16 Life Lessons I Acquired in Art School
First off, let’s wish Creative Curio a happy birthday — today is the site’s one-year anniversary! LaurenMarie’s got some great resources over there, and I consider her site to be an authority on how to optimize your designs for press so they print beautifully. That’s not all she writes about, though, so check her site out for lessons on design principles and Photoshop/InDesign best practices.
It’s not a mental asylum, it’s art school
Now, with the school season about to start back up, I know some people are preparing to go to art school. Having gone through the wringer myself, I’ve learned a thing or two. Perhaps these little pearls of wisdom will serve some good to you or someone you know.
- Not everyone you like will be good for you. Not everyone good for you will be someone you like. It’s wise to know the difference.
- Art school is all about experimentation. Use these experiences to expand your boundaries and help you grow as an artist and as a person. Your work will become better for it.
- Hero worship is a good thing: it sets the standard of quality for your own work. But respect your hero’s style and develop your own.
- Be nice and respect the HBIC. You’ll get to call the shots someday.
- Be humble, especially when you get to call the shots. There is always someone out there better than you.
- Two words: student discount. Never take for granted the simpler things in life, like free paper samples (or anything free, really) and the discounts you get at places where friends work.
- Always keep an X-acto knife near you. One never knows when you’ll have a sudden and dire need for it in an emergency.
- Avoid puns, Papyrus, and Comic Sans. Just think of Amy Winehouse: no, no, no!
- Bring your sketchbook everywhere and make it an extension of yourself. You’re an artist, so use it for goodness’ sakes.
- Be a seawater sponge: Absorb everything, but take it with a grain of salt.
- Creativity is referred to as a muscle for a reason. The more you work it, the better it gets. A muscle rarely used atrophies. And no one likes a flabby creative muscle.
- Life is a game, so play it like a chess player and always think two steps ahead.
- Keep a hand on the heartbeat of your industry. Read books, go to shows, visit my website. All frequently.
- Never settle or give up on yourself. You haven’t reached your peak until you die, and this is why dead artists are worth more.
- Don’t forget, art school is just the beginning of your life. It only feels like the end of the world sometimes.
- When faced with challenges, remember what Tim Gunn would say: “Make it work.”
Save the children!
What’s your advice? Do you have anything you’d like to impart to the next generation of artists, designers, and visionaries? Leave a comment below.
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August 1st, 2008 at 4:22 pm
oh, wow, Thanks Gio!
Student Discounts! Yes!!! This is how I bought the Creative Suite, and now I can upgrade so I’ve never paid full price :D
It’s so true that you have to work at being creative. I notice that the more I sketch and doodle and just let my hand and brain play, the more creative I am when it comes to real work.
Good advice you put together here! Stumbled!
LaurenMarie - Creative Curio’s last post… Happy 1 Year Birthday to Creative Curio!
August 1st, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for the Stumble! I hope other people find it useful, too. My favorite student discount was with a printhouse - I got professional-quality prints for about 80% less than their standard prices.
And I really stand by the advice of flexing the creative muscle. This list was originally just 5 items, then 10… 12… 15… 16… and then I had to post it so readers on the East Coast could see it before end-of-day today.
Thanks for visiting, and commenting! I’m also seriously considering taking Yaro’s workshop, I’ll let you know if I do go through with it. :) Happy site-birthday!
August 1st, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Have you seen any of Edward de Bono’s books? I did a review on How to Have Creative Ideas. It is a good book! Not one you read through, but one for exercising that muscle, especially if you can’t think how to do it on your own.
If you do sign up for Blog Mastermind, would you consider going through one of the affiliate links on my site? :D I’ve had almost 100 click throughs from my site, but no one has signed up yet.
LaurenMarie - Creative Curio’s last post… Happy 1 Year Birthday to Creative Curio!
August 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 am
I’ll have to check that book out. My fallback creativity exercise book is Creative Advertising. I think I’ll take a page out of your book and do a review on it.
And with Yaro’s workshop, I would definitely go through your affiliate link; it’s always nice to give referrals to friends. I was seriously thinking of signing up, but I’ve got expensive car troubles to take care of first. :/
August 5th, 2008 at 9:12 am
It’s funny, if someone said to me what did you learn at uni or art a-level I’d flippantly say that I learnt to design. However after reading this I realised that you learn so much more!
I think my advice would be to enjoy it! Some of my fondest memories are from sitting at the back of a creaky class room painting on my canvas, laughing with my fellow students! Good times!
August 5th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Hi Lucinda,
Your advice is spot-on. What’s the point of doing something day in and day out if you don’t get anything out of it, right? And you get to meet other people that share your passion, which is always a great thing.