Convincing my parents

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BDiste14 Posted messages 5 Status Membre -  
BDiste14 Posted messages 5 Status Membre -
Good evening,
I am 14 years old and I spend my time drawing comics; it is my life and I would like to make it my career. The problem is that I do well in school and for my parents:
"With your abilities, you should pursue a real job that gives meaning to your life and pays well."
I can understand that they are worried (for example, that I won't be able to earn a living), but now, they don't even want to listen to my arguments! In reality, they want me to be a doctor END OF STORY. I keep telling them that if I draw comics, I would likely have opportunities to do illustrations for the press or for advertisements, but they refuse to hear anything. I’m starting to feel scared because when I take my high school diploma, I will only be 17 and they will thus have the right to choose my university (they're already forcing me to take a science diploma). I want to go to EESI (an art school), but they want to send me to medical school.
How can I convince them to accept my choice?

Thank you in advance.

9 réponses

fromhiro Posted messages 73 Status Membre 35
 
Good evening, it's up to you to choose your profession and no one else, you'll be doing it for 40 years after all. Art, here drawing, is a vocation, like being a firefighter for example. However, you are still young and you have 3 years to decide on your path, and in the worst case, you will have a "money-making" job and during your free time, you will draw, and who knows? You might break through one day. In my region, there is a coroner from Poitiers who writes books, it's awesome! In any case, good luck and stay strong.
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fromhiro Posted messages 73 Status Membre 35
 
So nothing will stop you from doing what you like, not even the lure of profit.
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BDiste14 Posted messages 5 Status Membre 10
 
I hope I can make it, but it’s hard. Parents, friends, family, apart from two or three exceptions, everyone is against it. And I’m afraid of disappointing them.
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BDiste14 Posted messages 5 Status Membre 10
 
It is true that I still have time. But I had never been sure about my profession. And suddenly, three years ago, I knew that I wanted to do this, and it has never left me. It came to me like a vocation.
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fromhiro Posted messages 73 Status Membre 35
 
It's only you who will be mainly disappointed if you fail. But if you hang in there, you can make it. Good luck.
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BDiste14 Posted messages 5 Status Membre 10
 
It's still absurd that everyone tells me it's impossible and advises me not to try.
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Célien Posted messages 5702 Registration date   Status Membre Last intervention   1 995
 
Hi,

You are only 14 years old, so you still have time.

Take this challenge as a difficulty and fight: keep succeeding in your studies, and at the same time use your free time for your passion, which is to keep training and drawing.

Use the web as a training and publication platform, publish what you do online and try to get feedback to improve. There are plenty of courses online to help you learn to draw and create stories, as well as books.

Your parents are not completely wrong in the sense that in these professions, sometimes only 1 out of 1000 succeeds, or even 1 out of 10,000.

However, where they are wrong is imposing medicine on you; that's just ridiculous, it's up to you to find the path that will make you happy.

So if after 3 years everyone tells you what you're doing is worthless, question yourself, but if you manage to publish something good within 3 years, then show it to your parents or other family members.

A little advice: it will be easier to succeed if you are autonomous, so not just a simple drawer, learn to write stories and draw, or learn humor to create humorous drawings; in short, become an independent artist and don't wait for someone to give you a job that may never come.
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BDiste14 Posted messages 5 Status Membre 10
 
I didn't specify, but in my work, I am both a designer AND a screenwriter (I actually think I'm a better storyteller than a designer). I'm thinking of creating a blog to get objective feedback even though my drawings are already on forums.
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Célien Posted messages 5702 Registration date   Status Membre Last intervention   1 995
 
Great idea for the blog!
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BDiste14 Posted messages 5 Status Membre 10
 
Thank you, I already drew the banner and a first strip. Just need to ink and color everything and I'll get started.
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BDiste14 Posted messages 5 Status Membre 10
 
I forgot, thank you for your answers. Other opinions are welcome.
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