From Cory: I’m very excited to introduce you to Megan Krzmarzick, TAA’s Communications Specialist. If you’ve been paying attention to our social media channels recently, or you’ve emailed our help email, you’ve probably seen Megan’s name come up here and there. She’s a total communication pro and is helping me with these things and more. Welcome Megan, and check out her first post on the blog below.
I’m the proud owner of a master’s degree in arts management and museum studies. A $60,000 piece of paper that took me two years and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to earn that currently occupies a prominent place in my closet, stuck somewhere between my winter boots and a stack of old CDs.
When anyone asks me if I’d do it again, if I think they should go to grad school, my answer is usually an emphatic NO. It isn’t because I’m not proud of what I accomplished, what I learned, and the great people I met. It’s because of this: with student loan debt topping $1 trillion, and limited job prospects and low salaries in the arts field, there’s a diminishing return on investment when it comes to getting a bachelor or master’s degree in the arts. The average tuition (without room, board and art supplies) for a two-year program at a top fine arts school is $100,000.
And yet, in spite of that, applications to MFA programs such as creative writing have increased at a maddening rate, according to the New York Times, and thousands of students continue to graduate with a fine arts degree very year.
YOUR ADVICE
We recently asked the TAA community on Facebook to give us the thumbs up or down on going to art school and why. Your 60+ comments were insightful and some were quite detailed. The topic obviously evoked strong emotion and opinions. Here’s what I culled from the conversation:
Pros – Connections, Learning, Experience.
- “…while those classes did not make me an artist, it contributed to the artist I am today. I leaned a lot thru those classes, thru my interactions with the professors and other students. It helped open my mind and bring inspiration at times where there was none. It enhanced some of the ideas and thoughts that I had.” (Pamela Sipe Tingle)
- “I took art classes in college. They helped a great deal and I learned a lot. I’ve also studied under other accomplished artists in art groups. Both have their place and value in the overall art experience.” (Teresa Bernard)
- “I LOVED art school, however, I think that lots of research should be done before attending. A lot depends on the goals and purposes of the potential student and the background, styles and temperaments (and ability to teach) of the faculty of the school.” (Kerry Hanks Marquis)
Cons – Cost, Lack of Real-World Skills, Few Jobs.
- “Go to business school…learn everything you can about being entrepreneurial…If you can take some art courses along the way even better, but unless you are successful at the business of selling yourself as an artist and selling your art it won’t matter how great an artist you are.” (Robert Shinn)
- “I went to an art school that was part of a larger university and graduated with a BA in Fine Art. I personally could have spent my time better learning the actual business of becoming a professional artist, and become savvy with digital software packages. I learned more about my practice and the business from my own research, not a degree.” (Ashley Reid)
- “I think the idea of studying fine arts full time is a very romantic idea, but the cost is often too high for the skills you will have after.” (Jaymie Dylan)
MY ADVICE
Okay, so you’ve already heard me say “No” to the idea of grad school. But to be fair, every case is really very unique and should be evaluated accordingly. Your experience is not going to be the same as mine. As you think about going to art school or pursuing an art degree, take the time to ask the right questions and do your research.
- What are your goals? Why you want to go to art school? Is it for the experience, for your resume, or to help you build a portfolio? Is it to help you legitimize your role as a professional artist? Put your reasons down on paper and next to each, define why you think an art school or degree will help you achieve that goal.
- How much? How much of a financial commitment are you looking at? Does the program you’re researching offer funding and if so, what are the details? How many students do they fund each year? Look beyond tuition and factor in the total cost including room, board, books, and supplies.
- How do you learn? Do you excel in busy classroom and lecture environments, or one-on-one sessions with teachers with more hands-on lessons? Do you prefer small class sizes or large? Depending on your answers, you may want to opt for a small, private art school versus a large state university. Spelling this out will help you identify the best program for you.
