Hi all, looking for some career guidance here. I am a college student studying psychology/sociology. I’ve been feeling like a screw-up lately, as I am graduating in three months, and it took me over four years to accept that traditional (non-art) college isn’t for me, and that I don’t want to work in social services or non-profits after all.
The only thing I really enjoy is and am good at is art - I’m not a naturally good communicator, but have always been good at visually expressing myself. Art was the only class I really excelled at in high school. I make small drawings and paintings here and there, but it is hard to invest a lot of time and energy into creating bigger things without any structure/goal. That is why I want to go to art school, where I could have more guidance and direction, and really maximize this one skill I have. I’ve been thinking about becoming a children’s book illustrator, but I obviously don’t have experience as one, so don’t know if I’ll enjoy it.
I guess what I want to ask is - What kinds of things should I be doing right now to help me make this decision? What kinds of questions should I ask myself? Should I take an online class or workshops to build a portfolio? Who should I talk to? What has your experience been like?
You have at least a couple of options. One is to look into post-grad programs that allow you to take nothing but studio intensives and hopefully prepare you to apply to an MFA in illustration. The other - crazy, I know! - is to get that dreaded full time non-art job in order to fund your hobby via night/Saturday classes and discuss all this with your instructors. They will be able to give you a much more personal assessment of your potential and perhaps even guide you to a particular program to apply to once you have sufficient funds to afford it. Sounds like a lot of hard work, tedium and late nights - kind of like how art school can be much of the time. So consider this plan B as excellent training for that.
I was in exactly the same situation as you last year – I did a law degree in the UK and by the end of it knew that I did not want to practice law and actually wanted to be an illustrator or graphic designer. Right now I’ve been accepted into three out of five MFA programmes I applied to (and was rejected by one, and am still waiting on one more). I don’t know if I’m replying to this thread too late but you can definitely still go to art school.
First I think you need to figure out what kind of degree you want to do – you could opt for an MFA in illustration/painting and drawing, or you could go for another bachelor’s degree. I think this mostly depends on your available funding and your portfolio level. MFAs require a higher portfolio standard than BFAs/BAs. Generally MFA programmes ask for 15-20 pieces of your best work, and they have to exhibit some kind of artistic cohesion (a visible voice or style that is unique to you) for you to be accepted. Caveat: sometimes art schools may reject you if they don’t like your art style too, so make sure you look up programmes and figure out which ones have alumni/notable works displayed on their website etc that resonate with you and the type of art you want to create.
Secondly, depending on your portfolio level, you may either want to take a year out and work on it to develop your style/create some portfolio pieces, or you could just apply if you’re feeling confident enough. (Given that I’m replying past most art school app deadlines this might be coming a little too late, but hopefully some of this helps.) Assuming you haven’t already applied to an art school to go into straight after graduation (and summer), you could consider taking summer courses. Most good art schools offer summer residencies/classes or continuing education courses that really help shape your portfolio and pad it out with lots of works. Last summer I went for the Illustration residency at SVA and it really helped with my own portfolio.
Once you’ve done your due diligence and beefed up your portfolio, there’s nothing else to do but apply! Given my background and current position with MFA acceptances I can gladly guarantee you that not having an art degree will not deter colleges from admitting you to an MFA programme, especially if you have a portfolio that the admissions people take a shine to, and if your art style could feasibly fit into the school’s overall projected image.