Thoughts on Attending an Art School
I attended two different art schools before later graduating with a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Minnesota. Art schools are interesting places. There is never a shortage of interesting characters to be found and it can be a great or poor experience depending on how you like to learn, how you fit within the community, and whom you get feedback from.
Art school can be difficult because there are often requirements for you to take a variety of classes outside your direct field of study. While my major at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design was Photography, I was required to take classes such as 2-dimensional studies, drawing, making crafts, and much more. While it’s great to have an appreciation for different kind of art, the history, and become more versatile in your creations, it’s difficult justify having to pay money for classes that you don’t have any interest in.
Personally, I didn’t care for art school for a variety of reasons. It’s not hard to find yourself saturated in a pretentious environment. While it’s great to get objective feedback from teachers and to nurture your art, it can be hard to separate yourself from overly-competitive peers who may have strong opinions about your art. In this environment, the feedback is not always well-meaning and helpful. It’s difficult to separate which feedback you take into account and which to discard as a mere attack intended to discourage.
It’s obvious that it’s impossible to separate yourself from the opinion of others. However, when you’re in training at school, it’s important to nurture your skills and hone your craft in a positive and conducive environment. A few harsh words from a critic on an experimental project can do a lot of damage to someone trying to find him or herself as an artist.
The relativity of what qualifies as “good art” makes it difficult - if not, impossible, to stay consistent in keeping an opinion objective by any means. While there are techniques and skills that assist in creating better art - personal opinion, ego, culture, and personal preferences play a large part into what people believe make a piece of art great.
While it’s great to learn how to become a better artist, there are so many resources accessible online for learning – many of them are free. So many blogs, articles, and videos can be found related to specific details of most any art. It’s a good idea to “work smarter, not harder.” College is most helpful just for the credentials it gives you. However, it comes at a high price and we may inherit the burden of long-term debt and student loan payments.
Only you can choose which is the best way to educate yourself and become successful. Many great artists either haven’t graduated from art school or didn’t attend them at all. It’s hard to create innovative art if you stay looking at past examples for how to make “good art.” Remember to move forward - For related reading, please check out: Textbook & College Education vs. The Real World.
