Art has always been central to my life. Even at an early age, I began to seriously practice drawing from YouTube tutorials and drawing guides on Pinterest. I loved learning new skills and getting even better at my art. My family would take trips up to San Antonio to see the museums, and I loved them. The San Antonio Museum of Art and the Witte were the ones we visited the most; I loved seeing the exhibits focused on art or artifacts and architecture. I had always loved creating art, and now that I am an Art History major, it couldn’t be clearer, looking back on my life, that this is my passion, but it hasn’t always been easy for me to see.
As a kid, you entertain a lot of ideas and dreams of what you could be when you’re older. I wanted to be a vet, an author, an astronaut, and all kinds of fantastical careers, but being an artist was always on my mind. I was young when I began to practice art more seriously and develop my skills in drawing and painting. Unfortunately, I was also young when I realized how hard it is for artists to make a living. Not only is the average pay not spectacular, but it’s not exactly a job in high demand either. Still, I didn’t get sad about it and had other interests in science and history to keep my dreams occupied with possibilities, but I still hoped I could keep art in my life somehow.
Once I reached high school, the prospects of my future were something I had to take much more seriously. I didn’t know what studies I wanted to go into. And as much as I loved art and drawing, I hesitated to commit to that career so young. It seemed like a nearly impossible feat to be a successful artist where I would make enough money to afford a comfortable life. So, I became more interested in biology. I had taken science classes throughout high school that interested me, and I enjoyed the material, yet I was always moving toward an art career in the back of my mind. It would always be what I would think of when I thought of my future, but the thought of the struggles I may have with my career choice always held me back.
After the fall semester of my junior year, I finally decided what major to go into. My high school offered a dual-credit course in Art Appreciation. I chose to take it out of interest and the useful college credit that came with it, yet I got something more valuable from it. The class itself was interesting; we would read from the assigned textbook about artworks in a historically chronological way, learning about artworks focused on a specific element of art or a specific genre of art, such as abstraction or propaganda. We would also have art projects focused on what we were learning, making the class even more fun and immersive. Throughout it, I realized how much I loved to learn about art and its role in history. I loved learning about the value of preserving art and the role of analysis in finding meaning in a piece and understanding an artist better. It felt like I fell in love with art all over again, and I was more secure in following my dream in it. Now, it was something I could see myself doing and be realistic about my path to get where I wanted. I felt hopeful and more encouraged to do what I wanted.
So, in my senior year of high school, I applied to UT Austin for Art History and, thankfully, was accepted. Now, I couldn’t be happier with my classes, which are intriguing and challenging me to improve my writing, reading, and research skills for my future career. I can still follow many paths using my major, but I am grateful that I am following my dreams no matter what.
On a more serious note, I couldn’t be living through a more frustrating time to pursue a career with museums. Especially in the U.S. now, from President Trump releasing the executive order Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History to appointing Vice President J.D. Vance to the Smithsonian Board of Regents and launching a plan to “remove improper ideology” from the Smithsonian’s 21 museums and the National Zoo under it. Even though those who have been working in the Smithsonian for years have expressed they will continue dedicating their mission in education to preserving history, it isn’t easy to gauge how far this administration is willing to go to alter history to fit what they want to be said. These are, no doubt, scary and worrying times, but I also know there will need to be people who have these jobs willing to protect information and knowledge critical for the education of history and truth. No matter what, I am proud of my passion and that I decided to follow the path I wanted for myself.
I am looking forward to being able to help preserve the past for the aesthetic pleasures of art and the significant stories of history for a living and for my life.