Why I Hate Art Schools Essay

There’s this idea I see everyone on the planet passing around, and it’s a very bad idea. It’s like “if you want to be successful, follow this guy’s path!” and on paper it makes sense: if that person did it, you should be able, too. To me, though: I think the biggest indicator that copying someone else is a bunch of BS is the fact that if that were the case we’d all be billionaires or famous celebrities, but instead only a handful of the population has that right where the rest of us are really just wanting. The road to a successful life, however you want to define that, is unique to everyone but most importantly is that artistic careers need to be unique.

I’m not a fan of art school. The reason I really hate art school is simple: they train people to be too similar. I can already hear several art school graduates typing up angry emails to me, but I’ve seen art school curriculum that will punish kids for drifting away and creating their own style, I’ve heard of

If you think that creating derivative work of successful pieces is going to get you somewhere, you are full of it and will get washed away by those making the new. The world we live in does not care about the old much, you have to be part of the group creating the new.

In order to be in the group of people who create the new, you have to let it all out. No matter what work of art you are doing, whether it be a painting, piece of music, or something like an engineering or architecture project, you are going to have let yourself become an unmistakable blaze and explore the deep dark trenches of your heart, even the ones that scare you. To some this may be career suicide, but only if your career is being the same as everyone else. If you’re not the same as everyone else, this will be the only thing possibly saving your