General

To be honest, there's nothing to hold you back. For me, the whole "I have no talent" in art is a load of bull, since I've been told that by everyone around me until about a year ago. If you have the right mindset and dedication going in, you'll get better. Art's the same as any other skill or job you'll get, you suck at first but it's sticking it out and learning from your mistakes that sets you apart.

As for majoring in art, I'm not majoring in it but I have a few friends who are. I'll say this now, majoring in art does not guarantee a job in the field. Art isn't about the education you get, it's about what you've learned and what you can do with it. Of course art school and art curriculums offer classes for all that, but in the end it's down to you like with any other major. Art just has a LOT more variety in its students. People look down on art and call it financially unstable because art is not a career that offers that, per se. When you get to college you'll see amazing artists and not-so-amazing artists, you'll meet people with beautiful pieces who only do art as a hobby, etc. Art is everywhere and it's a personal thing, so don't feel discouraged that "your friends are better than you". The way I see it art is not about showing off to others, it's about you and who you are, so whether your friends are good or not should not deter you from choosing. In high school I got bagged on a lot by the people in my class who thought they were all that, and 3 years down the line I've way surpassed them in every aspect. It's never too late to start, but again like with anything else the later you start the harder you'd have to work to catch up to peers/where you want to be. Also you have to submit a portfolio for an art college (well, the ones I know of), but [b]you don't have to be amazing or good to get into an art college, because not everyone who graduates will be amazing or good.[/b] Look at tompreston on deviantART and you'll see that.

Art's a great field to get into but it's a lot of work; not busy work and studying, but a lot of personal work and dedication. It's not financially unstable as bad as people say, there are a lot of jobs that require some sort of excellence in art. Heck, Riot Games, Blizzard, and a lot of game companies as well as animation and movie picture companies both here and overseas hire and intern tons of artists! With the internet and technology comes a lot of promise, so get out there and look for your opportunities!

I'm not going to advise you to give up or ignore studying; if you can manage both, that's great! Otherwise, pick one and work the other on the side. Tons of people switch majors or add majors in college, so it's never too late to switch into art if you discover you don't have an interest in this or that later.

Lastly, if you want to be serious in art, the only advice I have is don't give up. I've seen a crapton of artists hit that first hurdle, think they have no talent and they suck, and just book it out of there. You have to suck to get better, you have to fail to succeed, you have to fall to get back up, etc. Art is full of ups and downs (every artist can relate to every single problem you'll have, trust me), but it's getting through that and reminding yourself why you're doing it and what art means to you that makes you proud to call yourself an artist.

s-sorry for the long book but I had to deal and figure this out for myself not too long ago and i've been approached a few times about this by some underclassmen before too ;x

If you're going to 'major' in art, I suggest you look into what field of art you'd actually like to do.
Illustration requires you to be professional in taking client's jobs (if you're going freelance), so you will have to do everything yourself, and you have to be very social to be able to get more clients so you can get called in for doing more jobs.
There is also animation, graphical design, and toy design, but you need to know art takes a lot of time and it's a lot of hard work.

But in general, you need to dedicate a lot of your time to practice drawing everyday if you really love art.
Draw at least a few hours everyday, and just see if you actually love art as much as you think you do. If you still like it, I say go for it!

"I SHOULD BE WORKING MY ASS OF TO STUDY FOR SAT."
I think this alone proves that you have other priorities and goals. Have you ever heard of the saying "Major in something that will make you money, minor in something that you love"? I am working my ass of for a computer science degree for that $$$, but minoring in economics because I love it so much.

One doesn't simply "major in art." You need to know the field you're pursuing and work towards it.

Get a real degree and minor in it. Then, you can go ahead and get your associates or bachelor's after you have something useful to support yourself on. Art isn't going to do anything for you except for make the engineering majors laugh at you as they order their coffee from you. Besides, art school is where creativity goes to die, especially if you're not good on your own already.

If you want to major art, don't worry about not being talented in art at all since they teach you the basics of drawing in college. Since you are a junior maybe you can take art related classes or practice more often during your senior year.

@AveryMBII: Whoops, Misread. Thanks lol.

