During our time at the University of Notre Dame, a lot of us will have to take a fine arts class. Typically, there is an attempt to take the “easiest” art class that there is, one that will be the least work and will be an “easy A.” I would encourage us all, however, to really invest time into and appreciate this requirement. We have the unique and valuable opportunity to invest time into something that is not necessarily related to our future careers (or maybe will be, how do we know?). We have the opportunity to not only explore a medium that may or may not be unfamiliar to us, but to learn more about ourselves. I have begun a list, which is of course not comprehensive, of reasons to take a fine arts class.
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Who knows when or how this could be applicable to your future career? Maybe you will end up needing to do consulting for a company in the music industry and you will be so happy you took that music class and can relate to some of the members of the company on their work. Maybe your boss is really into painting and your basic understanding from your Painting 1 class allows you to connect with them. Maybe ceramics helps you with the dexterity and strength needed to be a surgeon. Whatever your desired career path, you never know what might become a critical part of your education.
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Who cares if it isn’t a part of your future career? One of the amazing things about college is that we have the chance to explore all of the amazing parts of the human experience. Whether you create art, or tend more towards being a spectator, art is a huge part of the human experience. It connects us, teaches us, and helps us grow. Taking a fine arts class is an important part of that understanding of what it means to be human.
You will learn something about yourself. Whether you have taken fine arts classes in high school, done it as a hobby, or never done anything like it before, it will teach you something new about yourself. As you explore a new medium of expression, inevitably, you learn more about how you express yourself.
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