- Are there alternatives? Are there free or low-cost classes you could take at a local arts organization, or a network of artists you could join in your local area that will help you build the connections you crave? If you’re good at self-study, you could also opt to pursue study through an online course as well.
Generally speaking, the merits of an arts program are founded on a rigorous learning environment, networking prospects, and helping students hone their artistic vision and develop a critical eye. If this is what you’re looking for, a fine arts degree could be for you.
Have anything to add? Leave a comment or question below!
This article made my day! As my art teacher, Mr. A says —– “GO TO BUSINESS SCHOOL”
20 years ago, I graduated h.s. and I did not listen to his advice about going to Bradley University. I got into the Art Institute of Chicago; wasted $25k of my parents hard-earned cash, did graffiti, smoked and drank; and partied on the West Side of Chicago… and then quit school to make $10/hour at my dad’s company! :() #lessonslearned
If you can afford it, the BA is worth your while, but check out the college and the size of the classes. Only take art classes from people who’s style is good and is what you want to learn. It is the only time in your life you can take the time to learn the basics, the new techniques, experiment and fail and try again. Learn to really draw and then learn the computer programs so you can face whatever job is thrown at you. Learn the skills to make commercial and fine art and how to bring the two worlds together in your art business and jobs. Be as versatile as possible so you are able to do jobs for different companies and clients. It is not always an easy profession and not the high paying job you had in mind when you start , but is a profession you can love for a lifetime and grow in every day.
Hi, I’ve been following your podcasts and videos to help me in anyway and I’ve enjoyed them and been able to pull a few very helpful tips from it all. So first off, Thank you! I found this topic very interesting and would like to give my thoughts. So here is my 2 cents.
I didn’t go to art school. I recently quit my full-time job after 6 years to pursue my art full time. I can finally start paying my monthly bills and I’m starting to see everything to come together how I envisioned it. I didn’t do by art education nor did I do it by business education. I pursued what I’m truly passionate about. My artwork reflects my passion for wildlife, the outdoors, and outdoor Americana. These subjects is what I’m most passionate about painting. So why would I pursue anything other than those subjects as a profession I thought.
I received my degree in Wildlife Biology and worked as a wildlife professional for the past six years. I wanted to live the lifestyle that I wanted to portray in my work, and I did just that. I spent many 40 hour work weeks in the back country working for wildlife agencies around the nation. This gave me the chance to study my subjects, learn the lifestyle the hard way, and gain respect that I never thought I’d have for it all. I didn’t realize what I was doing in the beginning, but looking back I’ve realized that all this experience has carved me into a unique outdoor lifestyle painter that people RESPOND to. The feeling is so rewarding.
My work is now better. I have more fun when I paint. My paintings have more personal meaning to me. And above all I now possess a level of motivation that I didn’t think was possible for me to have. I’m in love with my work and what I’m finding is people love seeing/watching/following that EVEN MORE. My facebook page has blown up to 1.1 million likes and my instagram is approaching 20k in just 3 months. I’m floored and simply blown away. My business is now coming together.
I’m not an art expert and perhaps there is something else I may be missing…. But since I’ve began painting from my personal experiences and applying this love I’ve built for my subjects to the canvas, the response has been amazing. I started by painting animal portraits and traditional wildlife art. But now, through my lifestyle over the past 6 years, my art is evolving into something I couldn’t imagine prior to.
All I’m trying to get at is think about what you are most passionate about. The art you produce has a subject matter. Now think about if you studied that subject matter to a level which no one else is willing to do. Think of how that could impact the quality of your art. That’s all I’m saying. I’ve been very fortunate to had been able to pursue a career in natural resources, and I suggest that if you have the ability to pursue what you’re most passionate about, THEN DO IT. Your art will come, and business can learned along the way.
