<p>I think such visual dreams are great for motivating and directing us. I know they have served me really well. But I think we need to make ‘real dreams’ too that are inspired by the movie version: so while we can aspire to the movie set version, we can also have our ‘real life’ version that is both realistic and doable. So sure, my family is NOT Brady Bunch and my husband is not quite Brad Pitt…but my family and husband turn out to be just ‘perfect’ to me and I’d not want it any other way.</p>
<p>And hey, if you can’t convert your dreams to some kind of close-enough reality now…and s0 the boat passes on the UG graduation movie dream…just remember it is only undergrad. TONS and TONS and TONS of kids with Master’s degrees, professional degrees, PhDs from hollywood script schools…did not go to Ivy and Swarthmores for undergrad…but were extremely successful in a conventional college-hollywood-kind-of-way just the same later on (not getting into one for undergrad does not at all preclude it for grad or professional studies).</p>
<p>Yes i was…long time ago. Such a good memory you have! It was the days of exploring design as a career option, and hunting for summer art school, which is what brought me to CC! l.</p>
<p>Hey Bears and Dogs: Have you read Ken Robinson’s The Element. You should! Or at least watch the video on TED.Just google TED Ken Robinson. It might make you feel better about your child (finding their element). Seriously good for those with creative children! </p>
<p>We have somewhat opposite problems. I was actually disappointed child 2 - who is sooo gifted artistically- found it wasn’t for them. Did not love it enough. They went to art school a few summers ago and realized they didn’t love it enough to actually do it THAT much in college. There went dreams of RISD… Talent is not enough in anything- one has to really be passionate about it too. Your child is so fortunate to have found their passion. I mean it. Read this book!!</p>
<p>My kid has been flitting in & out trying to decide how much she is willing to do art in college. She is now flirting with cinema and we will see where it takes her. As many, she is a perfectionist and she rarely considers any of her work “completed.” We have so many of her sketches lying around. Her hard drive just died & we’re hoping they can revive it enough to pull off her artwork. It’s a challenge to have an artistic kid when we don’t have any of those skills but it seems to be such a large part of her, I can’t see her not doing something that somehow involves or incorporatese art.</p>
<p>what happens then, for the kid with mediocre talent ( and the parent is somewhat of the artist self and could tell for sure) and mild interests = laziness,
plus no other choices = no rock star talent either, no academic gusto, math science nerding nor save the world goodness?
The book seems interesting, though, reading is my PASSION ! so thanks.</p>
<p>You’ve just described most of the working adult population. He or she gets a job - perhaps in a cubicle. Maybe she’s a claims adjuster, or a receptionist, or a corporate lawyer or a dental hygenist. Statistically, almost no one is a working artist or a rock star or a nobel prize winner.</p>
<p>Do you watch House? I can’t find the script online, but this week’s episode featured a college football player who got sick and missed his chance at the pros. When he asked House what he’d do now, House’s reply was something to the effect of “you’ll graduate and get a sucky job like the rest of your classmates.”</p>
<p>But in all seriousness, I do know quite a lot of people that make a living as artists, both visual and performing, even in this expensive city of ours.</p>
<p>Actually, from a young age, D has been told repeatedly (by sincere artists–instructors and strangers) she has considerable talent. She just has to decide home much passion she has and how she will choose to channel it.</p>
<p>Ok, dear starbright
I got the book from the library, start reading it.
Something tells me this is not exactly reassuring because, not everyone who perform poorly at school or hate math are going to have elements epiphany.
The only lucky ones that lived to tell tales must be included in the book.
I’ll finish it anyway but you know, it is bit too late for false hope, I’ve being there done that (often enough)</p>
<p>I know what House is though I don’t have nor watch TV (yes, one of those snob, I am).
That reminded me of olden days when I was a nanny and forced to watch “The Family Matters” daily with my charges.
