Starting this month, I’m replacing the monthly studio news posts with more personal posts.
The reason is that there are a lot of new artists with romantic ideas about the artist’s life. There are also many established artists struggling with the reality of the artist’s life (those two things are not the same!). I’ve been making art in one form or another since I was old enough to hold a crayon. Suffice it to say, many decades.
I’m no stranger to the best of the art world and the worst (or what seems like the worst to me).
The purpose of every publication from weekly blog posts and newsletters to the tutorials and magazines is to help other artists avoid some of the pitfalls I lived through. I’ve been doing that on a professional basis for years. Why not also attempt to do so on a more personal level?
Hence, this post and the series of monthly posts to follow.
Before I Begin
While this could easily become a personal journal, I want it to be more than that. I want it to reflect the struggles readers are having in their art life. So if you have a question or would like help with something art-related, let me know. If I can help you, I will do so by direct email.
If your struggle is one that’s not too personal (or if you grant me permission to share) and that’s common to most artists, I’ll expand on that answer in one of these posts.
Now, for today’s topic.
Formal Art Education
In the September issue of CP Magic!, I was asked if I had any formal art education. Elementary, middle school, high school, and beyond, what courses or classes did I take?
The truth is that my formal art education is extremely limited. I talked about that to some extent in a previous post, so I won’t go into details here.
The truth is that my formal art education amounted to two years in high school, a four-year correspondence course (unfinished—I just couldn’t get past the fashion design segment toward the end), one class in community college, and one semester in a Fine Arts program.
So what I’d like to talk about today is whether or not I feel cheated or inadequate because I didn’t have more formal training and don’t have an art degree.
Is Formal Art Training of Any Value?
It may surprise you to learn that I believe there is value in going to art school…for some artists.
Artists who want to include classroom teaching in their art business plan will benefit from art school. A degree of some sort is necessary in most public school settings, so if this is your plan, you can’t avoid formal art training of some type.
Although it’s not as necessary as it used to be, artists interested in graphic design or commercial art can also learn a lot in formal education settings.
The key to making this decision is 1) knowing what you want to do to earn a living, and; 2) finding the best school possible to prepare you for that vocation. Not all art schools are equal. They don’t all teach students the same things, so take the time to research not only schools, but the programs they offer.
Why I Don’t Feel Cheated
I don’t feel cheated because I knew from an early age what I wanted to do with my art. In short, I wanted to paint horses in the most realistic style possible for people who owned horses and had an interest in having them painted. (I might also add, had the willingness to spend money on portrait work.)
The high school classes I took were good for what they were good for. They didn’t advance my goals at all. That’s why I didn’t study art all four years of high school.
The community college class I took was helpful in giving me the discipline to paint regularly and in providing personal feedback. (I didn’t think so at the time, but the lessons on art history they included were also helpful. Why didn’t I think they were helpful at the time? That, my friend, is a discussion for another day.)
The Fine Arts program was also a good program (probably), but the main focus was non-representational artwork. A visitor had only to view the student art exhibit to discover that. I had no interest in non-representational art, so I departed the program after only a semester.
Remember that correspondence course I mentioned earlier? I was assured at the beginning that I would earn credits as I completed the course. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out until it was too late that those credits were not accepted by the university I chose. I had to start from scratch as it were. The basic drawing class that first semester was fun. I enjoyed it quite a bit. But I decided to opt out of school, and go back to painting portraits of horses for pay. I didn’t regret that decision much then.
I don’t regret it now, either.
Would I Do Things Differently If I Were Beginning Again?
That’s a tough question to answer. I like to think that I would. Instead of going to a university with an art program, I’d look for a school that focuses on art. The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Art in Minnesota is one school that catches my eye even now. It’s an art-focused school based on classical art training methods. That suits my interest in classical art right down to the ground. That type of school is something I like to think I’d be interested enough in to invest time, money, and effort.
But, alas, I know myself now and I know how I was as a young artist. I was, in a word, lazy. I still am.
Unfortunately, I also believed in the early days that if I made art well enough, buyers would come to me. I’ve since been disabused of that notion!
Formal Art Education
Overall, while I do sometimes regret some of the smaller decisions I made in the past, I don’t regret the path from then to now. All of those decisions combined are what put me where I am now. Every decision led to the next decision.
So if you’re approaching college age and thinking about going to art school or if you’re an older student thinking about art school, ask yourself two questions first.
What do you want to do with your art, and what school or program will best equip you to reach your goals. It could be formal art education is the right choice for you.
It could be that an atelier is the best choice, or private one-on-one in-person lessons with an established artist.
Who knows, with all the online resources available to artists at all levels, designing and following your own art education might be the best path forward for you.
After all, it worked for me and dozens of other artists.
