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crybaby college is never a waste of time. There are many folks on here that went and are now doing someting different than what their degree is in. It is all about being able to work toward a goal, graduate and hopefully expand your mind a long the way.
You are still young so baby steps are fine. You need to get your head on straight with a little job somewhere before you cna brea kout to be the artist that you always wanted to be.
Jut because you graduated doesn't mean the learning should stop. You can work on improving yourself everyday by becoming involved in life, paying attention and reading books.
You never know where life will take you, you just need to show up and try.
At a minimum, a college degree proves that you are capable of learninng. That in itself lets potential employers know that you can learn what you don't know.
What you need to do is find a job. I think a local job - even if it is 6 month - would be best, but the location is less important than the job as long as you can survive safely in a location with the money you will be making. I would not suggest you give up on your dream of becoming an artist, but in my opinion, that dream needs to take a back seat towards your gaining experience and getting yourself to a point where you can survive on your own in a location of your choice.
My recommendation is to spend a minimum amount of time each day looking for one or more jobs that will allow you to save money and gain the independance that you want. It doesn't have to be in an office. It could be retail, restaurant, or anything else you can think of as long as you are making sufficient funds. It isn't unusual for people your age to work multiple jobs either. At one point when I was about your age, I was working 5 different part time jobs - a couple were only 10 or so hours a week and one would go from zero to 20 hours a week depending on what they needed. Some weeks were pretty hectic and some I had a good amount of spare time.
Use your spare time as others have suggested to setup your own art business and begin marketing yourself online, with brochures and in any other way you can come up with. Get your name out there and get your art out there for people to see and want to own. Talk to galleries - they don't have to be local and show them what you have done...maybe one or two will pick up some of your art to sell - or maybe they will want you to do an exhibit - or maybe they will be able to give you ideas to help you establish yourself as an artist. Worst case, I expect they would be kind enough to offer constructive criticism on why your art wouldn't work for their gallery. Maybe find a mentor who you can trust to tell you what, if anything, you need to work on and offer you other career guidance. All of those will help you. Art can be very subjective and it is not an easy career to do exclusively. Another idea, you could find some local craft fairs and rent a booth to display and sell your art. I'm sure there are many other ways as well that you can think of where folks might learn about your art and want to purchase it.
But expect to have to work hard - at a job that may be 8 hours (or more) a day and in your art business before / after your work hours and on your days off. Only you will know when you are making enough with your art to quit any other work you might be doing at that time - or if it is time to turn art into a hobby and occasional income generator and focus on finding a career outside of art.
It all comes down to how bad you want to become a successful artist and how bad you want to relocate. If you want it bad enough, you will bust your back side to make sure you achieve those goals as quickly as possible. Maybe you get lucky and your marketing of your art brings immediate success. Maybe not, but sitting around not working and not marketing ensures that you are not going to be able to easily relocate and you aren't going to be able to live off your art if nobody knows about it.
In case you are wondering, I am a photographer. I ended up choosing the office career and did some photography on the side. I pretty much quit the photography when my kids were younger and picked it back up when they were in high school. I've been building up my photo business for years around my full time job and am slowly but surely expanding the efforts and time I put into photography. It isn't unusual for me to work my 40+ hour job and put 15-20 hours (sometimes less, sometimes more) into my photography career in a week. I really wish someone had given me some of those suggestions when I was your age. Some of them I have not tried as yet, but I know others who have done them successfully and I have those on my list to try over the spring / summer after I relocate. It really is about how bad you want it and how willing you are to work for it in addition to how talented an artist you are.
Im thinking about moving to the Twin Cities. I will have far more opportunities there. Even to work an awful part time retail/restaurant job. I have plenty of connections there from school so it would be a nice doable upgrade...
Simple answer to a seemingly difficult problem. Visit the closest technical school. They will often be able to steer you to technical training you can get for jobs that might be available in your area. My brother did this in his mid 30's and ended up a tool and die maker. He's been doing that for years now and has made good money. If there is nothing in your area as far as skilled jobs, you could take welding, diesel engine repair, or truck driving. These jobs are in demand in many places, and especially in the growing areas, like Texas. With a CDL, in Texas, there are many places you can go to work tomorrow for good money.
Lots of folks change careers in mid life. You can certainly change directions at your age.
Just remember, a job is a job. Its how you make money. It doesn't define you as a person. It isn't your life. You can still pursue your art in your free time. I know a motorcycle mechanic that plays in a band a couple of nights a week. You're still young with your whole life ahead of you and a nation full of opportunity. Get out there and get yours.
Im thinking about moving to the Twin Cities. I will have far more opportunities there. Even to work an awful part time retail/restaurant job. I have plenty of connections there from school so it would be a nice doable upgrade...
Well then I wish you much luck in dealing with our unbelieveable winters....you can really feel the cold in the air today, brrrrr. Hope you are okay with cold weather for looonnngggg stretches of time
And having just come from a trip down South, it makes me long for the beach, ha ha...but that's another story!
I'm not really interested in pursuing a full time blue collar career. For me it's make it or die. And honestly I have a lot of talent and probably will get to at least eek by doing what it is I have been driven to do my whole life. I really have no interests outside of my art.
And yes, a job doesn't define you as a person, if you're an average everyman. I am not.
The difference between me and others in a similar position, is that most are pursuing graduate school. Well, I don't like school and basically need to make ends meet somehow. I want to move to a major city in the next couple years (New York or Los Angeles), and need to save up some dough and basically pray that something good happens soon.
Last edited by Cryinbaby; 10-28-2014 at 06:04 PM..
You want to do art, for Pete's sake, move to a city with an art base. Look at Austin. It is a rapidly growing metro area. It is a college town and college kids are always looking for roommates to split the rent. You will have the rivers, hill country, etc to motivate you as well as an active art community from which to learn. You want a job, they are readily available as the area is booming. And you can live cheaper if you take it conservatively.
So what if you live with your mom at 22. Unless she is a tryant enjoy it and settle down, save money and really research where you should move too. Don't base it on emotions but practical things like affordable housing, and jobs. You are just another person facing the real world and it's not so bad.
So, what exactly IS your art? Do you have a BA? in what?
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