On March 6, I represented the arts and the Sedona Arts Center for Career Day at Sedona Red Rock high school. I was thrilled to be able to talk to Sedona’s future movers and shakers. What was most inspiring to me was the overall general interest in the arts. We often hear that art is a dying breed thanks to lack of funding and continuing budget cuts, but that appears to be far from the whole truth. The students I spoke with had every intention of pursuing careers in art, music, design and more. It was a refreshing change to the diatribe I’ve heard in the past regarding potential careers in arts.

I’ve often spoken about how the world around you was born from creative thinkers. This simple fact is what drives the next generation of our workforce and leaders. I was able to share my story and travels to many inspired students who at their core were creative and equally motivated. The biggest thrill, however, was hearing their stories and dreams as they shared what their inspirations and goals for the future were. I heard from many young adults who fundamentally understood how the world itself was a “work of art.” From the technology we use every day to the buildings we enter – art is all around us.

I left inspired.

This past week when I ventured to NASA to meet the creative and technological geniuses there – I went there knowing that the arts was still alive not only in science, but also in the hearts and minds of our future. So stay inspired and teach art, because it’s alive and well in the creative souls of our children.