It’s coming to the end of my Senior year in highschool and I’m torn on which path to take after graduation. I’ve always loved art and been somewhat talented at it, but I never honestly considered art as a career until recently. It’s always been either engineering or engineering. Monday night, news came in that I had earned a Gold Key award and offered a $10,000 scholarship to persue art - I couldn’t accept it. I already have another $10,000 scholarship to go into engineering, which is what my family is urging me into. Art just seems like such an impossibly difficult field to succeed in and engineering like the safe path.
The thing is, though, I love art so much more than engineering and I don’t want to regret this for the rest of my life. It really hurt to turn down that scholarship offer. If I go into engineering, I will just be another drone in the hive; but if I risk going into art, I could end without enough money to feed my family. Artists are a dime a dozen.
So my questions are:
How did you make the choice to go into(or not) art?
What are the chances of someone actually succeeding?
well think of it this way. to be a good artist you don’t really need to go to school for it. sure it helps, but it’s not really necessary. not to mention you can always do a little art on the side if you ever have time while an engineer. so really you’ve got it really well. as long as someone in the biz likes your work, you’ll make it in art. and if not you’ve still got engineering. me on the other hand, i decided a major in studio art was the only way. so i have to rely on luck unless i find out i’m a kickass writer or something (-_-). plus that’s what college is about: finding what you truly want to pursue. too many adults have told me that i’ll probably find i like something else and follow that instead, and already i’ve seen that in at least one peson so far. buuuuuuuut it’s all up to you…
Tough choices here man. I know exactly how you feel. Art is a very very hard field to stay alive in. I’m dead serious about this. If you want to make it, you gotta be 100 sure and you have to give up your life for it. Don’t let video games, tv, etc get in your path. Street Fighter is ok though haha.
I made the choice of getting into art because I wasn’t really good at anything else.
I’m not going to lie, the chances of succeeding are slim. Sure you can get a couple of gigs here and there from freelance, but how long will that last? Unless you are a hot illustrator, which is hard also, you will probably be starving. I think best bet is to try to work for a company.
I have no regrets of getting into this field. It was indeed hard work. I practiced everyday and i finally made it a couple of years ago. Started off in television and am now doing feature animation for Bluesky Studios as a color key artist.
When I was looking at colleges I really wanted to go into Animation, I had had the opportunity to take a day long workshop @ the Art Institute of Philly and did a little bit 3d and 2d animation. I was sold at that point. My parents were supportive of me going into the arts, but it probably helped that my sister had already went to art school for theater. I never really thought of pursuing something else, I like Writing, but that’s still in the creative field. Honestly I have no idea what I would have liked to study otherwise.
The chances are definately slim, some of that depends on what you actually decide to study if you do go. SFMC is totally right though, to really make it as an artist you need to throw yourself in and devote yourself to your work. Something else to be wary of is knowing yourself and what you are really capable of. I was 3 years into my Animation major when I finally realized that I didn’t have the chops to be the great animator I wanted to be, don’t get me wrong I love it and I would still like to work in the field but I know I wasn’t going to be this wonderful Traditional old school Disney animator. So I started a comics art major, and fell in love with the medium.
Sorry for the rant, but anyway… I’m out of school now and I’m working on some freelance comics and illustration but as SFMC said that really can only get you so far. Note there is very little money to be made in comics unless you DC/Marvel it up. I got two BFAs, one in comic art and one in animation; I kind of pigeon holed myself. Ha, I did 2d animation too and shunned 3d. I also know alums from school much more talented than I who are having trouble finding consistent work to live off of.
Reguardless of all that I don’t regret it at all, granted I found myself in a fortunate position cause my parents were able to help me a lot financially. I totally enjoyed my 5 years at art school and I certainly wouldn’t have changed it, I’ve only been out of school less than a year so I’m not expecting a dream job to just fall in my lap. I’m working on my comics, networking and seeing what happens.
It is true what BlandWolf said though, art is something that can be self taught, so if you really want it that badly you’ll find a way even if you decide to be an engineer. There is a lot of value of the academic setting and having the support and critique of peers just like you but you definately can make it on your own if you want to.
Thank you guys for the advice and sharing your stories with us. I think that I’ll probably end up going into either Artificial Intellegence or Physics with art on the side. Your posts really made the descision easier and made me realize a few things about myself.
Good luck to you guys, you’ve got more balls than most.