and 19, all excellent students with extremely high marks and test scores. The eldest has always been a math and science sort but now as a sophomore in college she has decided on communications, mostly because photojournalism is her main interest. Took us by surprise. The is a senior and she decided last year that she did not want to go into college, at least not right away. The youngest, who knows.

Whether the choice is a good one or not, only time will tell. Either way, the kids are the ones living those lives and they're the ones who need to make those choices. What they need most is support and assurance that we believe in them.

[bigwillq]

22. Good for him.

:thumbsup:

He has to do what he likes. All the best to him.

:hi:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

23. I wish my Dad had been supportive of my talent. Your son will find his way.

Believe me, he will. :pals:

[nolabear]

27. If he's an artist, he's an artist. The difference will be whether he's happy.

Who knows where his talent and way of being in the world will lead, but I guarantee you it's a way of being and not to give it as much of a chance to blossom would be tragic. We need artists. He's got all sorts of potential directions and might find that he supports himself by his art or finds a way to support his art by doing something else, but I know well that being taken seriously will be good for him, whatever the outcome.

COngratulations, Mom! It's an artist!

[MorningGlow]

28. Help him go for it

And please, whatever you do, don't express your doubts to him directly. As an artist (writer) myself, I can tell you that a parent who fears/doubts his/her child's dream, life plan, and/or talent is the biggest demoralizing influence in that kid's life.

I majored in English with a creative writing concentration and minored in theater in college. My professors always told me I was one of the best writers in the program. My grades reflected that. Yet my mom kept begging me to be a secretary--and kept forcing me to take office temp jobs during college breaks--to "have something to fall back on". To me that translated into "I don't think you're a good enough writer to make a living at it; I think you're only smart enough to answer phones and type letters for other people." At least I eventually figured out that she was applying HER OWN limitations--how she'd limited her own talents--to me, and I learned to succeed in spite of that constant harping. But that sure made it WAY more difficult.

It's a very fine line between wanting your son to have a "safe" and prosperous future and killing his dream (without even realizing you're having so strong an influence).

So let him do what he wants to do; at 16, his dream may change several times before he has to enter the working world--and likely several times even after that.

Most important--just make sure he knows you support him, love him, and are proud of him and his work. If he sticks with it, praise him and don't bat an eyelash--surprise at his success can translate into "I'm shocked because I never believed in you" or "Are you sure this isn't a fluke?" If he abandons his plan, still don't bat an eyelash so it doesn't come across as "I told you so".

Parents' hardest task is keeping our mouths shut, I swear...

[cemaphonic]

31. While making a living in the fine arts is indeed difficult and chancy,

art and design skills are in pretty good demand within commercial industry. I know lots of people who have carved out a good living for themselves with art backgrounds.

You don't even have to give up on your architect dreams. At least at the University of Washington Masters of Architecture program that a couple of my friends have gone through, a visual art & design portfolio is a major part of the application process.

[Capn Sunshine]

32. There are a million new fields that require talented artists

Make sure he's exposed to the whole spectrum in college. My youngest daughter was an ART major, and took computer graphics , really clicked with it, graduated with a BA and now works for a Major Studio here after starting with some graphics houses out here in the industry perimeter.

By all means, encourage them to look at EVERY facet of the art world.

[NNadir]

33. Thanks to you (and everyone else). Just because he wants an art career,

doesn't mean that he's lost all interest in technical subjects. I think you're right, and it will be a fine marriage, his interest in art and his interest in computers.

Reading all these posts has made me excited for him.