Fawn Douglas
Las Vegas, NV USA
"We’re not all coming from a place of knowing all the answers. We’re seeking the answers, so keep an open mind and an open heart."
Career Roadmap
Fawn's work combines: Art, Environment & Nature, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Society tells people that business careers are the way to be successful. I subscribed to that idea when I first started college, but I eventually made my way back to art, which was my true passion. Art can be very lucrative if you want it to be. There are so many different art fields and professions. If it's your passion and what you want to do in life, then it's worth pursuing.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Associate's Degree
International/Globalization Studies
College of Southern Nevada
Bachelor's Degree
Fine/Studio Arts, General
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I was born in Oklahoma and moved to Nevada when I was a child—I grew up in downtown Las Vegas in the Paiute colony.
2.
Growing up, I was bullied for my race and culture, which caused me to be embarrassed and push against my Native American heritage.
3.
I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do when I started college, so I studied communications, business, and marketing.
4.
I earned my AA in global studies from the College of Southern Nevada—I still didn’t have a clear career path, but I knew I was interested in the cultures, religions, and economies around the world.
5.
All the subjects that society encouraged me to pursue seemed very dry, so I went back to art—which had been my main interest since I was young—and got my bachelor’s degree in painting and drawing.
6.
My career as an artist really started to take off when I reconnected to my culture and put myself out there to speak up about environmental and indigenous cultural issues.
7.
I’m currently pursuing my MFA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
8.
In addition to my work and studies, I’m also actively working to connect to my Paiute culture, learning the language, ways, and customs.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You should pursue business, communications, or marketing.
How I responded:
Society tells people that business careers are the way to be successful. I subscribed to that idea when I first started college, but I eventually made my way back to art, which was my true passion. Art can be very lucrative if you want it to be. There are so many different art fields and professions. If it's your passion and what you want to do in life, then it's worth pursuing.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I would get bullied and discriminated against in school for being Native American. It made me want to crawl out of my own skin. As an adult, I've reconnected to my culture and have even merged cultural issues we face with my art.
I'm a slow reader, so I'd struggle with it in school. Having learned this about myself, I make a point to inquire with my professors ahead of the semester to get copies of the textbooks and reading materials so that I can start early.
I struggled with drugs in the past through harsh teenage years but thinking about it now reminds me of how far I've come. I hated that time in my life, but I'm very proud of who I am now compared to who I was then.