<p>We just came back from SAIC where my D's portfolio was accepted. During the review, the admission guy told her to start the admission process and essay, and whatever she does, NOT to start it out with a statement such as "I knew I wanted to be an artist ever since I could hold a crayon." Thought that was a good tip and I'd pass it along.</p>
<p><em>laugh</em> We’ll have to remember that, though it’s honestly true in my daughter’s case. She first announced she wanted to be an artist when she was barely able to speak. She also famously said when she was 6, “I want to be an artist, because they don’t have to know how to READ!” She reads now, but she certainly hated it in elementary school. :-)</p>
<p>Oh yes! All schools frown upon that. I’m tempted to start my essay with “When I was little, I always wanted to be a mathematician.” and go on explaining my transition from that to art…but I’m afraid they’d toss it before they got to the part about the mathematician! :)</p>
<p>My daughter said that when she was in grade school, someone asked her if she wanted to be an artist when she grew up. And she couldn’t figure out what they meant because she thought she was already an artist. It wasn’t until she was a sophomore in HS and got a book out of the library about art jobs that she realized that art can be a job and that’s what they meant. She went running into her art teacher’s room, shouting “Art is a job - that’s what I want to do”. The art teacher just said, I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that out"! He was always confused when she said she wanted to be a trauma nurse (as were we, but we were not going to tell her what her career should be). That’s when it all turned around for her. Previous to that moment, she was looking a career in the medical field - all because she didn’t know she get a job doing art. Nt sure if that is a good basis for an essay, but it was sure an AH-HA!! moment.</p>