There are only a handful of things I miss about school, but one of those things is art lessons. I went to a very academically-focused school where Maths, Science and English were considered paramount, but by far my favourite classes always involved holding a paintbrush, pencil or smudgy stick of charcoal.
By age 17 I succumbed to the pressure from my teachers and dropped art as one of my subjects to pursue the academic path to adulthood and a career in the law. Now, on the other side of university, and working in a job that has little to do with my degree, I can honestly say that I regret giving up the subject that gave me so much pleasure.
I always justified it in my mind that I could continue art as a hobby, but it's only now that I have a full time job, my own house and my own space that I have time to dabble in a little creativity, whether that's simply through this blog, by baking something delicious, or by painting a design on a cake for a pagan wedding ceremony as I did last Friday. As indulgent and rewarding as these moments are, even now, they are fewer than I would like them to be.
My advice to anyone who has a true passion for something would be to indulge it, don't push it to one side. That's why I started this blog; to channel the creative element of my personality into something productive. I don't necessarily mean that you should choose creativity over academia - you should always do what you feel is the right thing to do when making decisions about something as important as education - but find a way to express your skills and talents, don't waste them.