@CrystalHaven Uh she said Jr. In High School not Jr. High. I'm not saying anything about your advice I'm just pointing out something you may have overlooked.

[url=http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/whats-your-major-art-debate-meme.jpg]Relevant[/url]

You're in Jr High, so there's no rush. But here's a little article for your future reference.

[url=http://medium.com/i-m-h-o/138c5efd45e9][/url]

There's no such thing as being a late starter. The only thing that matters is if you have dedication to pull it off. If you give up on yourself, there's no way on pursuing in the art career. And when you get really discouraged from drawing bad art, just remember everyone goes through that phase. It's up to you whether you're willing to keep going and leave it behind.

That's the first part. The second part is getting to know other artists and connections (or just simply put, [i]making friends[/i]). As long as you hang out or reach out to people who love to draw like you (more so of taking the initiative to do so), eventually you'll get into the field. Nevertheless, it might take a while for the right circumstances to pop out.

Just work hard. That's all I can say. And don't burn any bridges. Good luck!

Have you considered is how your other interests/ talents factor into what you want to major in? For example, I like art a lot, but math and physics appeal to me too, so I want to study architecture in college (I'm going to be a senior).

If you really want to do something involving art, I suggest you start working on portfolio pieces or take art in school, etc. The earlier you start, the less stress you will have IF you decide to apply for art/ art school (then you don't have to rush and make 10 pieces at the last minute). Also if you practice a couple of hours every day like you've planned, you will get a lot better in a year's time. It's also good to practice what you're bad at rather than drawing whatever you like for the most part so you can use the time to really improve.

My sister is going to be an art major....I think she's a superb artist. My parents were hesitant at first and worried about the money aspect too, but she's stubborn and really loves art. How she improved= locking herself up in her room and drawing hours every night

As bad as this sounds, you don't have to have talent to be an art major. Usually a lot of the art curriculum in universities and colleges will actually require you learn from basics (or relearn the way of drawing). Also that most graduates do not usually end up in a big company like Disney, careers in art are actually kind of scarce depending on where you live. Just a heads up, not trying to squish your dreams or anything (im a graphic design major). o.o

I'm going into illustration at an art and design university this fall. I think you should be more specific on what kind of art you're talking about. Truthfully, you don't need to be a grand master of art if you want to go into graphic design. If you go into graphic design, then you'll have a better chance on finding a job, or you can work free lance idk if graphic design goes that way. For illustration you obviously have to be able to draw well because well, you'll be illustrating and drawing things, unlike graphic design. If you're talking about the fine arts, some schools take you in if they see potential. That means creativity and progress that can be seen in your portfolio. I wouldn't really go into fine arts unless you're REALLY talented in fine art and believe that you can sell your artwork to clients/present them in galleries. Other than that you'll probably become an art teacher if you go into fine art, but srsly theres no high demand for art teachers. If you want to get better, then better take art classes.

[quote=Kinshima]Life isn't as simple as this 'talentless and art major=broke=depression=death' thing you're talking about, first of all.
What's making you think about majoring in art all of a sudden so recently, and do you even know what branch of art you want to go down? Art isn't just painting a picture and going to auction it off. There's design, illustration, any number of jobs it connects to.[/quote]
I'm planning to major in graphic arts, maybe animation. I did think about majoring in art before, but put it aside because of financial wise problems. Recently, I realized what I really wanted was to do art, instead of sitting in a box office, but conflicted because I'm not good enough and the art major side is risky.
I want advises as in How other artists improved, maybe links to tutorials they've learned from and stuff. Or, just plainly advise me to give up. Eh..blehenva yeah

Life isn't as simple as this 'talentless and art major=broke=depression=death' thing you're talking about, first of all.
What's making you think about majoring in art all of a sudden so recently, and do you even know what branch of art you want to go down? Art isn't just painting a picture and going to auction it off. There's design, illustration, any number of jobs it connects to.

[quote=TheAxelFenrir]Biggest question everyone will ask.

Why?[/quote]

Why What? Why I want to become an artist? Why I am conflicted? Huh..? WHy?