Painting an Unclear Future

I've always had an idea about what I've wanted to do, but of course like every big decision that you're faced with, opinions can change in a second. I've gone through so many weird fazes throughout the years, but I would have never expected to want to go into biomedical engineering, hopefully my last decision. Most of the saner decisions included veterinarian, doctor, architect, and lawyer. Not that often has becoming an artist crossed my mind, or at least not as many times as I would expect. I have been drawing for such a long time, and by now I know that I can draw fairly well (or at least that's what I believe). Suddenly, when I think of something that I want to do, art immediately crosses my mind even though I haven't really considered it before. In this blog, I'm going to be talking about art and biomedical engineering (both of which I am passionate about), and how I hope to find a way to integrate both into my future without having to eclipse the other.

The reason why I wanted to go into biomedical engineering is because of the organization where I volunteer at, Medshare. They are a nonprofit based out of San Leandro (kind of far to drive just to volunteer). They send unused medical supplies to third world countries. I love volunteering there, even though all you do is go through different boxes and medical supplies for three hours in a ginormous warehouse. What probably really got me was this video that they showed when I first volunteered there. It was talking about a hospital in Africa (I believe it was Uganda) specifically the nursery ward. It talked about how funding was only going to fighting HIV and AIDS not to any other department that needed help, and then it showed seven babies sharing an oxygen tank through makeshift tubing. It was so sad, and it really affected me. So I thought that I would go into the medical field, but I do not really want to be a doctor. And while I was talking to my cousin, he mentioned biomedical engineering, and I thought I would look into it. And I researched it later on, and I though that I would really like it. So that's how I got to today.

Now onto art, I love it. There is not anything I really hate about it. I've started to experiment a little more than I use to, and even though I'm not that good that many other mediums, it's so much fun! It has been my hobby for who knows how long. I mainly draw and use Photoshop CS5, but I love water coloring and other mixed media. Bottom line is that it makes me happy. Though I had never really thought about it as a career option, I kind of felt as though going into art would waste all the years I went to school. You don't really need a degree to be an artist. It helps, but you really just need the talent (which honestly some really famous painters don't always seem to have, in my opinion). My photography teacher (the first real art class that I have taken so far and it's not even the type of art that I normally do) told me that I could make a lot of money illustrating children's books, which I thought was kind of funny. Maybe I can get a reasonable career in art, but I can't know if it's a mistake without making it.

So my dilemma remains... Both choices are things that I am passionate about, but the question that I feel like I'm more faced with is: do I want a safer, more secure job or do I want an unpredictable job that I know I would really love?