Only a few more months before I finish my MFA, but the job search has just begun. There is some natural anxiety as I begin this transition from grad school to the work force, however, I also feel like Columbia’s Interdisciplinary Arts & Media program has prepared me to succeed in this competitive job market.

Among the most important ways the Interdisciplinary Arts & Media program has prepared me to succeed as a professional artist is by being constantly challenged by faculty and my peers to make stellar work. I remember asking a faculty member, when I first started the program, what would give me the best chance of getting a teaching job. They just said, “Make good work, the work will speak for you.”

Beyond the challenge to consistently make better, more thoughtful work, the program requires a few professional practice classes to prepare students to establish a career as a working artist.

In the class Art as Practice, students learn the skills needed to function as a practicing artist in the contemporary art world. Skills such as: developing sound research practices, refining writing skills and presentation methodologies.

The other major professional practice class is called Connected Studio Practices. The focus of this class is helping students see their individual art pieces as a unified body of work. To that end, students present their ongoing work in a variety of different contexts, including class critique, research panels, individual artist talks, and more.

These classes, the challenge to always be improving my art practice,  plus the consistent support from our amazing faculty, have given me reason to not only NOT be anxious about life post-graduation (I guess there’s always some anxiety, but a lot less than I’d expected), but has actually given me reason to be excited for what opportunities will be available to me after graduating this summer.