Do you feel like you SHOULDN'T be interested in the arts?

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I'm a teenage male and my whole life other's around me have commented things about me and my future.

Many would look at me as a 'bright' kid, believing my interests would probably be something related to computers and IT technology.

Even my own mother said she thought from a young age I might be interested in computing, programming, coding etc. once I was older.

This isn't me at all, however.

My interests are music, writing and acting, surprisingly.

I want to be able to do a bit of all three in my life. Act in community theatre and independent movies, create and sell music as an independent musician, and work as a freelance screenwriter.

I want to attend classes that help with all of these things including 'Drama School' which is for those interested in theatre.

I know I'll need to have another job though like cashier or something similar to get a stable paycheck every week.

However I almost feel hopeless sometimes in my dreams, no matter how realistic I make them (I don't want to be famous or anything, just a small amount of money from music/writing/acting is enough to me) and a lot of the time I feel like I shouldn't be doing it or that I'm not "living up to my full potential".

Am I making the right choices for what I want in my future?

I have some interest in things like Psychology, Biology, and Engineering (though I suck at Maths I strangely enjoy it) but The Arts have always just been my thing...

No I don't.

My brother has a profound interest in the arts for years. I know some people think it's not "manly" for guys, and they should be into sports and other nonsense, but whatever. I don't consider my brother any less of a man because he would rather hold an artist's paintbrush than a football. He is good with computers, however.

Me, I am also into art although I'm more into cartoons and animation. And that *is* an art!

The key thing to keep in mind is that there are very few career/job options in the arts...if you base your career off of them, then you'll likely struggle quite a bit (and it seems like you realize this). What I would suggest would be to pursue a more stable/lucrative career, and get involved in the arts as a hobby in your free time. I know several people who work full-time as engineers, who also act in community theater, perform with the state symphony, or make their own films.

I agree. That's why I've had a few back-up ideas in mind. Teacher is something else I'm interested in, specifically Drama/Theatre teacher and have to choose something else as well because teaching in my country means you have to be skilled to teach in at least two fields.

I've just been having a lot of doubts about my future in general. It's getting at that time/point in my life where obviously I have to go out into the world and finally become an adult.

It's not that I'm immature or childish or anything or want to 'stay young forever' or any of that garbage.

I'm ready, excited even to be finally getting older and all that.

Just feeling anxieties and despair about the road ahead, that's all...I'm sure it's natural for not just aspies but young NTs as well.

The fact of the matter is, is that I see other students around me with all kinds of skills - the Technology students being able to already do basic programming/coding, the Math geniuses already excelling at maths and wanting to be engineers.

I don't know, seems like so many people already know what they want to do while I'm undecided. I haven't met anyone else undecided about what they want to do with their lives at school.

Basically, I study Drama, Biology, Maths, English and Geography.

I'm interested in Maths but I'm just plain bad at it - C- on everything. But Engineering or some other math-related career is deep-down a secret interest of mine.

Drama I very much enjoy, it has gotten me interested in Theatre related things such as acting, scripwriting, playwrighting, etc. Drama does involve some directing but I'm personally not interested in directing.

Biology I don't know I enjoy is specifically Animal related biology. Biomedical and biochemistry stuff isn't really my thing.

Geography I just picked because nothing else really but it's interesting I'd pursue it if I pursue Teaching.

It's just all these options in front of me but the only things I'm genuinely decently skilled at are Music, Writing and Acting but everyone else is decided while I am not...

My plan was after high school not to immediately attend university/college or anything like that but just to take a 'gap year' which is basically a year off.

But in this time I do not want to do nothing I won't sit around at home like a lazy brat I want to get a job, do charity work, learn a new language, save up rent for an apartment so I can move out, take acting classes, take writing classes, all kinds of stuff really. I want to use the 'gap year' to sort out my life and tie up any and all loose ends so that I may be ready to attend further studies at higher education...

Last edited by Outrider on 13 Jun 2015, 6:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

yes i do feel that i should not be interested in the arts and for that reason i am not interested in them.

i have my own world to explore and i am not very interested in the follies of other people's imaginations.

As an engineer, I can say that engineering and math are often quite different. The vast majority of engineering calculations rely on basic algebra, and it's less about the math and more about where you get the numbers to use in the equations, and how well they describe what you're looking at. Of course, this is strongly dependent on the specific type of engineering you go in to...electrical is probably one of the more heavy ones in terms of complex math (imaginary numbers all over the place!). But, you do need a decent grasp of the basics of algebra and geometry for any engineering career. I'm a strong proponent of STEM careers, because they're very stable, well-paying, and there is a shortage of people going in to them. Also, many of them have very relaxed and flexible work environments...I have a few coworkers who take off every monday/friday afternoon to play golf!

Another comment is that you shouldn't sell yourself short for not being terribly skilled in any one area at this stage in life. Skills come through practice, commitment, experience, and education. If you are not skilled in any one area, it just means that you haven't spent enough time in that area yet. I've always been of the mindset that anyone can learn any skill they want, regardless of talent, if they put enough time and effort into it. Of course there are limits to this, but overall I think it holds true...having natural talent simply decreases the time required for you to learn it.

