Is New England useless for pursuing concept art/entertainment design?

[darkwolfb87]

I've been in Boston all my life and all of my relatives are here as well, so going to another state, nevermind somewhere like Art Center seems intimidating. Art Center is like a dream school but I'm having second thoughts if I have to go so far away for four years. At the same time, I'm into my first year at a liberal arts university, and I think I'd rather be spending more time doing art and being around art students. What are some good colleges you guys recommend that are closer to home?

If all else fails, I originally planned to stay here and do art on my own (this still seems like the better choice for me), but I won't be getting the connections I'm looking for. Should I just establish myself here and perhaps move to where my art takes me after I graduate? Thanks for any replies :)

~ Stephen

[Storyboard Dave]

Dare I ask what high school you attended in Boston? I have one student at CCS at the moment that's from your area that's really doing well at our ID program. Just wondering if you guys attended the same place and had the same teacher or not

[Storyboard Dave]

But to answer your question, no it's never useless. Regardless of where you go to school, it's still YOUR education. You should be the one in charge of your own curriculum regardless of what formal program you attend. So what if a particular school doesn't offer something you want to study- take it upon yourself to learn it somehow someway.

But admittedly it is a lot easier to attend a proven program that has a track for getting people into your field. That's where the comraderie with classmates, making connections and being in the mix 24/7 come in handy.

[darkwolfb87]

I went to Brookline High, but unfortunately only took music classes, not art, which I do regret. I do feel I have the resources in the area to do well - in college I'll probably be doing studio art with a ton of emphasis on studying the old masters, architecture, asian art, etc., but ALL the stuff I want to learn about concept art and industrial design in general is up to me.

So yeah, the big gaps I need to fill, besides making my tuition cost worthy, is finding competition and inspiration among my classmates and getting connections.

[DSillustration]

ton of good art schools in NYC.
and...
even some concept design studios around too!
blue sky studios (the makers of ice age) are in white plains, ny.

[gillianseed84]

Nah... there's plenty of opportunity... You'll find it...

[grand]

Hey darkwolfb87,

I am a freshman at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. Its not a bad school, there are some really good teachers. The I.D. program seems pretty good. I too want to try and get in the Concept Design field, so I plan on majoring in I.D. next year. I think you can become a concept designer in any school its just a matter of making the curriculmn the school offers work for you. Take a combination of Industrial design and Illustration, and do a lot of work on your own. The whole atmosphere of any art school makes you want to work hard and challenge yourself and you pick up information in classes you would not expect to get any useful information out of. Art Center is also a dream school for me but it was so far away and I have lived in New England all my life. I might go out there in a few years but it all depends. Right now I am enjoying the I.D. program. Also since it is a public school in Mass. it will be cheap compared to most art schools.

[darkwolfb87]

Hey darkwolfb87,

I am a freshman at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. Its not a bad school, there are some really good teachers. The I.D. program seems pretty good. I too want to try and get in the Concept Design field, so I plan on majoring in I.D. next year. I think you can become a concept designer in any school its just a matter of making the curriculmn the school offers work for you. Take a combination of Industrial design and Illustration, and do a lot of work on your own. The whole atmosphere of any art school makes you want to work hard and challenge yourself and you pick up information in classes you would not expect to get any useful information out of. Art Center is also a dream school for me but it was so far away and I have lived in New England all my life. I might go out there in a few years but it all depends. Right now I am enjoying the I.D. program. Also since it is a public school in Mass. it will be cheap compared to most art schools.

Hi grand,

Right now I am a freshman at Brandeis University, and the art program here is tailored for studio arts. I would love to take Illustration and I.D. or even architectural design at MassArt, however I don't think I'd want to leave
the liberal arts classes I am taking here. It's a tough call because MassArt may give me a more focused art education, but I think the liberal arts courses would be lacking. Plus the tuition is dirt cheap compared to Brandeis if I commute from home, literally about 1/4 the cost.

I'll really need to think about how much of a career I want to make out of concept art, because right now I'm more attracted to the idea of getting a job related to international/east asian studies (my other major besides studio art) with a business/economics minor and doing concept art on the side rather than getting "stuck" in an art job with little creative freedom, or not finding a job at all. As much as I'd like to go straight for a solid art education like Art Center I too am not ready to leave this area. To sum it all up, I'd rather create the art I want than try and make it as a full-time artist, because I don't have the drive to do so. If I change my mind in four years I'll still have non-art major to rely on, but I'm still gonna push myself to create a portfolio as if I were at Art Center. Honestly I am terrified of graduating from an art college with nothing else to support me, and not meeting my own expectations as an artist.

[Storyboard Dave]

Honestly I am terrified of graduating from an art college with nothing else to support me, and not meeting my own expectations as an artist.


Dare I say you'll never reach your own expectations of yourself as an artist? And that's not a bad thing nor do I want to rain on your parade. It's just a part of being an artist- you're always striving for more and more. The drawings that you do today might be the coolest thing you've done ever but rest assured two years from now you'll almost cringe looking at it- and again, that's fine because you've grown in that time frame.

Don't be too harsh on yourself. Have faith in your abilities and go enjoy life with the measure of talent that you have.