25 Ways to Avoid Being Asked About Your Art Career & Other Questions You Don’t Want To Answer

The start of the holiday season can be overwhelming, whether it's dealing with the stresses of traveling back home or wrestling with the challenges of gift-buying. But for me, and probably for many of you, the biggest fear is the inevitable interrogation about careers and future plans. Let's not even get started on how often I'm asked, "So, what can you do with a Communication degree?" – because honestly, I really don’t know! As a recent grad, I can no longer rely on my classic deflection of, "Well, that is if I graduate…" and laugh it off. Nope, these questions are no joke.

As for me, my new excuse is, “I am thinking of grad school!” Absolutely foolproof! The strategy here is that it shows I am working on something (I’m not) and thinking of my future (I’m not). This will also give me at least a year to come up with another response to use.I can only imagine how much worse it is for you artists out there. I'm sure you're bombarded with family members asking, "What can you even do with an Arts degree?" or "When are you going to get a 'real' job?" or the infamous, "There's no money in the Arts." So, as a gift to all of you, because 'tis the season, and I'm feeling generous, I've compiled a list of excuses from my bank of vast knowledge and expertise at question aversion in the list below.

by
Skylar Vinson
NOV 2023