should i go to art school since i love fine art?

Answer 1

Sure you should. If you're passionate about it, you will be successful. If you are not looking for a career that is going to make you a ton of money but are looking for a career that you can practice your passion for the rest of your life, then go to art school!

Don't worry about money issues... unless this is something you are obsessed with. I am an art student, studying fine art. I plan on getting my masters right after my BFA and eventually teaching college somewhere... to ensure an income.

Minkus said a lot of good things. It is hard work. And everyone here is VERY serious about what they are doing. We pay a lot of money (30 G's a year for me), so there's no goofing around wasting our education. This education is worth it though.

Anonymous is an asshole. That is his miserable experience and no every ones experience. He is obviously not in a school that caters for him and he is obviously not taking advantage of his education. All school has its flaws. There are some negative things about art school. But after knowing a lot of people who transferred out of art school, art school is the only place that can guarantee the seriousness and education needed for a good arts education. It is a LOT of work. but it's worth it.

Be prepared to work on conceptual aspects of art, not just aesthetic. Art is more about idea than technique. It would be boring to just work on technique the whole four years of college. In art school we focus on learning how to expand ideas and work with our own ideas in a way that expresses them in the best way.

Art school will provide you with many connections. You will meet a lot of people who are like you. You will meet successful artists, and get to learn from them. Knowing these people will help you as an artist in the future.

I go to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It's an interdisciplinary art school. We can learn about whatever we want and don't have to declare a specific major (ex. painting, sculpture, etc.) It is GREAT. Instead of just wasting time on painting, I get to learn a little of everything... which is going to improve everything I do. We should be like Leonardo Da Vinci, masters at many trades!
I get frustrated at art school, just like everyone else. But in the end, it's going to be worth it.. and the experience is worth it already.

If you are worried about paying for art school, go to a community or state college for 2 years first and get all your liberal arts done with. I kind of wish I would have done that.

Answer 2

If you're having doubts about it, go to school at a major university with a fine arts department. That way, you can explore other options while taking art classes, and won't feel so stifled if you realize that art isn't where you want to spend your career. The other posters have good points, that in many traditional forms of are are not lucrative and you may end up unhappy if you limit yourself to just an art school.

I graduated from a university with a studio arts degree, so I totally understand where burnt-out art school people are coming from. I enjoyed having other classes to take with people who weren't artists as kind of a "breather" from what can be a very competitive atmosphere.

Answer 3

(I assume you mean a private, expensive art school.)

"Art School" is a slightly deceiving term. On the surface, it sounds so fun and silly, but in actuality, art school is bitterly hard work.

Your other fellow students are people who are paying the crap-loads of money it requires for a reason: they know it is their passion in life, and they love what they do.

You say you love "fine art", but tha'ts not specific enough.

Do you love painting, sculpting, or drawing or another specific art discipline?

If you don't have a specific idea of what you want to spend all your time on in art school, then you'll likely be wasting your time and money.

But if you say, love painting so much you want to do it for every second of your life, and are very ambitious, then I'd say yes, go to art school!

You'll be with other people just like you!

Answer 4

are you talking about a school that specializes in art only or a state college? my advice is the same as what my art teacher gave me in high school, go to college, you'll get a more rounded education. who knows you might fall in love with some other subject. and it is very difficult to get a good job in the art field that will pay any descent amount of money so you can have some other education to fall back on if you don't make it in the art world or that it could take some time for you to get your foot in the door of the right place. good luck

Answer 5

To answer your question bluntly -- no. Art school sucks, all they teach you is how to teach yourself, which as an artist you should already have a pretty good handle on. Oh, as well professors try to express themselves through you, they want to teach you to be them which is something an artists tends to rebel against and then because of disagreements amongst you and your professors you just feel miserable and like you want to drop out but that 7000 grand you paid in tuition is the only thing keeping you in class.

P.S. I'm speakin' from experience as I'm in (art) school right now taking a breather from an all-nighter I'm pulling in this 'fine' education institution.

Answer 6

I love the fine arts as well.But I should warn you that most careers that deal with FINE arts dont make much money at all.
Computergraphics and architecture=Good money,If youre good.Painting,Sculpting and Drawing?Forget it.Only for hobby if youre thinking in terms of a career.If you want a life-long career out of it,prepare to suffer well.
Unless your last name is Picasso or Dali.And if youre rich.

Answer 7

First off welcome to the first part of becoming a 'qualified' artist. I started off in industrial design and realised that I couldnt spend the rest of my life siting infront of a CAD machine. Took the plunge and went to art school.

I studied in the UK so it was possibly cheaper for me to go to art school. Not sure. But I have completed my BA and have gone on to do an MA in Visual Arts Enterprise.

Yes I agree it is not always possible to maintain a steady wage as just an artist. However, I make a very decent living through a combination of both my art and working as an advisor for local government, schools, youth centres and other bodies that require specialised advice on the arts.

The reason I say this is that you say you have a love for art, by that I take it you have a passion for it. This can transcend the pure creation of your own art and encompass the wider art scene or practice. You should always be able to find work within the arts sector. It may not be in creating your own art in itself. It may not be in your home town. But it will allow you to make a living in the field you love and also provide opportunities and networks for you to develop yourself as an artist.

The classic statement of 'Its ok if your Picasso' i.e your dead, does not apply anymore. Pick up any arts journal and you will see highly successful living artists, lucrative commission tenders for art works and well paid artist in residence posts. The work is there. You need to focus on building your professional networks and sell yourself like you are the greatest thing on earth. This can be the hardest thing for many artists as they are not often the most confident, out spoken people. Bight the bullet and grow an ego. It will get you far.

As for the decission to go to art school. You have to ask yourself why you are going. Having a degree / diploma at the end of it will not make you an artist. Simple as that. However, it will allow you to make the contacts you need to progress much easier than if you didnt.

As for dealing with you lecturers, this can be difficult. If they have a specific like or dislike they will apply this to your work. Art, for the viewer, is a personal thing. Lecturers are people and they often respond to students work in a personal way. Which is the most passionate way to respond. However, please do not let them turn your way of thinking or the way in which you conceive your work. Use them as a source of 'practical' knowledge. If their a painter allow them to teach you how to apply paint to a canvas. They can not teach you how to paint in the same way as I cant teach you how to decide to go to art school. The atistic process is one of both practical and cerebral elements. The practical is easy. The cerebral is in you and only you can find it.

I would also disagree with a statement made earlier, if you are a painter, ceramic artist, sculptur, textile artist or photographer, you can make a very good living. As these are nice, saleable forms of art. These things appear in galleries, museums, public and private collections and peoples homes.
If, on the other hand, you are a conceptual, installation, performance or video artist it will be more difficult to make a strong wage unless you promote yourselfand get under the wing of a good collector / critic / gallery.

On another note, why not move to the uk, live here for three years and then go to art school for a lot less money :-)

Answer 8

Odds are you will starve if you become fine artist so the level of dedication has to be very high. Also the level of rejection in the art world is very high. If you do decide to go into this life it is well advised you have a back up plan to pay the bills.

Answer 9

I'd say yes if you really love it GOOD LUCK TO YOU

Answer 10

yes