how to become an artist, like what college should i go to and stuff?

Question

i want to be an artist after i get out of high school, but i'm presented with many problems. first off, i live in louisiana and there aren't many schools that offer art programs, and those that do, i don't know if they're good or not. second, i don't even know what kind of artist i should be. third, i don't really want to join the military, and i don't want to go into debt and i don't see a way of paying for it. next, i'm afraid that if i do go into art school here, i won't be able to find any jobs or anything. i'm really kinda scared. i want to be an artist, i want to get out of louisiana, but i don't want to go into the military, what should i do?

Answer 1

There are a couple of good, reputable art schools in the Southeastern US, but they are very expensive. If you are highly talented, you may be able to get some scholarships. Likewise, if you need financial help, you may also qualify for some financial aid. But you are right to be concerned - you don't want to go into massive debt, and then end up unemployable because your university has a bad rep. So if you do try for art school, try to get into the best reputed program you can.

I suggest you look at the following art schools in your region:
- The Savannah College of Art and Design (Georgia)
- The Ringling School of Art and Design (Florida)
- The Maryland College of Art
- The Corcoran College of Art (DC)

If you can't get into those, or they aren't of interest, then you'd do better attending a good, strong, state school that has a decent art program (I did this for financial reasons). At least then you'll save on tuition. And so long as you go there with focus on your goals, you will graduate and be employable.

Note that, in all cases, major employers of artists in ANY field (even computer graphics and film and web design, etc.) look for the following:
- A strong portfolio that shows good basic art skills
- Work experience in the field (internships, co-ops, part time jobs, volunteer work, clubs, etc.)

When I talk of good basic art skills, I mean that you can draw. So many "bad" art schools teach kids the latest, hottest technology. And employers think it's great that you know that, but you must, must, must also be an artist. If you know Shockwave, but can't draw, and have no concept of the foundations of art, you'll be useless. So watch out for programs that focus too much on the latest tech. By the time you graduate, it'll be out of date, and places like Pixar use proprietary software anyway. You're learning the lastest software mainly to show that you CAN learn the latest software.