Best regards,
Chuck Black
Thanks for the encouragement to follow what we are most passionate about.. . .It is the razor’s edge to balance “what will sell” (what others will like) versus artistic impulse for self expression. Yes “the art has a subject matter”.. . .but what if your subject is something that people don’t generally like to hear (like species extinction/death). For me, it is is not only about studying the subject matter, it is about going into the heart and finding the courage to speak the truth. I am attempting to find a way, and my first attempt is a narrated youtube speed painting video that I am completing about Cecil the lion.
Carol Sakai, artist
http://www.carolsakai.com
Cory, can you please interview this guy Chuck Black?? 1.1M likes?!?!
Working on it. 🙂
For years I’ve been going back and forth with the idea a attending art school. By reading your post and seeing what you do (woooa!!) I see that theres really no need to attend a school if there is passion and commitment towards your art. Now I guess I just have to keep drawing everyday to master my art. I love your words, and your art, thank you Chuck!
My story is a very different one. I originally chose not to go to a traditional art school and opted to pursue a certification from a art correspondence course which took about two years to complete . The course was really mind opening and gave me the foundation for the Culinary Arts Degree and the graphic Design degree that I hold now. It has been a serious challenge due to the change in the economy and the market for a hand illustrator. I graduated with A A design degree in 2008 and I am still not employed as a designer. With that being said I decided to apply my skills to a different market and market myself as a free hand illustrator.
Since then I have a applied and been accepted into a Art Gallery and sold some of my illustrations privately. I work as a kitchen supervisor to help meet the cost of all of my student loans. So I think that if your going for a Art degree it is truly not worth the debt that you have to repay in the long run
Good article, I did a BA (hons) in applied design in 1999. Then in the UK we did not have to pay for course fees. I think I would think twice about doing it again, I don’t think the costs would have been worth the experience for the course I did at that time. I am sure it has changed now though due to course fees. So in some ways paying a lot for a course may mean that you get good tuition/service etc.
A few years back, I was thinking of an MFA. It would cost me a lot. I decided not to go down that route and to do art residencies instead. I did two this year in ‘FabLab’ which are perfect for me as I mix traditional techniques with new technologies such as 3d printing. I will probably never do an MFA now, so I cannot vouch for its value, all I can say is that art residencies are helping me a lot and getting me out there, getting contacts, even getting some paid work from them.
In my opinion. Art school should include bussiness management and accounting, public relations and marketing or at least suggest this courses, To all who want to study art , like i did.
Nowadays I have to self study for those, if the had only suggested me those courses and explained their importance in my art career. The venue would be easier.
I am all for bettering oneself. I worry about becoming cookie cutters of a system or program however. We all are born with a natural creativity. As children we were pure imagination and untainted creativity. Our experiences in life and environment shape and change us. Some of us have had that creativity beaten out of us as a result. Others have flourished. I wrote a blog post all about this as I am a self taught artist myself. I was so frustrated seeing and hearing talented young people with incredible skills saying they were “aspiring to be an artist”, or “hoped to be a professional artist one day”! It killed me inside. I tell every one of them I come across YOU ARE AN ARTIST. What the hell!? No institution has the right to tell us we are or are not something when it comes to our creativity and heart. Like I said education serves us well when we need to learn how to perform surgery or how to be safe when using certain chemicals, tools, etc. But when expressing our hearts and imaginations…Here is the blog post:http://www.mandyrossartstudio.com/blog/2015/4/17/am-i-a-fake-or-not-or-look-at-me-i-am-pretending-to-be-an-artist?rq=AM%20I%20%20A%20Fake ( if this is allowed to share here if not please delete it.) I am just so passionate about this topic. If you have gone to art school wonderful…but please create from your heart, your essence, your viewpoint …not a textbook.
It is hard to replace the education you can receive from getting an art degree. However, as an artist I have never had any collector ask me if I have a degree before they buy my work. The truth is you don’t need a degree to be a successful artist.
I do believe every artist should seek an education, but it does not need to be a college degree. There are many great resources online and workshops you can take like the Scottsdale Artist School for instance. Being a self taught artist is not a badge of honor in my book. To truly be a great artist you should learn all you can from anyone you can.
