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The Impracticality of Being Practical

kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, March 13, 2017
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The Businessman, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

I have a certain level of disdain for people who believe that comics and art in general are merely hobbies. When I was much younger and on the receiving end of advice from many well-meaning grown-ups, the word “practical” and the phrase “that is not practical” came up very often. I was much more rebellious with a fighting spirit back then, so I would yell back, “the most impractical thing would be if I studied something that was not interesting to me!” I swallowed my pride in my late teens, if pride came in the form of stretching a humble fifteen dollars in my bank account over a week for food to prove to the naysayers that I believed in my choices more than eating their words.

The job market has been very kind over the past year. I have learned that practicality does not necessarily depend on the subject I studied in school (we live in a world with the Internet) but in my work ethic, my ability to work alongside other people, and self-determination that I will show up and get the job done with little to no supervision. The fear of being impractical has been replaced by the fact that I am highly employable. All of these skills were learned through years of fighting for what I believed was right

There will always be certain people who will measure success with a paycheck and will scoff at the idea of doing anything for free. Over the years, I have learned to tune-out the words of the naysayers and have continued my love for art. I know I made the right choice whenever I visit the bookstore and get excited over a new Gardner's Art Throughout the Ages textbook, a how-to book on perspective drawing, or a book on modern art to add to my bookshelf.

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anonymous?

Ozoneocean at 8:59PM, March 13, 2017

Creating something is never a waste. A comic is quite a legacy of art and writing; you're giving something original to the world, like a child. :)

kawaiidaigakusei at 6:36PM, March 13, 2017

Kim, that is funny that you mention that some people who like to judge spend hours of their freetime watching the tube. Today, a kid asked me if I crochet to make a living. I said, "No! I do it because it destresses me from what I do for a living!"

kawaiidaigakusei at 6:33PM, March 13, 2017

Banes, you are exceptionally intelligent! That sentence sums up an idea that I have been thinking about for a long time.

Banes at 3:14PM, March 13, 2017

Agreed! The comics I do for free...though neglected lately...are so much more satisfying than the work I do for money!

KimLuster at 5:09AM, March 13, 2017

This rings so very true! There's an argument that anything we do that doesn't further our 'career' is 'impractical'. I've had people suggest I'm wasting my valuable time on a 'hobby' that won't earn me a thing. These same people will watch 3-4 hours of sitcoms a day... Or several hours of gaming, etc... These people are aggravating, to say the least!


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