Just Do the Work

Don't worry if you can't draw! Just do the work! None of us have talent! You'll still get the credit! This is like a calc teacher Claiming math doesn't matter: Just write some numbers! You'll still get your A! A kid sighs with relief As his brain falls out his mouth And he contemplates how much He can scribble in five minutes. Some people call me gifted They ask me how I can draw And then after that, of course Some people claim they hate me. Some people call me gifted As if it's so easy As if I haven't worked Every day for eighteen years. While they drew stick figures I drew fat and deformed arms Over and over again Till I learned about muscles. They finished in five minutes I had to take hours Because I couldn't bear Anything less than my best. Of course it's not easy, They say cleverly Because artists don't have jobs! Riiiiighhht? A java teacher once said Don't worry if you can't draw People who design games Are programmers, not artists. Of course, what are artists? A dying race, I'm sure. They're just starving weirdos Sipping wine in an empty room. That's still what we like to think Don't go to art school, my son, You can paint as a hobby But you gotta eat somehow. My java teacher once said People who design games Are programmers, not artists But maybe she forgot About the concept artist Landscape artist Level artist Texture artist Storyboard artist And game artist. Maybe we've forgotten Who animates our films And who illustrates our books And who designs our cars. The artist is no longer Limited to paint fantasies But instead now design Everything we see. Technology should never Be the replacement of art. If anything the world needs Thoughtful and inventive students. And yet our schools are still run Like meaningless factories Copy what is right erase what is wrong. Copy what is right erase what is wrong Copy what is right erase what is wrong Copywhatisrighterasewhatiswrongcopywhatisright Bell! Go home. We base our education Not on the individual Because that's inefficient. Why should I want to change it? I want to change the fact That an art teacher can be paid For mindless projects rather than A class based on innovation. I want to change the notion That we can exist in a world Where we only care about How we do in science class. I want to change the B I received on a poster Because my river was orange And all rivers are blue. I want to change my friend's belief That she'll never become An adequate artist Because she wasn't born for it. I want a kid who's new to art To spend more than five minutes To enjoy the process and Realize he can create something. I want this country to know That we're not falling behind just Because school is too easy But because we are uninspired. And I don't just want change Because I'm a starved artist But because the world Is starved of artists.