I don’t regret getting my degree, but I don’t think it is the right path for everyone. There are also many smaller colleges that have great art programs that don’t cost nearly as much as some of the bigger ones.
I did not go on to get my MFA, although some of my friends did. From listening to their experience it would seem that the MFA programs frustrated them more than they helped.
I studied in the 1990s at North Adelaide School of Art, which at the time was linked to a technical college not a university. I did a year of very practical study, drawing studio, painting and weaving. It was great, I learned a lot and met people that I’m still close friends with today. The course was very cheap, probably only a couple of hundred dollars a term. When I left I set up a weaving business, but made most of my money cleaning and gardening.
Later on I moved back to Sydney, stopped weaving, worked in call-centres, and got a BA, which got me more work in the public sector.
In 2010 I left work and went back to painting again, I did short courses at the National Art School here in Sydney, and a 2 week summer school class at the Slade in London. For me, the short courses work very well, you get an intense burst of exposure to ideas, methods, techniques, people, that are completely new, that you can then work through later, digest, elabourate on, do further research and eventually exhaust.
The things that a MFA would give me are 1. the institutional stamp of approval, that is “I’m a graduate of X program”, and 2. being part of a group of people – “I graduated with X, Y and Z”. It seems that this is important for galleries and museums to be able to locate an artist and their work. Seeing as I don’t have that, I’ve got to work out other ways for curators and buyers to be able to slot me into their picture of the art world. Which is a fun challenge!
Lynn
I graduated with a degree in Fine Arts 30 years ago and a t this point Ar t School was a really big waste of time. But I wouldn’t be sitting in poverty if I had studied accounting and business management. Well I won’t go int o all of it .It is just the dribblings of a woman who has trouble a difficult time accepting what my life has turned out to be.
Elizabeth Beamer
I have an MFA. I got it because I wanted to teach at the college level. i did not find a position so I had a life instead. After that life, I have returned to my art. in my experience, graduate level art school teaches you to communicate as an artist. You can develop a persona that makes you fit in. Only you know if that is worth the $.
For technique, design, and general mind expansion, I can say, without a doubt, I have learned MUCH more useful stuff (yes, that is a technical term) in short workshops. Period. Not all workshops are fabulous, but the right one can enable you to soar.
A personal word of caution when it comes to an arts education: There is an excellent chance that, in the rarified air of academia, you will become convinced that you are “all that” – you are not. A degree does not automatically make you a better artist. It may hone some skills, but practice makes you better. Learning from your mistakes makes you better. Perseverance makes you better. Three letters on your resume, BFA for instance, only signifies that you have reached a goal. It can also irritate the hell out of artists who have put in the time. Respect your elders, art is hard work.
I did the BA thing and I personally think the main problem with it was a wrong focus by the lecturers and the institutions of higher learning in general. I’d recommend art training that focusses on building technical skills, like how do you draw, how do you paint. A lot of life drawing classes I did were useful and being in that environment of a lot of other creatives was stimulating but that actual tuition and intellectual aspects of art at University are in my opinion quite lacking and often do more bad than good. If you want to develop a unique vision for the future why go to a place that is teaching a whole lot of people along a certain established line of thought.
I agree with so many of the other commenters that rather learn business and marketing skills and keep developing your art yourself. Attend life drawing classes as well to train your eye. You don’t have to be an amazing artist if you’re good with people and good at marketing. But if you’re business and people side is good you’ll become one anyway because you’ll keep at it enough to get good.
This is maybe a bit besides the point but one of the most insightful books I have ever read on art was written by Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard, called simply Art. I’ve never seen anyone take the subject and break it down into it’s essential elements so clearly and actually come out with something that you can really USE in making art. I’d really recommend it as part of an art education. Too much of my degree had nothing to do with application.
A thumbs down for a BA from me. It’s a nice escape, but it’s not geared to the real world. I’ve never once in any of my painting/illustration/web design/sculpture work had anyone really care if I had a degree or not once they’d seen my work.
