Last week, Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro took the podium to give a 15-minute speech to the graduates of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
“You’re fucked”, he said. “Think about that. The graduates from the college of nursing: they all have jobs. The graduates from the college of dentistry: fully employed […] Each one will get a job.”
Common sense dictates you will be much better off with a field that leads to a career that can offer better financial security. “But,” Di Niro said, “When it comes to the arts, passion should always trump common sense. You weren’t just following dreams; you’re reaching for your destiny.”
De Niro goes on to press the importance of collaboration and maintaining close ties with the artists community. He tells then to learn to take rejection in stride, and try not to take it personally.
All good advice, not just for arts graduates, but for everyone.
#LUDWIGVAN
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