so this fall i'll be going to a private "art college" in st. paul. it's expensive as hell and i'll be paying off loans to the MAN until i die. art is what i love and it's the only thing i really want to do with my life.. i like the place and i think it will help me develop and even find me some kind of career, but the more i think about it lately, the more i think 'is art school worth it?' what i'd really like to do in the future is move to some beautiful tourist trap and create art for the tourists to just eat up.. but couldn't i just do that now? i'd like your thoughts, esp. any art students out there.. :sunglasse
I thought about taking art in college, but I ended up deciding on journalism instead. I visited The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and I was surprised at just how many things you can do with a degree in one of the art fields. Don't limit yourself to only drawing for tourists, check out all of the different things you will be able to do. Also, no matter how good you are at art now, you will be much better after college. I would definitely go to college if I were you. It will open up so many doors for you.
If that's what you dig man, I'd go for it. The job market might be slim depending on what you do, but worst comes to worst and you can't find a job, Go get a teaching degree under your belt. Almost any school will hire you if you've got any sort of art background, as well as the teaching degree. I'm not an art student though, yet. I've got another year of generals, and then I'm diving into it. I really don't care, I have to do some sort of college program, and I'd rather it be art than anything else. Maybe sociology, but the market for that is kinda slim too. Focus is the only thing I can tell you. I had alot of people I know go to Golden Valley Art High School (you're a minnesotan, might of heard of that one) and they all said that they just got more tangled up in the various easy to access drugs than they did in the art. I wish you all the best of luck I do, have fun in St. Paul. Minnesota is grand, idn't it?
maybe think about what you are looking to get out of it. for instance, the teachers. Do you want to learn how the teachers draw or do you want to expand your own original skills and techniques and ideas? Is making your own 'college' program beyond consideration? Another idea is, can you find a mentor? Is there an artist around that you really respect, and moreover fully respects you and your poetentials who would be willing to mentor you? If you look around you might find some strange people who could teach you more than just art. *(that sounds weird, but hey if you're working with just one person, you're bound to learn about their life philosophies and other things.) If I were to answer those questions, I'd be thinking, yeah sounds great but who would kick me in the butt to actually do the work? Thats tough.. but you'd be saving money, saving yourself from college atmosphere (well, when you put that on the scale across from sitting in the woods in pools of green sunlight and a stream trickling past...), and maybe you'd get more out of it. just some suggestions..
as a matter of fact I love art myself...Painting for me is the most relaxing thing in the word...when I'm painting I let out all of my stress and my emotions and post them right on the canvas and let them create art...it's amazing how with one brush and a bunch of colors I could create almost anything my heart desires...I could spend endless hours in front of the canvas and not even realize it...it's amzing...I love painting and the feelings that it brings to me...I think that if your heart tells you that that's what you want todo the rest of your life...GO FOR IT!!...be happy...live your dream...there's nothing better than the wet feeling of paint and the rubbing of the brush against the canvas...the feeling that through your fingertips your creating magic...you're like a magician...you're a creator...you're unique...you are free...when you paint you are in total freedom...no one or nothing can stop you from letting out your true self and posting it out on the canvas...if you think that you can live in exposing total freedom for a living...go ahead...there's isn't anything better that I would like todo... Art school is amazing..you learn so many things...there are so many things out there and wonderful branches of art...it's amazing...I love art...I love every minute of it...I enjoy art...I live it...
I'll be starting my senior year back at art school in a few more weeks. And while I know some of my improvement is due to just the amount of drawing, painting, etc. that we have to do there that I might not do as much on my own, I'm positive that most of it is due to the teachers. It's a rather small school compared to liberal arts schools and compared to a couple of the other art schools I looked at before deciding on it...so we have rather small classes for the most part, and get a great amount of attention from the teachers, which is great. And all of them have done their fair share of professional work out in the field away from just teaching. There is only one that I know of who really tries to get everything you do to look just so, but I've avoided him since I heard of him....no one there really likes him anyway and many have tried to get him fired. But all the teachers I've had have been tremendous help to me and my growth as an artist. On top of all that, I'll be having classes this coming year that will focus on how to market myself, how to sell my work, and I think, if I remember correctly, even some tips on handling money, what to look out for in contracts and things, practical stuff that are really important when I get out and become professional. I don't know what you want to focus on though. I'm an Illustration major and I see all that I've learned and experienced at school as a GREAT asset. If you're more of a fine artist though, you may not feel the same about it. Ringling has a wonderful Fine Arts dept. though. I've seen wonderful work from my fine arts buddies there. And they learn a lot about working with galleries and stuff. See I truly believe that going out on your own in the world, just working, painting for tourists and things, can be a great thing too. Any amount of practice will make you so much better...and you can learn a lot of the basic skills and more on your own, but at school, it's sort of more intense...you're surrounded by art and artists, you like, feed off each other, learn from not only the teachers, but the other students as well. And learning from these other people doesn't necessarily mean anything you do will look like their stuff. Everyone's work is different unless they consciously try to copy someone else. But you may learn a new technique that you may tweak to make it purely yours. Plus theirs all the opportunities to do artwork with the surrounding community that you may not get into otherwise. My school has visiting artists all the freakin' time, and it's great to have their input and hear their experiences. It's certainly what ya want if you want to really be surrounded by art. I think it's a great experience. Plus, in the end, you'll have a college degree. And we all know how much society really appreciates that these days. Anyway! lol...damn...I could really go on more. I mean, my experience at that school has been freakin great . But I'll shut up now hehe Good luck with whatever you choose hon!
wow, that last post just made me feel much more optimistic!! i actually declared my major as illustration, and my school is very small as well.. thanks for the positive feedback.. i don't feel so nervous and iffy anymore. i just want to make art and not starve..