Matt
Growing up in a family of artists may have given me a foot up on others, a reality check. I was never romantic about it. I’m older than most here. Getting a degree was never of interest to me. School was a horrid experience for me. Dyslexia didn’t help. I went to schools to learn my craft nothing more. Earning a living from the arts is never about making a great living. Those that do are in the vast minority. I learned to draw paint and sculpt. I didn’t need anything more, the drive was already there. Not long after art schools I opened an art materials, framing business. It was another hard knock way to learn about business. I closed that shop after seven years and moved to the city, NYC and artists lofts. I worked for others managing their frame shops for many years. Now again I have my own shop where I frame, paint in my storefront window (my studio) and sell my paintings and prints. It took me 45 years to get to this. Life is good but for the idiots manipulating the economy and stealing middle class earnings. It’s still a struggle. A degree might have helped if I had wished to teach. It would have given me another option for the inevitable. “day job.”
Speaking as someone who taught in the art program at a major University for almost 30 years I suggest there are reasons on both sides to go or not go to an art school. On the negative side graduates do not always end up with the skills they need to be viable in a job market. If your goal are to get skills to be competitive in the job market then art school may not the best place for that. Apprenticing with a prominent artist if you can get it may be much more profitable.
But on the other hand if being an artist and making good art is your goal, learning to create art that has substance and about which you feel good is what you want, then going off to an Art School has the possibility of moving you along that road faster and get you pointed in the right direction.
But the first thing here is you need to pick the right school which takes a lot of research and first hand visits to find out. It seems like whenever I come across someone who complains about their experience in an art program it often has to do mostly with a bad selection of a school. Selection was often based just on reputation and they did not really do the legwork to check out a school, go visit, talk to students in the program, talk to the teachers, carefully examine the curriculum.
Also some students go to art school with lack of focus, with a rather vague vision of themselves as an artist or what are their real interests in art. They like everything equally. I saw students go through four years and never really find out who they are as artists and just disappear after graduation never to be heard from again. Others however came with a passion for art, had a clear idea of who they were and what direction they wanted to go, and I have watched them blossom in the art world after graduation. Hence those who come with clear focus and sense of direction make the best use of art education. Those who don’t just kind of drift through.
Now of course the big issue today is the enormous cost of all education, not just art education. In the end the cost of an art education is really not different than the cost for someone in architecture or computer studies or electrical engineering. The difference is in ROI as the market term goes, “return on investment”. As a trained artist one is just not going to find employment after graduation at the same level or same salaries as those in other fields. And you should know this going in.You have to decide if the experience is worth the cost. Can it, will it, help to make you a better artist.
Now I also come across those who brag about being “self taught” and I usually smile. Yes some artists have evolved on their own as an artist, have an inborn gift for art, have an unrelenting desire and self motivation to be good at art making. But more often than not I find that self taught artists just do not have the breadth of experience or knowledge or skills or confidence to really help them reach a higher level in their development as artists. And then I say to myself, well, after all, look at who their teacher was. Self teaching is only as good as your teacher. And if you don’t know much about art to begin with how can you be a good teacher for yourself.
I personally prefer the term independently trained than self taught. One can pick up hints from other artists and attend workshops and art demonstrations, visit museums, and draw from life from one’s surroundings. The learning process is in the doing, that is, making art. Where did Thomas Cole and Robert Scott Duncanson learn? Yes, they had talent but pursued their art with a passion their talent being a tiny fraction of the time and effort required to create their masterpieces. Also we should not exclude the impact that John Ruskin, also an autodidact and polymath, had on artists of that time.
Life experience transforms the artist, for example, one can look at George Tooker. He was influenced by his traveling companion Paul Cadmus and the works of the Renaissance Manorists painters who steered him to the use of egg tempera and the development of his magic realism. While I cannot discount the impact that instructors, such as Reginald Marsh at ASL, had on his approach to painting, it was that trip to Italy that solidified his direction.
