STEM is widely supported as a base for professional careers, but art is often disapproved as a career due to the high unemployment rate of art majors of about 9.2 percent; however, for two students at Lane, their passion for art is enough to drive them to make a living out of it.

Sebastian Silverio, Div. 563, will attend Columbia College in the fall of 2016 and focuses his style of art on painting and drawing.

His interest in art began in middle and early high school. However, he thought math was a safer option for a career.

“I always did art as a hobby, but then I took advanced drawing, painting, and AP Studio Art during my junior and senior art class,” Silverio said. “I learned a lot more about art, which made me realize that I truly wanted to study art instead of math.”

According to Silverio, studying art differs because he really has to try and put effort in all the time, or else the lack of effort will reflect on his work.

“Studying art really takes time and a deeper understanding of your subject,” Silverio said. “Not only is there the technical part of being an artist, but you have to learn how to see things a different way and understand how other people view art in the world.”

At Columbia College, he is looking forward to dedicating more of his time to art and improving the way he expresses himself.

“I would love to have my art reflect the violence and political issues going on in Mexico, but also [how it] affects Mexican Americans,” Silverio said. “I want to explore new ways to get my message across.”

Silverio says it will be a challenge because there are new grounds he must explore.

“It’s going to be a new balance I’ve never experienced with regards to what I want my art to say and how I’m going execute it,” Silverio said. “I’m going to have to be so much more creative, but it will be totally worth it.”

Also attending Columbia College is Ianna Christophell, Div. 576. Christophell began to officially pursue art when she found a piece of her work from when she was in preschool.

“On the piece of paper, it asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I had written that I wanted to be an artist,” Christophell said. “So, I figure it is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

Specifically, working with paint is what Christophell considers to be her strong suit. However, she has also considered pursuing hand drawn art and computer animation, with director Hayao Miyazaki’s movies serving as a big influence to her.

“I’ve been watching them since my mom played ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ for my sister and I on VHS,” Christophell said. “The way he designed his animation for the movie really made me want to get into animation. In addition to that, I really love the aesthetic of Asian art as well, so that’s something I either consciously or unconsciously incorporate into my art style.”

Through art, Christophell made her decision to attend Columbia College.

“At Columbia, I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to have creative freedom, because it seems like Columbia is that kind of school. I love having guidelines, but having freedom to change and form is also something that I really love,” Christophell said. “I also hope that art school isn’t going to be a place where they expect me to be an expert in art. I feel I still have a  lot of improving to do, so I hope that I’ll still be able to grow in my skill and not fall behind.”

As an artist, Christophell says she does not work well under a really tight time constraint or with a lot of rules. She wants a balance of freedom and rules when it comes to creating art.

“I like being prompted to make something, like if someone were to tell me ‘Create a piece about dreams’ and then give me complete freedom with this, I’d love that,” Christophell said. “But when someone is constantly hanging over my shoulder and forcing me to do the piece a certain way, it’s difficult for me. I feel like ‘I’m the artist! You’re stifling me, so you are going to get bad work.’”

Christophell said that what she needs for improvement in her art is for her teachers to loosen the leash a little bit in terms of her freedom.

“I know that teachers like that are just trying to impart their knowledge and I understand they know more than I do and respect that, but let me do me!” Christophell said.

Christophell intends to improve her drawing abilities, because of her plans to go into animation.