4 Tips For Those Who Are Ready To Go To Art School
As graduation season approaches, I thought more than enough people may be inspired by this display of accomplishments and showcasing of thesis productions and begin wondering if art school is for them. I compiled this this short list of a few things you should have to help you get ready for art school.
Online Presence
Have a portfolio, preferably a website or a tangible one that you can bring with you along in interviews. Print them on good paper and there is no need to have them much bigger that a letter or legal sized paper unless your work is greeting cards or something similar. Having a social media does not hurt but may not be as important depending on what you are aiming to do. Website can be pricey and if you do not have the funds sites such as Behance to upload your work in a professional looking space.
Clean up your social media! It may be best to even have to separate accounts. One for your personal life and another for your artwork which you'd ultimately prefer recruiters to see versus your doggy filtered selfies. If this is the approach you have, I suggest you block your personal and art accounts from one another if you want to make sure that the social media platform does not suggest one to the followers of the other.
References
Get professors, teachers, employers, coaches etc to be your references. These should people that you have good relationships with and trust. Inform them that you are considering attending art school be it for your BFA or MFA and express that you would be honored if you could either have them write a letter of recommendation or if they will be willing to be a reference.
Online school vs. Physical school
When deciding if you should obtain an online degree or training versus attending a physical establishment for an education you need to become as clear as possible about what it is that you want from this experience? Is it a network? To produce a film or self publish a zine? Do you just want to get good at a skill and want to skip all of the extra classes?
You should list all of the pros and cons especially if you already have particular schools in mind.
Consider your finances and how you will fund this education.
Do you have all the tools and resources you need to attend an online school? Will you be staying in dorms or staying at home, commuting or living with family while attending a physical school? If commuting, how long will that be? Car (gas, tolls) versus public transportation.
Will this debt be worth it? Honestly. Are there alternatives ways you can go about obtaining the skills and training that will be less detrimental to your finances?
Money
Art schools can get expensive very quickly. Whether you opt for an online school or a traditional art school, it is best to ask yourself how will you pay for it? Will you take out loans, will your job cover half or a stipend amount? Will your parents or spouse help? Will you pay for it yourself? With grants or scholarships? These are all things to consider and should be taken very seriously.
Are you considering going to art school or going back to pursue artistic training? What will be your deciding factor? What has lead you to this decision. Leave a comment below or tweet me your thoughts.
Until next time,
Monique