It is officially my last weekend in Scotland, and I have had the opportunity to attend a variety of arts events in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as speak to a number of professionals in the industry. One of my major takeaways from this experience was just how different the arts scene is in Scotland compared to America. These distinctions can be attributed to several key elements: size, cultural/social identity, and government support. For one thing, due to being such a small country, Scotland’s art scene is a lot more accessible. To get from one end of Scotland to the other, it takes a maximum of 5-6 hours. Also, its’ two main cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh are both rather centrally located, making them easy to access from pretty much any direction and also providing you with multiple options. For example, my class was staying in Glasgow, and we really wanted to see The Pixies, who were performing while we were there. Unfortunately, the show in Glasgow was already sold out, but the next night they were performing in Edinburgh, which was only an hour away by car or train. For us Americans, an hour’s drive is practically nothing. Many Americans have to drive much further to find major concerts or other such performing arts events. When it only takes a couple of hours to cross the country, and there are several forms of affordable public transport, it makes it so much easier to see and support an artistic work or performance. The arts are integral to Scotland’s cultural and social identity. Glasgow was actually the UK’s first UNESCO City of Music. From what I observed, the people take great pride in this title and in turn, greatly support the arts. In fact, the government often provides funding to artists and organizations who need it in the form of grants and other such funds, such as Creative Scotland. The process of applying for these grants is much more straightforward and far less competitive than in the U.S. The artists and managers we spoke to felt supported by their government and communities in a way I have not seen many Americans relate to. Overall, I am very envious of the arts scene in Scotland, and I will definitely take what I learned from these professionals and use it in my own career one day.