new to art

<p>My son is a senior in high school. Up until a few months ago he was planning on studying math or engineering. He had never taken an art class but has liked to draw for relaxation for a few years. His senior yr was his first time even taking an art class. He has decided he would like to go into some form of design. Because he is male and a boy of few words it has been hard to figure out just what he is interested in. He has thought of product design or fashion or interior design. Upon some further questioning it seems what he would like to do is design fabrics for fashion or interior design.
He is young for his grade and has already expressed an interest in taking a gap year. He has applied to a few state schools and to several small liberal arts colleges where he applied as undeclared or studio art.
He is going to try a pre-college summer art program this summer for high school students. Since he is just 17 he should not feel to old. He has some date periods to work with so has narrowed it down to Parsons in NY or California College of arts in Oakland.
His options for fall could be to go to one of the colleges he is accepted to and study art and apply to transfer to an art design program if he really feels that is what he wants. Or to do a gap year and then reapply next yr to some art programs or if he finds that he wants to do
Any suggestions. We are not an artsy family so this is all new
Thanks</p>

<p>If he has an interest in fabrics for fashion or interiors, his best bet to get a picture of the industry is Parsons in New York. Plus it is a summer in Greenwich Village!</p>

<p>Welcome to the dark side, mom60. Leave your pocket protectors at the door. ;)</p>

<p>You are definitely doing the right thing by going the liberal arts route. Your son needs to find his calling and going to a liberal arts school will allow him to do that. </p>

<p>When and if he decides that a career in art is what he wants, then transfer to a reputable art school in that field.</p>

<p>Alot of kids coming to art schools straight out of highschool thinking that it will fun and glamorous discover that it is alot of hardwork for very little, and it's just not about drawing spiderman and batman all day. Art schools have low retention rate because of this. And they are only good if you know for certain that you want to be an artist, because art credits can't transfer to any other professions.</p>

<p>mom60, </p>

<p>I wouldn’t push your son to identify what type or area of design he is interested in just yet. Fabric designer is a severely narrow and esoteric career and while there are a fair number of people who can actually claim this title, they got there through various indirect routes – like weaver or knitter, print designer, colorist, or just a general trend specialist. Though the major fabric mills often do retain creative teams, their job descriptions and career paths can be quite disparate. </p>

<p>I think using a gap year as an opportunity to gain exposure to the whole field of design – be it fashion, fabric, interior, product – is an excellent option. Your son sounds like he woke up one morning and decided that creativity had to be part of his future but doesn’t have a clue what kind of job that might entail. Having worked in fashion and retail for most of my life I can certainly empathize. </p>

<p>It’s a wide ranging, loosely organized field. Until you really get involved with a company, either wholesale or retail, it’s very difficult to conceptualize the process and understand where you’d fit it. But once you have even an entry level job or an internship, you find the skills and procedures of creating a product line are very similar from one organization to another, no matter what the product or the price point.</p>

<p>Parsons is without doubt one of the best for design of any kind. For apparel I would say that FIT is also excellent, especially for industry connections and placement. For pure design there are many other choices. But as I said above, so much of design is OJT, that it’s difficult to separate formal training from what you pick up by being thrown in the midst of things.</p>

<p>Of tantamount importance to any career in design or creatively driven field are strong communication skills, both written and oral and the ability to work and play well with others within a complex organism that’s sprinting top speed. All designers, even the most creative and talented, need to “sell” their ideas to management, to store buyers, to the ultimate consumer. This is where I lean toward a solid liberal arts education for kids who know that they want to do something creative but haven’t had enough exposure to know whether it would be pure design or something multifaceted like architecture or advertising. Some colleges and universities have great studio arts programs, some are weak in that area. This is a big ”it depends. . .”</p>

<p>New York is of course design central. There is no better place to be just to soak up the creativity and stimulus. For a 17 year old on his own, however, Manhattan may be a bit intimidating. I’d look carefully into the living arrangements and degree of supervision offered (not much I’d imagine). It really depends on the kid. Some teenagers are urban savvy and thrive independently. Some would be overwhelmed.</p>

<p>We are definitely an arts family – some leaning toward creativity, some toward commerce, some on the cusp. :) Good luck and let us know if we can help.</p>

<p>Momrath= thank you for your well written post. You really hit the nail on the head. He did wake up one morning with the help of a wonderful therapist who made him realize being gifted in math doesn't mean you have to do something schoolwise with it. That he needs to do something creative. What that is he truely doesn't know. He is exploring. It is a hard turning point in life being a high school senior having to decide on a college. He also has ADD and LD so school has been a struggle. He is a gentle soul but one who could sell you anything. He is great at making money(a strange trait of his) He choses his words carefully but when he needs to he can handle himself in public and with people. His written communication skills are definitely his weakest selling point.
About being 17 in New York. Parson's has dorms and a curfew. I have been to NYC so I know it is not going to be a typical college campus. He is not city wise. We live in a small coastal Ca town. But he has a natural instinct and a good sense of direction and great practical sense and self sufficient. I will still worry if that is what he decides to do this summer,versus his original plan of spending the summer away from civilization river rafting and rock climbing which has it's own risks. Riak assessment in nature is a weakness of his.
This time of life is about exploring and taking risks. He is multi-faceted. I could easily see him going on a 6 month backpacking trip in the wilderness with only periodic food drops over living in NYC but he has surprised me so much over the last year that I can't predict where he will end up. He loves the history channel, he loves takining physical risks and now wants to draw. He wants to find out what philosophy is all about. We are extremely lucky that we can help him explore all the areas that interest him.
I am leaning to still encouraging the liberal arts college approach.</p>

<p>Mom60, I also have a boy who would be equally at ease climbing a mountain in the wilderness or painting in an urban studio. (Although he’s no math whiz.) </p>

<p>My advice to your son would be to go to the best college he can get into, meaning the one with the best reputation for accessible, brilliant instructors and bright energetic kids. While he’s there he should take everything his heart and brain desires from art to math to philosophy to geology to history – and take time to climb a few mountains too. </p>

<p>I’d go for the Parsons opportunity. It’s a wonderful school with excellent faculty and just being in New York will be an eye popper. If he does decide to attend one of the schools he’s already applied to, he will at least have been exposed to the Art World (capital letters!). And if he changes course and takes a gap year while applying to a completely different list, he’ll have plenty of time to get back to nature.</p>

<p>Good luck to him and to you.</p>