Catherine Labbe

What did you least expect about post-secondary?

I don’t know why, but I was expecting university to be full of people indifferent towards you or your life. Instead, I’ve met so many really amazing and kind people who are totally in the same boat as I am. I don’t know why I was so afraid of what people would be like because I’ve had nothing but great experiences meeting new people, making new friends, and reaching out in classes to find fellow degree people.

What difficulties do you face in an arts program?

I would say the stigma is the hardest. You face judgement and second-guessing at every turn, and it takes a level head and a certain level of indifference to look past it. I won’t lie and say that it gets better or goes away – you just learn to face it and almost have to laugh about it. You won’t have nice shiny new buildings or equipment. Things are old and creaky and sometimes ugly. People will judge you for your choice. Just knowing and remembering that you have worth, and making the most of your situation, are key. A lot of arts students have a good sense of humor that stems from all the malfunctions and oddities of their buildings or programs that they’ve had to adjust to.

What was the transition from a traditional education system to one that focused primarily on the arts?

It was awesome because I could finally specialize in what I wanted to do and take more in-depth courses specializing in those areas. In terms of work ethic or studying habits, it really wasn’t much different; the focus of what you do is all that really shifts. But yeah, the transition really wasn’t a big ‘shock’ or anything to my system. I imagine it was much like the transition was for anyone from a broad, all-encompassing curriculum to a more specific field.

What are the aspects you find most challenging when studying fine arts?

I think what people don’t know about arts is the volume of work involved. It’s just as constant as math homework or lab assignments and often just as detailed. Keeping up with the assignments and making sure they’re of good quality that I can be proud of continues to be challenging. Things can be so subjective in the arts that you really need to know your stuff, know your profs, and know their preferences as well as your own. Every term, every prof has their way of doing things that you need to learn and adjust to quickly in order to succeed. The percentages that correspond with letter grades can also shift depending on what class it is, and there are rarely curved marks. Everyone is at university to try their best and see where they end up. What bothers me the most is when people ask me why I’m in arts or what I’ll do with my degree. I’ll do the same thing as anyone – look for a job that I’ll enjoy and fits my talents. We’re all working hard for what we want.

Double major - How do you survive?

It's actually not too bad! Each term, I try to equally balance the classes I take between both degrees. I took a spring course and 6 courses last term to work through some prerequisites and put myself on the right track (since I started in general arts last year). I'm basically 80% done my linguistics requirements at this point and I’m just finishing my second year, which is super crazy to me. It also really helps you be responsible and make sure you're on top of things. You can’t afford to slack off or lose track of what’s going on since you’re keeping up with two streams worth of information. That also helps keep me going; I’m learning two different worlds of information at once, so it’s hard for me to get bored.

What inspired you to choose music?

It took a lot of thinking and consideration, but I finally decided that I wasn’t going to let other people’s opinions or ideas within society dictate how I would live my life or decide on my future. I believe anyone can make positive change in any way they choose if they believe in it strongly enough and are dedicated to making it happen. I have ideas and aspirations that I would love to pursue, and letting myself take music in university is just one small step that will further my hopes along. I've been in musical programs and activities since my early childhood. Music is something that just makes sense to me, like breathing or walking. I live to compose, write, play my instruments, sing, and perform. Something about music has always felt right to me and I can’t imagine not making it the most important part of my life.

Any advice and recommendations for upcoming artists?

I think one of the biggest recommendations I can give is to really stay true to yourself and to your vision. Don’t compromise what you express just because it might not fit what the majority of others are doing. I think a lot of people sadly sacrifice the honesty of their personal expression out of fear of rejection or failure. I believe that staying true to who you are and your form of art is already a kind of success because you can be proud of what you make and confident that it is undoubtedly yours.