Dad, I Want to be an Artist

I had this realization the other day.

I'm sure many have noticed how I like to criticize art. Be it music, movies, painting, or even games, I always like to criticize them. Even things I love, like the Star Wars movies, or some good old Rammstein, I have to take a step back and evaluate for their "artistic merit"... but where did this come from?

Well, I'll tell you. I am a man of many, many hobbies. Just to name a few, I paint, play guitar, play bass, sing, write, and (no surprise here) blog. I dabbled in woodwork, read a lot about blacksmithing, and even dived into home wine-making. I read a lot about these mediums, and before long, I came to know quite a bit about them. I started using words like "cinematography" and "director's vision" while watching movies, and "writer's voice" and "flow of events" when reading (or being read to).

I found, for a while, I put all of these things to the side, and tried to put all my time in one source. (Anyone who has read more then two posts on my blog knows what I'm talking about.) As of late, I needed a way to express myself. I practically killed myself trying to deal with it all alone, but I couldn't, then I realized how many hobbies I had, and dived right in.

After learning a few of my favorite songs on guitar, and making the best batch of mead I've ever tasted, I realized how much I love the arts. It even got to the point I considered changing majors. Do I really want to do this for the rest of my life, I'd ask myself, and will I enjoy it? Can I be creative and still be a Software Developer?

The answer to that, I can't say, but there is one thing I do know: Dad, I want to be an artist.