Submitted by tdiane on 09/27/2014.
My 20 year old wants to change her degree in college from Business to Art; she is a good if not great artist but we all know most artist are "starving" artists.
My 20 year old has been diagnosed with ADDHD by a Psychiatrist; would an art career be a solid profession for someone with ADDHD?
I don't know if art is a
Submitted by PoisonIvy on
I don't know if art is a "solid" profession for anyone. But I think it's a great choice for someone who thinks creatively and doesn't mind the prospect of living hand to mouth for a while. My older daughter has some ADHD traits and she did very well in college with her painting/drawing/writing focus. She works as a waitress now but also spends a lot of time on her artistic work.
Yes....
Submitted by c ur self on
I think it just depends on the individual and their talents. I have a daughter and a stepson with ADHD traits, (daughter was diag...w/mild to moderate, Son as never been tested)...But, they are both the artsy one's in the family...Talented at every thing they under take in Art...Daughter graduated from college in Interior design, but due to children and location, she is working in the banking business...Son is in ministry, and graduated in physiology, just to hurry through (marriage on the brain :))...If your daughter has a strong work ethic she could probably do what ever she wanted...My step son, and daughter can...But, my wife doesn't have the H...Just the add...She is extremely intelligent, but she struggles so much with time, commitment, and other issues that really make it hard on her in certain jobs where commitment and accountability would be a must....
Hi, I think it's important
Submitted by hermione on
Hi, I think it's important for people with ADHD to play to their strengths, a common one of which is creativity, rather than perhaps to attempt to succeed in a career that does not suit them. For the last couple of years, my other half has worked part-time in a creative profession, and part-time in a more practical one. This way he can get the fulfilment he needs and also make a decent living. Previous to that, he spent 20 years in a job that really didn't suit him as it required a high level of attention to detail, and the stress of it made him completely miserable. He's a lot happier now that his work actually suits his temperament and he feels good about himself.
I would just let your daughter get on with doing what she wants. There are more "solid" career opportunities within art, eg. graphic design.
Best wishes.
Your advice
Submitted by tdiane on
Thank you for your thoughts on my 20 year old and the career ideas!!
Most Defintiely Yes
Submitted by kellyj on
I have a BS/BA (Production Systems in Business) and I'm an Artist. I got my Business degree because of pressure from my family who had the misconception that "artists are a dime a dozen and their all starving." I will never regret getting my bachelors in business but I do regret not taking advantage of my innate calling and getting a degree in art or at the very least.....a minor in it. I ended up getting the equivalent later in continuing education and experience but if I had to do it all over again I would have done just the opposite.....a Masters in Art and a minor or equivalent in business.
I was accepted into a Masters program just like I'm talking about only a few years ago (only 12 openings) and it was very validating to say the least but I couldn't attend.....life got in the way because I had missed the opportunity to do this when I was younger.
This program was cutting edge in that it de-emphasised working as a studio artist and focused on the myriad of industries in all fields that have the need (or niche) for artistic ability combined with an understanding of the infrastructure of big and small business and integrating the two.
If you're looking to get rich and famous then you need go into marketing and advertising as an artist......and possibly sales (and being a good BS'er )
But the notion that all artists are starving is an inaccurate stereo-type........a much outdated one at that. This comes partly from a lot of wannabe be no talent artists who decide one day that art sounds fun and make a poor attempt at it.......and they weren't suited to it in the first place. I've seen lots of this in my career field.
If your daughter has the talent to begin with she is blessed....but talent alone won't get you too far unless your extremely lucky or extremely good. I find that mothers are not the best judge of their children sometimes in just how good they really are. Mother's are like that.....we love you for it!
But the face of business and the world of art is dramatically changing and there are new opportunities out there for someone who makes the right choices and gets connected (like the Masters program I was accepted into ).
I would recommend that your daughter do both....bussiness and art. She's going to end up doing whatever she ends up with anyway which might me neither......as things go.
But that would be a great starting place no matter what she does and she won't know unless she tries it on for size first.
And as far as ADHD is concerned art is a perfect fit for me. I owned my own business shortly after I got out of college and even though it was good experience and I made an OK living from it........I hated every minute of it and consequently hated my life during that time.
I also wanted to make the point that in my case.....it was the belief that "all artists are starving" that created my personal situation. It's the belief that's the problem. I proved this to be wrong as I believe it is.
The question then becomes.....what other reason(s) is there not to follow you're calling and pursue your talents? Especially if it fits with having ADHD and becoming self fulfilled?
What's more important?
J
Your thoughts
Submitted by tdiane on
J,
Your thoughts are very helpful; I passed this on to my Daughter.
Thxs!!