“Students outside an Academy of Art building in the Financial District of San Francisco.” Image Credit: SF Citizen College is trippy. Everybody knows you go to college, and you come back as someone else. What they don’t tell you is that this experience is going to completely turn your world upside down and you’re going to begin to like it that way. I’ve been going to the Academy of Art for five years as an Illustration (and briefly an Industrial Design) student, and for AAU that will be considered as early. I have so many complaints about this school, like the way it’s run, the way they treat their financial aid students, the campus, as well as the teacher-student relationships. Despite these issues, there are some things that only AAU can offer, and for that, I am forever grateful. In fact, in this extremely depleting voyage to a BFA, I found who I am, what I want, and so much more. In this post I will discuss my qualms with the school, and well as the things that have made it extremely rewarding…thus far. 1. AAU Made Me Good At DrawingYou’re thinking “Well, Duh! Isn’t that what art school is supposed to do?” …hahaha, hell no. In fact, a lot of schools teach creativity… and not how to draw. For instance, when you apply to schools, they ask for a portfolio to see your technique level. The other schools hope by the time you finish high school that you have some sort of technique, and they teach you the rest. AAU is so much different, they don’t require anything when you apply. You can even gain a scholarship by just providing your portfolio. What is difficult about this process is that you won’t be able to be creative, until your instructors believe, that you can draw, then they’ll let you do anything you want. I didn’t get to draw something that wasn’t in front of me, until my 4th year, and it made me a great artist because now I can execute any idea I have because I have the skills to do so. Students from other schools have incredible ideas but find it more difficult to execute them, unlike Academy students. 2. AAU Kicked My Butt, And It Made Me StrongI’ve been through my fair share of adversity in my life, and after I’d been through rehab, and the years of therapy, I’d become extremely vulnerable, especially when it came to my illustrations. Academy of Art, let me separate my emotions from my critiques, and I was able to look at my art from a critical point of view, without it hurting my feelings, or subject matter. I think a lot of artists have an extremely hard time collaborating because we are used to spending hours alone with a pencil and paper. The school forces you to speak your mind about other’s people’s art about what to improve, as well as what to embrace. It also forces you to hear others’ opinions and decide if it is valuable or not. I’ve had my art ripped apart by students and teachers alike, but it was all to make me better. Now, I even pressure my friends and family to tell me what they don’t like, just so I can get a little better. 3. The City Gave Me PerspectiveMaybe this wasn’t so much of Academy of Art, but more where they were located…in the heart of San Francisco. I came to a point in my years here, where I was done living in the dorms (partly because they kick you out in the winter and summer) but because I didn’t have a solid home base. So I found myself an animator, and we moved in together paying $2100 in a small studio apartment in the Tenderloin. Three years later we share a bunk bed still, and walk by the same passed out drug addicts and cold homeless. In the dorms we didn’t see that much, but when you’re living in an apartment that some family probably got evicted from because they couldn’t afford it is a very eye-opening experience.This city made me realize, that the world is so much bigger than the small town I’m from in Colorado. I have so much more perspective, and I am much more grateful for every small thing I have now. 4. I Had Some Incredible InstructorsWhat I loved about that school was that all the courses were taught by current people working in the field you want to go into. In my case, I was learning from successful illustrators themselves, like Charles Pyle, Thomas Gronbukt, and Henry Yan. When I ventured outside my major, the same was true, for instance my current blogging instructor, Stephan Rabimov writes for the Huffington Post, Forbes, and other major publications on a regular basis. No matter what class I took, I crossed paths with people that had incredible experience, and it definitely rubs off on you. If you’re a sponge like me, then learning from these instructors only makes you better, not to mention the further along you get in the program, the smaller the classes get, and the more questions you can ask, and critiques you can get on your work to be an incredible artist when you leave the school. 5. AAU Forced Me To Time Manage Like A BossLast but not least, they taught me how to just get it done, and done right. They realize that you’re trying to make money, and what makes money is a fast turnaround (at least in Illustration). This school, if anything, presses time. Each semester 15 weeks, and sometimes, I end a semester with over 30 potential portfolio pieces. If there is anything that is important in any industry, it’s to be fast. People don’t want to waste their time. This school has made me so fast at drawing itself, and efficient at managing my time. I currently am in my last year, and am balancing about 5-10 commissioned pieces a month, a part time design job, as well as school. I don’t think I could have done that if Academy of Art made it a point to get things done quick and efficiently. “Illustration of a woman holding a frame around her head by Nyki Way.” Photo Credit: Nyki Way, All Rights Reserved. I’ve become a great artist from Academy of Art, but it’s a lot of stress to be a student there. According to CollegeFactual.com, 67.7% of Academy students fail to graduate within 150% of the expected time, and the majority did so because they dropped out. The school is not only extremely difficult, but extremely time consuming, emotionally depleting, and expensive. Although most schools offer only 8 semesters to graduate, Academy of Art requires 10 semesters, which leads most students to graduate in six years if they aren’t taking summer semester classes and intersession courses. If you’re looking to go to this school, I suggest doing a lot of research, like the financial aspect, as well as the accreditation. Studying Illustration is a risk in itself because it doesn’t lead to a successful career right out of school, and in some cases at all. I think that if you love art, have the money, have the potential six years, and all my prior ramblings sound good to you then go on, and apply, but if not, live vicariously through me on my Instagram to see all the wacky art I post. Although most of this is based on opinion, if you are more interested in the logistics of Academy of Art, I have constructed this infographic to let you know some important deciding factors. Comments are closed.
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AboutA Guide to Using Art as a Coping Skill, through the lens of a former psychiatric ward patient, and current painter. Archives
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