Formal training in an art academy has its advantages it gave the painters of Barbizon the choice to discard some of the teachings for La première pensée for which they sought in their plein air pursuits. Yes, there is great value in formal training, but one should not discount the over all importance of life experience. The artist whether in an academy or on the outside is the one who is learning.
“Self teaching is only as good as your teacher.”
I agree, but I have also met MFAs that don’t seem to be able to look critically at their scribbles, constructions, and messes on the floor and see them as just that.
Graduate school is definitely an investment. It must have a positive ROI (Return on Investment) otherwise it is a big loss big time! I see nothing that one can learn in a degree program that cannot be obtained through experience. Yes, I do have a graduate degree in public administration and no, I never used it. The classes were highly enjoyable and the professors imparted their insights on the political process and on the essential ingredients for constructing sound public policy. It was very enjoyable being that I spent little on tuition as I had a full scholarship for all but summer session.
Now, back to art degrees: (1) One can only teach one’s self when it comes to the fine arts. The instructor serves only as a critic giving pointers on the shortcomings of a specific work. The greatest mentors for the emerging artist are the work of the great masters. (2) As to administration one can learn this on the fly by volunteering time to help out in a community arts organization. I did exactly that and learned the following (a) some elements of publicity (b) how to hang shows (c) the dynamics of a volunteer board (d) web designing (e) grant development and proposal writing (f) accounting (g) fundraising (h) some insights in designing programs and curricula for education (i) designing and monitoring program evaluation and (j) line item budgeting. I served as their bookkeeper, treasurer, webmaster, and grant developer.
Yes, there is still a lot more for me to learn as I seek ways to market my art and assist other art organizations. But this is a life long process. All one need to do is have a willingness to learn and undertake projects. If you decide on a graduate degree be very careful what program, area of concentration, and what school to pick. It is far better to pursue a degree in another field than the arts or arts management for that ROI.
Arts school like almost all the universities in the states are simply a business. You go their to make them, make more money, not to learn for sure! because there is nothing to learn, most of the teachers are incompetent , clueless . ..
It is clear. An arts degree is worthless. It is more a gamble between evil and demon. There’s nothing to be gained except , a huge dept with the devil.
I spent 6 years in arts school . I own more than $ 250,000 in student loan. Since graduating my BFA and MFA are buried in my basement among a pile of junk.
They are now a proof of my frustration and discouragement of having to abandon all hope of regainning the joy I knew before holding them. If I didn’t trash them , I am waiting for the day, I will send them back to those colleges, universities and the so call department of education.
Then! maybe!, maybe! other artists will follow.
I have not been to art school, (couldn’t afford it) but have instead learned how to paint and draw from books and videos. I am constantly striving to improve my skills, both in the art itself and in reaching people who will support the work I do. I began my art and art marketing studies in 2009 because I hated my job, and by 2012 I was able to work as an artist full-time. I opened my own art gallery a year and a half ago and business has exceeded expectations. Not one collector has ever cared if I had a degree. In my experience, drive, desire, self discipline and willingness to research are way more important to success. I’m not saying it’s easy, it’s a hard, stressful path. But there is nothing in the world I’d rather do. I really want to encourage other artists to find their own way. The fact that you are here at The Abundant Artist shows that you are ready to give it a shot, please take advantage of all the great info available here and help dispel the starving artist myth!
