Stewart Schuster and Chris continue the conversation around if not allowing to be creative is an exclusively Asian American experience. If you missed last week’s conversation with Jennet Liaw, click here to listen to that episode first.

Jennet brought up an interesting topic of discussion when she mentioned that her parents, or Asian American parents in general, found the path to a creative career a “good hobby.”

Growing up in the southern belt of the US, Stewart had a similar experience with his parents. Is advising against a creative career path strictly a habit of Asian American parents? Or just a general feeling amongst all parents that the arts is not a sustainable career choice?

All parents want their children to have safety and security. They tend to go with what they know. That usually means choosing a job that has a better guarantee of “making it.” For instance, if you go to medical school, law school, or become a realtor chances are very high you’ll end up with a job right out of school, make good income, and have job security.

It’s hard for parents to watch their kids take a path that leads to an uncertain future. This isn’t to shame any parents. But the fact is that times have changed. Between all the incredible advances in technology and countless startups that exist today, there are so many opportunities available that didn’t exist 20 or 30 years ago.

Choosing the arts may seem like an unconventional path to your parents because that option wasn’t available, or was very risky back in the day. Today, that’s changed quite a bit.

Being creative is becoming an increasingly important skill, especially as technology continues to dominate every day life. The world needs creative thinkers. So when your parents tell you a creative career choice in an unstable one, remind them that different times call for different skills.