Becoming an artist doesn’t happen overnight. To perfect one’s ability in their art form, it takes years and years of practice, hard work, and dedication. Seniors Edward Casiano and Avery Adair are two talented and determined artists hoping to pursue the arts as their future professions.   

EDWARD 

Casiano, a trombonist in Lamar Band since his freshman year, plans to attend Lamar University majoring in music education.  

From his earliest moments playing the trombone, Casiano’s passion and ability grew stronger. “I saw that I wanted to do [trombone] later on as a career. I heard about great musicians in the school years beforehand that inspired me,” recalled Casiano.  

What turned him towards Lamar University was experiencing the collaborative environment.  He explains, “When I went to visit the music majors, I saw my cousin working with his quartet.  It was a group of friends having fun and working on something big for tomorrow. That’s what I wanted. I wanted to create a group just like my cousin’s to be able to practice with them, learn with them, and share music with the community.” 

Casiano shows deep regard for his future career, including past university. In his first year, he plans on having a set practice routine to learn how to compose, so that in his third year he can get a teaching certification. “As soon as [graduate], I am going to get a job as an assistant director for either high school or middle school,” he states. He also plans to come back to the Lamar Band to see it flourish and pay it forward. 

After years of developing his love, Casiano is now excited to continue his journey with music. He exclaimed, “I just want to have fun playing my instrument and savor every moment that I have with the people around me.” 

AVERY 

Adair, an aspiring character designer, plans to attend Savannah College of Arts and Design (SCAD) for illustration. Her interest in character designing started at a very young age as she showed interest in SpongeBob and Amazing World of Gumball. 

Despite how niche Adair’s passion is, she cannot imagine a world without her craft. She states, ”I was so confused on what I really wanted to do, but when I started going more into art that’s when I felt like I found my way.” Adair uses her artwork to showcase her vulnerable identities. “At the end of the day, I feel that it is worth it to share a part of yourself. I hope they see a part of me that I don’t really get to express that often,” she stated. 

SCAD offers many opportunities as it helps establish connections with big companies like Google, Disney, or Pixar. “I thought that it was really cool to see and learn from people who are in the industry”, mentioned Adair.  

Overall, Adair hopes through her works, she will get people to understand the craft behind every picture. Adair stated, “I would say there really is a beauty to art that I feel that people often take for granted. I would not listen to the naysayers, because there’s many people out there who think an art degree is pretty useless. I feel that it’s worth it because I can make myself happy and make money doing something that I love.”