Dropping out, to get the drawings out!

[Tzeentach]

Sorry for the lack of introduction, I just need to get this out fast. I've lurked this site for some number of months, silently admiring everyones sketchbooks. All the critique that wasn't posted, that would be me :p

Ok, well, i've done it. It's over. It took a damn long 17 years to realise that I have a will of my own; that blindly following the directions of others will never make me happy.

Everything was fine in the first few weeks of college, but then we started having philosophy class.. Most bloody aggressive woman that has ever taught me. Within 5 minutes, I manage to get called a smartass and was effectively warned, that I would be humiliated to no end if I didn't stfu and take it seriously. Looking back, that class alone is responsible for everything.

It made me think and question everything anyone ever told me, presented me, decided for me. It dawned on me that I was completely out of place here, wtf am I doing here?

I've decided, I want to drop everything, all I've ever done, including an entire year of college, to do the only thing I ever enjoyed. Art.

---------------------------------TL;DR ^

My plan is, drop out. Start from scratch. I have no intention of staying to get the diploma. I have too little skill, I can't risk compromising my time as well.

Will build up a portofolio of the highest standard, art schools only ask for a high school degree from what friends have told me, and i have one here with a high score.

I got that much sorted. Here's where you dudes/ladies come in:

I'm going to have to tell my mom that I want to drop out. I plan to do this within the month, because I want to come out clean and stop wasting her money (500 euros a month), but I need some time to build an argument.

The tricky part, is to avoid giving my mother a heart-attack. Any suggestions on how we do that?

[Baron Impossible]

Tell her you've decided to become a mercenary. First stop is Afghanistan, where you will take down the Taliban, followed by a stint in Zimbabwe weakening Mugabe's government forces in advance of a coup, which you fully intend to lead. Keep up the pretence for several days as she pleads frantically with you to see sense and stay home, then say you're prepared to stay on one condition: that you give up your philosophy course and study art. She'll be only too happy to oblige.

[B u r l]

How long have you been at the college? Besides the philosophy, what else do you not like about the school? You don't have to agree with what's said but it's still important to know it. Your teacher calling you a smartass seems odd. I've had 1 or 2 nasty teachers but they still wouldn't have called someone a smartass without a reason... Of course if you're not getting what you want out of college then there's no reason to be there [at least at that particular one]. But without knowing anything else about your situation I can't say anything.

Get her to read this thread: http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=102315

[Hyskoa]

Your options are:
1) Con your way through your education, letting every teacher hear exactly what they want to hear, suffer 3 years and after you get your hands on your degree, that will enable you to become a teacher and not much else, and are sure they can't harm you anymore, start having conversations with your minister of education and several other authorities to start eliminating these... pests. (this last part will feel better than a month long shroom induced trip).

2) Quit school, tell your parents in a straight manner, go for what you want to do and get nagged at for every single day that you stay at their place, consuming money.

3) Get the fuck out, find your own place, get a part time job that covers all your basic expenses and work on your art during your free time.

4) Get the fuck out(2), find your own place, get a fulltime job, work an entire year and then stay home until the money runs out, practicing every day until you are awesome.

5) Tell your parents you quit school, go work for 3 years and go to an atelier like laafa, artcenter or angel academy and get a proper education.


And it won't matter how you tell em, the impact will most likely stay the same.

[Tzeentach]

Cheers for the replies, guess that finishes it. I'll tell her in a month, and I got the plan sorted. Here in the Netherlands we have hash brownies, i'll just get her sky-high and hope everything goes well.

@Baron Impossible
I don't fit the description of a mercenary at all. It would take some time to grow the messy,unkempt beard and gain some major facial scarring. And after that I would need to get inked at the local tattoo parlour, and take up heavy drinking.

@dumpling
I've already finished my first year of college. I'm in the IB program, which is essentially the equivalent, so i say college to avoid confusion. I was going for medical school, so my highers are: Bio, chemistry and english. And taking physics, math and dutch at standard. Passed last year with max grades (7s) except in dutch, in which I heroically managed a 2.

