College is an extremely difficult mission. Students are urged to take courses that are required for their certain degrees or that can benefit them in their career paths; they also have an abundant amount of community “student” service hours to complete prior to graduation, in addition to the fact that students also have to participate in organizations and events while managing their financial and academic statuses through multiple one-time jobs, applications for scholarships, internships, and grants from other venues. College is an extremely difficult mission. But it is a mission suited for those who like to challenge themselves academically, mentally, and physically. I, for example, am a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University pursuing my Bachelors in Art degree with a minor in Museum Studies and a specialization in Public Relations. Now when most people think of “Art Majors,” many would assume that compared to degrees in Education, Journalism, Psychology, or Engineering, the work-load is infinitesimal. Yes, while most academic majors pursuing a technical job spend more time in the library, art majors work towards enhancing their critical thinking skills, which, in turn, allows for more creative juices to take hold of the artist and create masterful, meaningful, and symbolic pieces of work that could transform a gallery exhibit into an experience. There is a professionalism that goes into being an art major. Market yourself and your skills. Participation, determination, self-promotion, impressive vitae, and a businesslike-mind are all contributing factors to create a truly successful artist. Whether it is in graphic design, drawing, painting, ceramics, printmaking, etc, artists have a tendency to make excellent business careerists. My avenue in art is through sculpture and theater. Currently I have taken part in nine professional nation-wide productions in theater, six gallery exhibits (in which I have won two first place awards for my sculptures), and twelve volunteer services to non-profit organizations and schools, like: Keller Williams Foundations, Boaters for Education, PAWS (Panhandle Animal Welfare Society), ABWA (American Business Women’s Association), Emerald Coast Foundation, Mattie Kelly Center for Performing Arts, Destin Elementary School, among others. To build up one’s curriculum vitae is to increase the likability of achieving a more successful position in a career. In my upcoming fourth year in my Bachelors program, I will be apart of the Senior Student Project, where each student chooses his or her particular path in art and create an exhibit of their own that encompasses their theme, medium, and views. For me, sculpture will be my passageway, where I hope to create attention-grabbing sculptures of unusual medium. However, it would be after receiving my degree and shaking the hands of the president of the university and such at the ceremonial graduation, where the true fun initiates.

After graduation I have multiple plans for the art world. With an impressive curriculum vitae, I intend to embark on a mission of self-innovation. In addition to a career, I will always continue to create art: drawings, paintings, and sculptures. However, public relations and businesslike fields that comprises of marketing, event planning, and campaign coordination is where I feel that I, as an artist, will benefit mostly in. Communication between organizations and the public builds positive good-quality relationships. That’s why a career as an Exhibitions Coordinator or a Strategic Communicator in Public Relations at a museum or non-profit gallery/academy is a good fit for me. I am a “people person” who loves to meet new people and learn new material. A sense of persuasion is needed in this type of field, and I believe I have that quality. Nevertheless, in terms of how I can use technology and the internet to better increase and excel myself career-wise, I believe that there are many opportunities nowadays in art careers then there used to be, and it is due to the increase of social media, technology, the internet and mass media outreach. Using the tools given to me by such technologies, like smart phones and video-sharing, with the combination of social media sites, for instance: Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook, and the internet, I can co-create, discuss, and modify my career to enable myself to progress and function well as an event coordinator, or a campaign director, or as an exhibitions director looking for artists to display their art in an upcoming exhibit. The Internet is a detrimental part of being in a position of coordination. The internet could be used to market myself as an artist or market the organization’s fundraising event, for example. The internet can be used to further develop professionalism and keep up with society’s needs and wants, and how I, the coordinator or director, can cater events and programs to better fit my career’s affairs to increase community involvement. Control of professional practices can permit me, as an art facilitator, to operate businesslike, while using social media and the internet, they will allow me to better promote myself and my organization or career. Art is a way to freely characterize one’s emotions into a space of creative passion and empathy. To understand art, makes you an appreciator, to feel art, makes you an experience.