Should I Choose Art or Astronomy?

[Haley]

I am 14. Many people have asked what I want my future career to be. I would always say, with much enthusiasm, "Artist of course!." My friends and teachers say I show talent in my drawings. But lately, my dedication to art is becoming harder to grasp. During the day, usually, I spend all my time drawing; yet as I crawl into bed, I can't seem to fall asleep for at least an hour. My brain keeps thinking about what I REALLY want to commit myself to do; discover and create. Of course, that seems the very definition of art to me, but there is so much more. As I sat through my science classes, we would always have an astronomy period, then move on. But I always paid rapt attention, taking notes, and listening to my teacher with fascination. I learned so many things that were mind blowing, yet many of my classmates barely took interest or were busy texting. And in my art classes, I learned equally as much, about past artists and the rewards of an excuisite masterpiece. Drawing is my passion, and yet somehow those long nights in bed cause me to wonder about what is out there, in the universe, and groundbreaking technology that will someday be created. Do I want to sit in an art workshop, making pieces that might not even be recognized until I'm dead? Or do I desire to be in a lab, peering through a microscope, hoping to never miss a single star so that some amateur in their backyard won't discover it first? My parents tell me I have years to decide what I want my career to be. I can't seem to believe them; you have only one lifetime.