Graduation Day

I am now an official Master of Fine Arts graduate from Louisiana Tech University!  So much has happened since I moved to Ruston, LA three years ago and I have grown so much as an artist and person.  Fellow graduate MC Davis had the best way of describing how I feel about graduate school: “The third year [grad students] in the past warned us we would miss it… it’s super stressful in the moment of things but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Grad school is a very humbling and productive experience. It will fly by. It’s hard, it will make you want to quit and walk away, but the satisfaction of walking away with having completed it is………… there’s not a word for it.”

I had incredible support from the LaTech art/design faculty and friends I made there.  Though I am excited of new changes that are coming as I enter the career world, I will miss the community that I experienced there.  I encourage anyone interested in pursuing their MFA degree to give Louisiana Tech University a look.

All seven of us MFA graduates participated in the graduation ceremony on Saturday.  It was a wonderful moment of celebration in realizing that all of our hard work paid off.  It felt good standing out from the crowd in our big hoods (which are brown….why do MFA graduates get the ugliest color in combination with black?!) and funky sleeves.  We made photos together and said our goodbyes, because who knows when we’ll see each other again?  I will miss them dearly.

For my next adventure in life– I have been hired at my alma mater Mississippi State University to work as a lecturer, teaching basic design software courses in the art department.  I am so thrilled about this opportunity!  This summer I will be getting settled there, and establish my lesson plans.  I will mainly be interacting with students that are trying out for the graphic design program, so I will completely relate to how they are feeling!  I also hope to find a space to rent so that I can continue papermaking.  I have a dream of having this studio space for people to walk in and purchase items, and also have the chance to learn papermaking.  I would also love to start a business through Etsy.

Today I read an article about actor Jim Carey’s commencement address to some graduates.  He stated, “My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that that was possible for him, and so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant. When I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job, and our family had to do whatever we could to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”  I could not agree more.  I am so glad I followed my heart!