The kid is recruited by some school and whole family gotten excited, then this boy who works as bagging boy at the supermarket was at the scene and tells story of his knee injury, from the glory days that president of the college offered him ride to suddenly expected to make grades since he no longer shoot hoops, money was cut, the boy had to leave the school. Which had sobering effect on the kid and 30 minutes show was over. One thing I remember was that dorky dad’s line
" well, if you’ve been to so and so college, you should be doing better than bagging at the supermarket"
What I think now is, even though you’d get BA BFA from so and so college or Uni, there won’t be any jobs that pays better or fun or so-called respectable.
I mean, the boy works despite his bad knee, make money at least. Noone should look down on him.</p>
<p>Wow, that is my element, do any work, earn part of the living, if can’t do whole, that’s all I want out of my kid. He will find the rest, some (many) years later.</p>
<p>Yes, yes, I know. I have always the same critique. But the point of the book is not the exemplars he holds up as false hope, but rather that we have lost sight of what is truly valuable…and WILL BE VALUABLE in the decades to come. I really truly believe he is onto something serious. </p>
<p>Most of us- me included often- like the feeling that comes with a sense of imagining the future for our children…if they go to x school, major in y, my dream will come true. And when they aren’t following our imagined predictable path of certainty, we can’t picture the future and freak out. I just want to say to you (and to myself-- I need to constantly remind myself of this), to have faith and confidence in our kids…they will carve an interesting (albeit unpredictable) path that will work for them.</p>
<p>Where one goes to school is only somewhat predictive of future outcomes (when one adjusts for other factors). Most students who even go to traditional college change majors many times. The vast majority of adults are not doing what they majored in. Most adults have actually had several careers careers and for this younger generation the change will be even more extreme. </p>
<p>I meet people all the time in my line of work that have jobs unrelated to their background and education. I also meet tons of people with very different educational backgrounds. They started out in community college, or working, or nightschool, or the arts…then a few years later when back and got such and such degree…then work as an x…then …and so on. </p>
<p>I strongly believe that this generation should be following their talents and interests…and honing them. They can’t possibly know the future careers that are needed. Those of us trying to slot our kids into some kind of particular college/major/our dream are not necessarily benefiting them or in any way necessarily getting a more predictable future (it just makes us feel better about it all). </p>
<p>Okay off my soap box. I look forward to hearing what you think of it all after you finish the book.</p>
<p>well, it was MY book, not my kid’s. I do what the author said to do for living life of dream (make stuffed bears and dogs) and know what that feels like joy and the pain of it all, it was nice to see my fav artists’ ref Chuck Close, Faith Ringgold…
and tiny bit of my mentor, Judith Harris. He should called her up and interviewed in person. The part he did talk to subjects are so much better than lip-service from other articles and books.
Once another best selling guy casually put my kid’s HS in his book and it was so obvious he never visited nor researched throughly. I did asked, he admitted via e-mail right away he just heard it secondhand. I become more and more skeptical of this genre of books after that.</p>
<p>what bothers me a little is environmental thing in the end seems bit of afterthought.
I used to work at theater and it was filled with element-ed people but so much of fossil fuel wastes. Styrofoam, foamrubber, latex, spray paints, retainer, anti flammable anti static and if the show flops, all goes to landfill.
My friend dragged me to see free movie “This is it” and I am sorry Michael you were such talented sweet person but oh my gosh how much man/electric power and raw/human made materials went to create that whole thing, then again, little girl and the destroying forest bit visual just had to be added.</p>
<p>Spend money to make money, waste resources to (inspire people to) save resources<br>
There are contradiction everywhere when arts and technologies are concerned.
earth-friendly art form that yet to inspire jaded folks enough without pulling cirque du soleil or Met opera a la William Kentridge?
now that is the epiphany… if only I know what that is and my kid could do that.</p>
It’s a challenge to have an artistic kid when we don’t have any of those skills but it seems to be such a large part of her, I can’t see her not doing something that somehow involves or incorporatese art.</p>