“Future talk” is something I think we can all agree is the scariest thing to hear in college. In high school, we were sick of being asked, “What comes next?” We thought it would stop there, but little did we know what storm was brewing. I’ve had five separate conversations about the future between peers, professors, my mom, etc. in the past 48 hours. A lot of students have an idea of what they want in life pinned down. They’ve decided where they want to move, if they want to get married, how many kids they want to have, what have you. Every time I have had this conversation, I never respond with my plans. I did not know why, I just had nothing to relate to with it. I realized that the primary reason i never brought up my future is because I have no idea at all. I have my major, I have my college, I thought that was everything I needed to know.
I think people dream and think into the future a little more than they should. I am a firm believer in the idea of going into things expecting the worst so that way I can never be disappointed. Perhaps this is why I haven’t made a plan for the future; the worst outcome for the future is not having one. Now, it is important to know that my slate is not completely empty. I know I want my job to be related to my major. I don’t want to get married, but I want to be in love. I definitely don’t want kids. I don’t want a house because it’s too much responsibility. These are not plans though, they are ideals based off of the type of person I am now. I don’t want to marry due to my philosophical beliefs and I don’t want the responsibilities that come with being a homeowner or a mother. These are not goals though.
I guess I could just be soapboxing here hoping someone out there can relate to this issue. Art school students feel a lot of pressure from the society to know what we want to do. I think this is primarily due to the stigmas around art school as a whole. People want to hear our plans to see if art school is worth or just a waste of time like they already think it is. However, goals, dreams, or plans don’t mean anything until you make it happen. Don’t worry if you don’t have a set vision for the future. Live in the moment, experience now, and let that impact what happens with your life.