3 Reasons Not to Go to Art School
You have some talent, and you really love doing art. Nothing else really appeals to you, and pursuing an art degree is looking more and more attractive.
1. By the time you're done you may be tired of doing art.
Once you start doing it as work it becomes, well, work. You pursue it because you love it but then the love turns to something else. This is a case of doing what you love, and the money will follow, but the love might fly out the window. This isn't the case for everyone. You might eat, sleep, and breathe art. It may take some time and soul searching to figure out where you stand on this.
2. You probably won't be able to make a living only doing art.
You may start to doubt your decision to try to make a living as an artist and resent that choice. Most artists must do other things to bring in money alongside their artwork. If your only education/experience is doing art, then you will have fewer choices and lower compensation when it comes to those side jobs. Telemarketing, anyone? So in addition to art school, learn some other skills. As an artist, I bristled at the phrase "something to fall back on". That implied that inevitably I was going to fail as an artist, and there was no way I was letting that happen! It is more a matter of learning other skills so that your non-art sideline income comes from something you can tolerate and that pays relatively well.
3. You hate doing marketing.
Artists must spend a lot of time marketing their work, and looking for and pursuing opportunities. You went to art school so that you didn't have to deal with the stuff people in other professions deal with: public relations, advertising, business management. Guess what? Those things are at least as important to your career as an artist as is your artistic talent itself. Know this now. Your art education will probably barely teach you about business practices, so you'll need to take it upon yourself to learn.
In fact, business management and marketing are probably even more important for you to learn as an artist than they are for Joe Blow who is going to get a degree and go into middle management. Art is a highly competitive field. Also, since art jobs are not plentiful, there's a good chance you'll be self-employed and/or doing some freelance work.
Here's a solid reason to pursue an art career: though there's the cliché about the "starving artist", it is important to consider quality of life aspects. As a working artist you may have less money to spend on gadgets and trinkets , but if you are happy to be making a living as an artist those material things may seem less important, anyway.
Whatever your decision, you are the only artist in charge of designing your life, and knowing what to expect will help guide you in doing this.
Published by Lisa Ross
Lisa Ross is a writer living in Minnesota. When she's not writing, she can be found at the barn. She is fascinated by viewpoints from off the beaten path, and frequently tries to provide those of her own.... View profile
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2 Comments
Post a Commentagree. this article was bs. if you want to do something, do it. Maybe it won't work out but at least you can say, yeah I did it. and that makes all th difference.
Not good reasons just discouragement being radiated from a discouraged person.