Parental support is key for students to find 'success' in creative careers

In one of my favorite TED talks, "Why You Will Fail To Have a Great Career," Larry Smith tells the story of a dad whose son comes home from school one day, all excited, exclaiming, "Dad, dad, I know what I want to be when I grow up!" 

This gets the father excited, too, because it is exactly what he has been waiting to hear. Having observed from an early age that his son is exceptionally gifted at mathematics and likes to build things, the dad just knows his boy is about to tell him he wants to be a great engineer someday, designing bridges, dams or even fast food restaurants.    

So, when the boy proudly proclaims, "I want to be a magician," the father is crestfallen, and immediately starts trying to talk him out of pursuing his dream.                

Most parents share the fear that their teenagers will come home one day and say, I want to be a singer, a fashion designer or pretty much anything in the visual or performing arts.  They want to protect their children from the heartbreak of being rejected trying to break into the incredibly exclusive club of working artists and performers.

They also envision them living in their basement at age 30, unless they choose a "normal" college major and a "stable" career.

The question I asked our high school juniors and seniors at their family college-planning conferences played right into those fears.  

“Do you really need to go to college?”

Naturally enough, their parents usually looked askance at me when I asked that.   Thankfully, though, most of the students immediately answered, "Yes."  

As well they should have, if planning to be accountants, school teachers or any of hundreds of other careers that require college degrees.  Or if they were undecided about a career but recognized that college is a great place to test out different interests, in addition to gaining clarity and maturity about themselves.

But what if you are one of the relatively few who already knows who you are and what you want to be, and no college degree will guarantee you an opportunity to fulfill your "artistic" dreams?    

Like Mary Sarah, a young aspiring country singer I interviewed last year at the CMA Fest.  She learned at age 12, on a KidZBop tour, that singing is all she wanted to do the rest of her life.  Later deciding to forego college, Mary Sarah competed on "The Voice," recorded duets with Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, and even sang, "The Fighting Side of Me" onstage with Merle Haggard.  With the love and support of her family, who manage and travel with her, she is truly living the Nashville dream, even performing on the "Grand Ole Opry."

Or, if you have similar aspirations, you could initially attend a college with a specialized program until you have success with your artistic pursuits, as one of our former DCA students, Hillary Scott, did.  Scott also knew as a teenager that she wanted a career in music, and had the backing of her family.  (I still remember how excited she was performing with them in Opryland's "A Country Christmas" as a sophomore.)  She chose first, though, to enroll in MTSU's Recording Industry program to prepare for her career, before later co-founding Lady Antebellum.        

Or you could select a specialized college, as my niece Victoria Huth did, graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design earlier this year.  We all knew design was her thing when as a child her idea of a cool Christmas present was a state-of-the art sewing machine.  Her parents knew their lifetime support had paid off when after countless all-nighters, her senior design project landed her a job offer in Atlanta before she even graduated.    

There are as many paths to success in the arts as there are students interested in pursuing them.  What they seem to have in common, though, is 1) knowing at a young age this is what they want to do the rest of their lives; and 2) having a family who supports them in their dreams.  

Whichever route they take, it is the hard work, persistence and determination in pursuing those dreams that ultimately result in a great career.  

Vincent R. Huth, Ed.D., The Tuition Doctor, served as a college placement professional for over twenty years, assisting Middle Tennessee students and parents in pursuit of affordable higher education.  Dr. Huth can be reached at thetuitiondoctor@yahoo.com.