wasted art school degree, though not for naught
2.5 years studying art and i still can’t draw. or paint. or sculpt. i’m not all that great with a camera either. if you asked my parents, then they would tell you that i wasted my money. not their money, i should point out, because they flatout refused to fund an art degree because they had never seen me, you know, make any art.
their point was valid, if a little hurtful.
but my parents and art professors didn’t think about the ace up my sleeve. you see, after struggling as a broke and hungry artist for nearly 3 years after graduating, working one deadend part-time job after another just to pay for rent in a rundown apartment building and going nowhere, i finally bucked up and sold my soul to the devil!
might not be my proudest moment. i know i certainly won’t brag to the grandkids about it. but now i’m making a pretty decent living. despite inflation and the cost of living, i finally put a 30% down payment for a nice piece of land upstate where i can build a house specifically tailored for my brand of artwork, which, as you might have already guessed, is quite messy.
too messy, really. i guess you say the neighbors were complaining. but that was only when i could hear them. and ever since i sold my soul for art talent, i must say i haven’t done enough listening. but it’s all the better, i would think. or it will be. i assure you.
Fred Aiken Writing 