I'm an Aspie who has an Arts degree and came top of the class in English (language and literature) at high school.

I liked reading Jane Austen novels (I am a male, by the way) and Shakespeare's plays, and indeed like reading all sorts of things - classic English novels, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, statistics, law, and even some trashy teenage novels. Yes, I also enjoy computer programming too, but that is only one side of me. One of my current special interests has been exploring exactly how Latin turned into the modern Romance languages - what are the literary clues about when the changes occurred?

There is no rule book that says people on the spectrum have to be good at science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and must have no idea about literature, musicology, history, etc.

Enjoy your interests.

I don't mean to start a diagnosis/self-diagnosis debate, but do you have an official diagnosis? It's not that I'd question one, but the therapist I'm seeing is a little skeptical as to why I'd think I have Asperger's since I love to write and read. To me it makes sense--I enjoy language and tend to think in a heavy stream of words and sounds. I think he feels that, because I write, I must be able to understand people's emotions. But that doesn't mean it doesn't take effort to craft emotion in a character. I'm also able to take my time doing that, unlike when I'm trying to understand someone in a realtime conversation. Also, for all he knows, my characters suck

My artwork has been exhibited
in several art galleries and museums.
I had my own solo show in a winery a couple of years ago.
I sell my art online.
In the past, I've sold from a table at craft shows.

That said,
I also have a day job.
And am not about to quit any time soon.

Do both.
Go for your dream.
Good luck!

...

I have the opposite problem.

Everyone always tells me what a great artist I am, how good I am with visual things, blah, blah. My parents are expecting me to go to an art school or something and do art when I grow up. I don't really have any interest in art, though. I mean, art is all right, but I'm more interested in other things, like computers, and science. Even if I'm not necessarily as good at them. It's kind of like my interests don't match up with who I'm "supposed" to be..

No, I think we have the same problem, just in the opposite ways. You're right, I think we both feel we don't match up with what we're "supposed" to be like.

It sounds odd but it is a true thing that happens to many people.

Anyway, @Stargazer: I can see what you mean. I am something of a blank canvas with the potential to become skilled in any field/area of interest. But at the same time this has its setbacks. Because with lots of choices obviously comes the difficulty in making these choices and the future consequences. Some things I might want to possibly do are Biology related Science, Engineering or Teaching. I don't feel immersed enough in any particular field to be able to make a reasonable choice.

It's hard to explain. I guess for me it just feels like picking randomly and blindly. It's like someone graduating from high school with no particular skill or interest, so they simply choose their degrees randomly just for the sake of having some credentials and learned skills behind them in life.

It just doesn't feel right to me.

Most people who continue further study as an adult choose what FEELS RIGHT for them. They choose what is ideal for them and what they actually want to do as a career.

It's like going to a restaurant and just ordering any food simply because you are hungry and food is what will satisfy your hunger - it's not actually picking the food that is both healthy for your body and delicious, but whatever random thing that will fill you up. But when it comes time to eat, the food might be unhealthy and taste awful.

The consequence is if i just randomly choose what i want to do, while I may gain skill in that area, I might end up disliking/hating the field. Without knowing what I want to do, I also have difficulty knowing just what I DON'T want to do as well.

The thing is most people seem to 'discover' themselves in high school. Well, I haven't. I simply drifted through high school, picking whatever felt best and now I'm stuck in this mess.

@Everyone else: Yes, I do enjoy the arts and it definitely IS something I want to pursue. But realistically we all know it is a difficult path to go down. This is why I wanted to get an actual job as well, something simple like cashier.

But then it just feels like I'm not living up to my full potential. Why? Because of the reasons stated above, that obviously I just seem like the kind of person who is into computers, maths, science, etc. and will be successful from it.

Being a mcdonald's cashier who in his spare time produces music and acts in plays and indie films and writes scripts and plays for theatre and indie films? THIS is what I want my future to be? I'd be happy with this, but is it really living up to my 'full potential'? Certainly not.

Teaching in particular is something I am thinking more about now. Specifically Drama/Theatre teacher and English teacher.

Perhaps I'll spend some time thinking about it more.

Anyway this forum helped me a lot to sort this all out.

I didn't know where else to ask this because the Job and Career section seems like it's more of an adult thing and not a teen thing.

So I assumed considering my main interests are the Arts but they contradict with picking a realistic career I decided to talk about it here.

You should do what you feel is going to foster a satisfying life. There is no inherent problem with your primary interests and anyone who tells you otherwise is simply pontificating at you from a position of ignorance.

Yes, I was diagnosed by a psychologist who specialises in ASD and who was recommended by the leading ASD expert in my country - one of the leading experts in the world.

Potential doesn't just exist in the sciences, it exists in the arts, too.

Whenever possible, people should do work that they're truly passionate about and find fulfilling. If for you, that means acting and music and writing, then you should do it. (And if it's something else -- or ever becomes something else -- then you should do that something else if you can.)

I'm an aspie with a huge obsession with the arts, especially music. My main goal in life is to write music. I have done well in other forms of the arts. My high school English and creative writing teachers loved my essays and always tried to convince me that I should be a writer or comedian (I always liked to add a bit of humor into my assignments for those classes). If music never works out for me, I might try out being a writer or comedian.