To Art School...or Not?
A guide for Parents & Students
There are a lot of choices to make in one short lifespan. Going to college or not is one of them. For some awful reason, a lot of parents will shy away from their child going to college for art. Being a doctor, lawyer, nurse or engineer? Sure - you get their full support. Going to college to paint, graphic design or culinary school? Not every parents dream to hear.
Fear not parents and prospective students - artists can earn a great income these days. Let's check out some statistics:
"The middle 57% of Comic Book Artists makes between $58,976 and $148,842, with the top 86% making $328,608." (https://www.comparably.com/salaries/salaries-for-comic-book-artist)
Fine artists? The average annual salary according to Chron at (https://work.chron.com/salaries-wages-fine-artists-3534.html) is $65,020.
Being an artist can pay your bills and more. In this everything is visual and digital world there is a space for artists, just as there has always been.
Ergo, going to art school to learn your trade, does make sense for many would-be students. Will there be better artists? Sure. Will there be worse? Sure. However, an education is never wasted.
But it's not always for everyone.
There are many alternate "schools" for artists. Mentorship, apprenticeship, online art schools. I attended SVSLearn.com for less than $25 a month. It's focus was illustrating children's books and that was my personal goal. Over 20 different illustrators and artists taking all of their special skills learned from school or other means teaching whomever logged on. I went from doodles to being a published illustrator.
Here's a basic guide to look at when considering college: (Please note - money isn't on this list. Ironically, many people think if they are rich they can go to college, if they are poor, they cannot. However, being below the poverty line qualifies a student for more grants and scholarships than someone who's financially able to pay for it themselves.) For ways to pay for art school check out this article>
Some things to do and consider before college:
A great place to start is the HR department at a company you would like to work for. Open job announcements are a great way to see what type of experience and knowledge they are looking for. Once you know that. You can map out how to get there. Even if that job or company changes, other competing ones will still.
There is something else we have to talk about. Something that holds back SO many artists and writers. Here is the thought that pushes dreams away:
My art is not good enough for art school.
WHAT? NOOOO! Art school teaches you to be the best at YOUR art. There will be people that can naturally draw better. But they can't draw it how you do. There will be people who's art blows everyone away. But they may not be able to draw a character like you can. It's not about comparison or being good enough. It's about developing your skills to be the best that YOU can be for your art. Your way. Your dreams.