“Every time I tell someone I’m working towards an art degree, it’s always the same thing: ‘So
what are you really going to do with that?’” Breanna Nolan, a University of Mississippi senior
art major from Brandon, Miss., said.
For anyone pursuing an art degree, this interaction is quite common. Careers within the arts have
always come with a stigma that can weaken creators’ confidence and drive them to pursue profit
over passion.
The stereotype of the “starving artist” insinuates that a successful career in the field is neither
sustainable nor attainable. But is this true? Is art a far-fetched idea for the naive?
Breanna Bercegeay, a sculptor and instructor pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at UM, shed light
on this topic through her own experiences.
“I started out as an education major, because I was specifically told that you cannot make money
as an artist,” Bercegeay said.
The native Louisianian feared an unpredictable future. She remained unhappy as an art
education major until her junior year of undergraduate studies when she changed her major.
“It’s unfortunately a societal norm (to pursue profit over passion), because it was bred into us. I
think that younger generations, including myself and after me, are pushing (against) those,”
Bercegeay said.
Bercegeay offered advice to those hesitant to pursue an art career because of their preconceived
notions.
“There are so many avenues that you can take to make money as an artist. Whether you’re doing
it commissioned, whether you’re working for galleries, whether you work in museums, whether
you’re doing outside sculptures, whether you’re working for specific people, it doesn’t matter.
You can make money as an artist,” Bercegeay said. “Don’t look back on your life and say, ‘I
didn’t do it because I was just scared.’”
Amy Webb, a farmer at Yokna Bottoms Farm by day and a painter by night, is head of Oxford
non-profit IRIS Arts Community.
“I was really entrenched in the idea that there’s no real option for me unless I just wanted to be
like the starving artist trope,” Webb said. “So, I was pretty miserable, but the thought of doing
anything else made me feel horrible. I was like. ‘If I can’t do this for a living, I don’t want to
live.’ Like that dramatic, you know?”
Attempting to reconcile her dreams with reality, the Water Valley, Miss., native started her
collegiate journey pursuing a degree in general business.
After the pandemic, she realized that she was ready to pursue what she felt called to do and has
not looked back since.
Art is subjective, but so is success. While some measure it by the number on their paycheck,
others relate it to the feelings that they experience while working. Art is personal. While this can
be daunting, it can also be freeing.
Jonathan Kent Adams, a full-time artist and UM alumnus, sells and creates art in Oxford and his
hometown of Water Valley, Miss. He has almost 18,000 followers on Instagram and frequently
showcases his work at Oxford’s Southside Gallery.
Adams specializes in creating paintings. He expressed what his art has meant to him.
“It (art) gave me a way to express myself without using words. I feel like so many people want
me to verbalize or justify who I am, and I didn’t always have the right words to say. So, art kind
of gave me a vehicle to talk to God, but also to be myself,” Adams said.
Adams switched his major to art from criminal justice his sophomore year.
He did not worry about life after college or financial stability. Instead, he listened to himself and
trusted that everything would fall into place.
“It just kind of was like, I started trusting myself as life unfolded,” Adams said.
While a career in art might not provide a clear-cut path to fiscal success, it is fluid and offers a
number of avenues for creators to trek down. The stigma surrounding careers in the arts is real,
but Bercegeay, Webb and Adams are just a few examples that prove that an art career can be
sustainable.
Webb will be showcasing her art at the Casey Jones Blues Fest in Water Valley, Miss., on March
23 and at the Double Decker Arts Festival on April 26 and 27. Adams has a show coming up in
Provincetown, Mass., in June, but anyone interested can also see his work at Southside Gallery
in the new exhibit, “Cats and Dogs.”
“Fear will control you. So no matter what you’re doing in life, you have to find a way to not
listen to the fear in your head, but to step forward and fight,” Adams said.
