Can my subconscious affect my academic performance?

Hi , i dont know how to word this better , but im a relatively young student just before my entrance exams.I find myself really struggling with studying since i have been on and off,solely relying on random bursts of motivation with my studying.While I have been preparing for my entrance at a university for almost 1 year , I find it really difficult to imagine myself in one.When I was a kid I was really passionate about arts (and still quite am) but in the society that I live in , pure art is considered useless.This pressure has affected me and led me to my current situation and the decision to do things that are not me.While right now i know that the only thing I can do is just study for my entrance exams I feel like my brain already knows what Im doing is wrong(for me).Can all this be a factor to why my studying isn’t effective? Or am I just lazy digging for an excuse?