I was fairly vague in the first post. I do like philosophy now that I understand what she's been trying to tell me. But ever since I've completely stopped enjoying anything else. It's a slap in the face when you reflect on the possibility that everything learned could be false information. And I got called a smartass in that one class because I told the most obvious answer as if I knew all the answers.

@Hyskoa
I'm all for option number 2. All I need right now is a year at home. Your output increases tenfold with all that extra time. And then i'll get the fuck out after a year. The driving motivation here is the penalty, if i don't improve fast enough i'll become a loser living with his mom up to his 30s *shiver*

Thanks again, and ill spare you from boring topics in the future ;) will start a sketchbook tonight.

[TASmith]

"i'll just get her sky-high and hope everything goes well."

How responsible of you! As a parent who's witnessed childbirth first hand, I think your mother deserves a more respectable manner of discourse.

[Ivory_Oasis]

Ever consider that your philosophy teacher might have been right? And there is actually a lot you could learn from college? (Besides just the subject they are teaching)

College is a good time to.....mature.....

[Tzeentach]

"i'll just get her sky-high and hope everything goes well."

How responsible of you! As a parent who's witnessed childbirth first hand, I think your mother deserves a more respectable manner of discourse.

Ok, ok. In the very least i'll give her some pills against high blood pressure before I tell her ;) And keep some shock-paddles handy nearby.

[Irishdrunk]

Haven't you heard 'a picture is worth a thousand words' ?

Don't tell her, show her. Give her some confidence that you could actually succeed in the business.

[J Wilson]

If you plan to drop out to devote time to art, make sure you are being honest with yourself about that intention. If you have the will to drop out and actually spend the time on art, you'll know it because you'll be doing a lot of art even now. If you aren't doing a lot of art now, and are using the excuse that you don't have the time, I think you'll find that even without school you won't have the time. There's always something going on in your life. You either make time for art, or you don't.

Don't tell your parents you want to drop out. Maybe a better course of action with your parents is to tell them you need a year before returning to school to really know what direction you want to take. A year should tell you if you have the passion and drive to take art seriously. If not, maybe that time will help you to figure out a better course.

[Xeon_OND]

Go to Yahoo images and find a high-res picture of Rembrandt's self portrait. Print that out and sign your name under it, together with today's date and time. Spray a bit of dust on it.

In one month's time, tell your mom you really hate your current classes and you've been slogging all your blood, sweat and sperm working hard to paint an image like that.

She'll probably support your decision!

[vineris]

"It's a slap in the face when you reflect on the possibility that everything learned could be false information."

Just remember that everything you think about an art career could also be false information. In fact, I found out that pretty much nothing in life is like I thought it would be.

If you're serious about this, do a lot of research, have a plan and then have a backup plan. It'll make your parents easier to convince and it'll help ensure you don't come out of art school with a ton of debts, a shitty retail job and an empty fridge.

[Tzeentach]

Ooh, still getting replies, none of it goes unappreciated ;) Working non-stop (well, quick 15 min break between each drawing) to get my sketchbook up and going. Posemaniacs is total lunacy, can anyone do the 10 sec mode? :p

@Ivory
I'll stick with my decision, oblivious or not ;) and doesn't life mature you faster than college? there is a whole world outside the classroom window, in my opinion it only gave me a very narrow and idealistic view of life, out of touch with reality.

@Irishdrunk
That's the reason i'm waiting the month! right now im gaining confidence, I don't have anything grand to show beyond various studies atm.

@J Wilson
That's a much better way to say it, thanks. And I am doing a lot of art right now, I don't exaggerate when I say I didn't have any time for it during the weeks of coursework, I managed to do so little that its unsurprising I didn't see any value in it before.

@Xeon
Great. One month to make a masterpiece. Suppose Leonardo could cope with such demands, but then again he also built a flying machine. I'm far out of his league, unless I build a time machine, that is.