Editor�s Note

About 10 years ago, one of my good friends announced that he�d decided to head back to school to get his master�s. What made his announcement unusual was that he�d decided to get a degree in computer programming, a field that was completely different from the undergraduate art degree that he�d already earned.

He was, and is, a wonderful artist and took a lot of good-natured ribbing from me and the rest of his artist friends. We accused him of giving up the dream, selling out for the promise of what, in the days of the dot com bubble, seemed like the easy path to fortune. The rest of us claimed haughtily that we�d never give up like that.

I�m not one to question anybody�s goals or dreams, but I did tell him that I thought his time would be better served working on his art and trying to find a job in his field to pay the bills � maybe at a museum or gallery. His response was much as mine would have been in his place. He smiled, nodded and did exactly what he wanted despite what anybody else thought.

It was a difficult couple of years for my friend. He�s a brilliant guy, but studying and working full time never adds up to an easy life. He was still able to find time to paint and keep up with his art friends but didn�t get a lot of sleep, and we didn�t see him as often.

By the time he got his degree, it was pretty clear that the high times of the computer-fueled economy were over � even in Seattle, home of Microsoft. By then it seemed bad form to ask him if he still thought that the master�s was a good idea. I don�t know exactly how he felt about all the time and money he�d spent pursuing his education, but I do remember him trying very hard to find a computer job for a while.

Eventually, my friend followed his own council but ended up right where I thought he should have been � working at the Seattle Art Museum. I think the irony is wonderful. He thought he was going after a degree that would help him pay the bills if the whole art thing didn�t work out. What ended up paying those bills was what he thought he�d needed a fall-back position against.

You never can tell what�s going to happen. No matter how you try to plan, events beyond your control can conspire to make all that planning seem pointless. Sometimes you�re just not destined to sell out.

Sean Vale
Editor
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