When I was in college, I took plenty of art/painting type classes. It wasn't a huge art-related university (its focus was on engineering and sciences) so the art department consisted of about 4-5 professors (not including the Art History section). 1 was in charge of sculpture courses, 1 was for photography and related courses, 1 was for Graphic Design, and 2 split duties for painting, drawing, multi-media studies, and similar. So, once you declared your area of study in the art major, you definitely knew who your professor would be for the majority of your time.

The greatest (and worst) impression I ever had in college was in one of the drawing/painting courses. We had to keep a sketchbook all semester and had to have so many pages sketched in every few weeks as homework. Of course, I had some manga and cartoony doodles inside. I forget how the topic came up exactly but my professor began dictating that comics (and anime/manga) were a lower form of art and, in so many words, were pretty valueless in the art world because they were a product that was mass consumed. Art had to be something unique and statement pieces, unedited, and unapologetic, etc. etc. etc.

My face... my face and heart at that very moment.


I understand that everyone has opinions and are entitled to them. I don't harbor anything against her for having an opinion opposed to mine but my respect and trust for her as a teacher, the person entrusted to be open minded and academic, just flew out the classroom door and straight into a speeding dump truck's front end.

Worst yet, I knew I'd be stuck with her for semesters to come.