Being an art major in college is quite similar to any other major out there.
We stress about classes and homework, and even have the same unhealthy college diet.
While all students of different majors have the same college habits, art majors experience their days a bit differently than others.
Like any other student with an 8 a.m. class, sophomore Lillian Taylor starts her day off by nearly running late to her studio art class. This is due to her having to pack and bring almost every art supply she can fit into her bag.
“I need to bring an array of different supplies with me,” said Taylor. “I’m totally unorganized, which is why I bring a little bit of everything. You never know what will be useful.”
Taylor currently only takes 12 credit hours, but she is still kept busy with the amount of work her classes give her.
While there are some classes you can attempt to write last-minute essays for, it’s not a simple task for art majors to do the same with their projects.
“You really can’t do anything last minute when it comes to art,” said Taylor. “There are so many late nights, and countless hours that go into each thing I do, I find myself on campus after work and on the weekends most of the time.”
Junior art major Makayla Booker also feels this way, as she’s had to balance her art projects, job and internship.
“With my studio classes, I am either working on projects or ideas for projects,” said Booker. “When it comes to making art and having a social life, my schedule is a hot mess.”
Similar to how often students change their majors in college, as kids, we often change our ideal career path.
“I originally wanted to be a lawyer or dentist, but I knew I wouldn’t have been happy in those fields,” said Booker. “So I went with what I was passionate about.”
Booker has been passionate about art ever since she was a kid and knew she wanted to major in it the moment she took IB art in her junior year of high school.
With that passion, Booker became the president of the Student Art League (SAL) at UMKC, with Taylor as her vice president.
SAL allows students of all types of majors to strive to build a better community for art lovers and gives them the opportunity to share their artwork.
“Join SAL if you want to get involved in art-related activities and meet other artists,” said Booker. “We’re very strange and unusual, but in a good way!”
