#art school problems

Professors tell you to back up your work, back up your backups, and keep your backups safe. They do not tell you safe from what.

The printers are jammed, they are always jammed, you are unsure if the color that bleeds out is ink.

You sketch someone sitting across from you on the train, your sketch starts to look less and less human, you don’t look back up at them.

The computer at the back of the lab has files from the last student titled “final_final_version.pls”, the computers are cleared every friday but it always has a file, you do not open the file, you do not use the computer at the back of the lab, nobody ever uses the computer at the back of the lab.

During critique, your professor says your project is missing something, it needs more of you, who are you? The project looks back at you hungrily.

Your friend asks you what your painting is about, you turn to see which painting, you don’t remember what it means, you turn back and your friend is gone, you don’t remember which friend it was, you probably just need sleep, you always need sleep.

You stare at the work on your screen for hours, it becomes less like your work every hour through the night, the hours drip through fast, your sanity drips faster, the sun peers menacingly over the deadline.

There’s charcoal smeared on your jeans, but you didn’t have drawing class today, you don’t know where it came from, there’s charcoal on your arms too, and on your cheek, and in your hair, everywhere.

You haven't started your project yet, it’s due tomorrow, the inspiration will come you assure yourself, it’ll come with the night, lock your doors.