I too did not go to art school. I started painting in 2001 and have been full-time artist since 2010. I was fortunate to take the time to really paint for 9 years without relying on working full-time. I really didn’t pursue galleries and a steady income from my art until 2013. I did not have anybody pay my way, I was a self employed decorative painter and interior designer while I was trying to become a good fine artist. My degree is in nutrition and physical education. I have taught myself everything that I have done as a career. My goal of pursuing fine art was not to make money but to become a really great abstract painter, then the money would come. This has come true and I now make all my money from my art. I remember when I was a decorative painter my business partner said,” in order to be a great painter you have to have your master’s degree”. She had a MA in fine art. I expressed to her that I would like to be a fine artist, she said, “well you better go back to school”. I did not listen to her advise. She never made her living as a fine artist, why would I believe her. so that is when I decided to do it on my own. It was really hard work! I tried so many different mediums along the way and finally settled on mixed media. I love working as a full time artist but I think I put in more hours that people that work at a regular job. If you work hard as a fine artist is possible to make a great living but it not just about painting. You have to keep up with the business end and find your own unique ways of selling your art. I show in galleries, work with several art consultants for commercial installation and do a 3 month show once a year. Sometimes you have to move to the right place as well to get connected. I moved from the midwest to the Southwest. If I would not have moved I KNOW that I would not be where I am today for many reasons.
I had an argument the other night with a friend who recently earned a Masters in Art History (oddly, about whether you should erase mistakes). She definitely has a wonderfully large vocabulary and an ability to string together truly imposing and intimidating sentences. She has a much larger breadth of understanding of art history than I do, and has been inculcated into a type of thought that I find impressive and a little bit insulting (as in, “I’ve got all this schooling, and you know nothing). A degree, properly mastered, gives you an edge that the “self-taught” usually does not have. You meet the “right” people, and you do have those letters behind your name that can help give you a leg up.
However, I know successful painters who have gone to ateliers or correspondence courses, and have made discoveries on their own, and they are skilled and thoughtful painters doing valuable work.
I never finished school, and I now work from home as an artist. I deal with orders for my work, printers and manufactures to get my art on products, license my work with companies and create new work everyday and even expanded to clothing.
So as your saying, if you don’t attend art school, you can be successful and actually save more money.
I quit getting a degree in art , I didn’t have any reason to continue personally. Not going to lie though,I learned alot about how to perfect my crafted. But the business side was all learned from online resources. Not only that but I love entrepreneurship, marketing and promotion which is why it helps to love the business side of an art career. It really helps to know that knowledge.
So I agree, take business/entrepreneur classes if you want to be an artist. But take art classes on the side. You would be better off.
I went to two art schools from the late 1990s-early 2000s. Mine is a variation of the “if I only knew then what I know now” story. I’m of a divided mind on whether art school was really worth the cost. On one hand, I learned a lot about techniques, art, and art history that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise and have met some wonderful people along the way. On the other, there were really no courses dealing with marketing and the business of being an artist. Also, I wasn’t aware of the fact that the business of art was/is ever-shrinking and the the cost of an art education far exceeds the ROI (Return On Investment). It’s a bittersweet but unsurprising irony that some art schools around the nation are (or soon will be) going out of business. If I were to talk to any young person who had aspirations of attending art school, I would tell them to do their research into their field of interest and schools. I would tell them to take some business & marketing courses along with the art classes and just weigh all the pros and cons. I’d point them to less expensive options such as books, online art courses, and community art classes. Besides also telling them to take 2D and 3D digital art courses, I’d tell them to keep sketching, drawing, painting, and sculpting. True artists have the love & passion and will always find a way.
These are things I wish someone had told me when I got the notion of going to art school. As I said, there are some invaluable things I’ve learned in art school that I wouldn’t trade for anything. On the other, I be underwater in massive student loans until the day I die. Make of it what you will.
Today I was looking into art courses at my local college, because I decided suddenly that I wanted to go back to school, to make me more “official”. But then I saw the tuition cost :-/. It had me thinking, maybe there’s alternatives. I’m the type of person who refuses to be in debt, except for the debt of buying all my art supplies and marketing tools. Anyway, I’m so glad I found this article. I think a degree would’ve been of more use years ago in order for collectors and employers to identify you as a worthy investment, but with the ability to be your own “manager” with social media, I think I’m better off learning from books, videos, workshops, and experience. Plus, the biggest reason for wanting to go to school was probably for the connections…I loved school lol.