Considering Art School, yey.

[jojo haru z]

:^^: Hello, everyone! My name is Jojo, and I have been considering art schools. Well, a couple art schools, and for not too long either. :^^;:

Let me give you all a brief introduction about myself, and about my current dilemma... I am a second year Nursing student at The University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL), and was coaxed into joining nursing because my parents thought it would be the best route for me to make money. (Job security, excellent pay.) Problem with me being in nursing is, I hate blood, I get sick everytime we disect and look at a dead kitty, and during Anatomy and Physiology class, I draw. Not just little doodles, but these drawing actually end up turning into something I like.

I may be thinking about going into Graphic Design, Illustration, or something along those lines, with a hint of foreign language study. My sister graduated from the California Institue of Arts (CalArts) in Graphic Design, and currently works with Ogilvy in New York. I have an excellent resource with my sister because I'd have a professional critique my work, and give me help, but with illustration, I don't know. Her TA from CalArts, Jennifer McKnight teaches Graphic Design at UMSL, and I've been able to speak with her a couple times.

After lurking around this forum, I've found out everyone is considering schools like SCAD, RISD, MICA, Art Center, DigiPen, etc. etc....... I don't know if anyone has any information about Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) has a good art program. I haven't been able to dig up much information about the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, and their College of Art program.

I want to go to a school that will allow me to take foreign language classes too. (Japanese and Chinese preferably.)

If anyone has any advice and insight to help me with my problem, please give it to me, hard and fast.... :yayca:

Anyone with nice big lectures on this for me please email them to me: jojoharuz@gmail.com

Thank you!!!
-Jojo

[Mirana]

You should do what YOU want to do. Money is not what will make you happy. Your parents just want to make sure you're taken care of, that's all. You need to show them that they need to support your happiness--not your wallet.

The language classes sound like a hobby to me...japanese and chinese are extremely hard to learn (unless you have some asian family members? Then it might be a little more accessable). Most art schools are more concerned about english classes for foreign students--not the other way around. I'd concentrate on the career first.

[jojo haru z]

You should do what YOU want to do. Money is not what will make you happy. Your parents just want to make sure you're taken care of, that's all. You need to show them that they need to support your happiness--not your wallet.

The language classes sound like a hobby to me...japanese and chinese are extremely hard to learn (unless you have some asian family members? Then it might be a little more accessable). Most art schools are more concerned about english classes for foreign students--not the other way around. I'd concentrate on the career first.

Well, I am Asian. "Pacific Islander" if you want to be technical. I'm Filipino. I've been trying to teach myself for about 5 years, and with no success...(I'm lazy.)
I was thinking about going to a university so I can accomplish and nurture both. Learning a new language is a passion, but so is my art. One of the big things keeping me from giving the A-OK to go is when I see everyone elses art, which is better than mine, I get scared, even people younger than me, or who have started out only a few months, weeks, and days even are better than me. So, maybe it's just jitters, everyones been telling me that I wont get good overnight.

Here is some more background information: I started drawing anime and manga styles, but realized that I'm okay at it, and I might as well leave it to the Japanese, since it's all looking the same to me. From what I've seen on the forums, I like wes9000's stuff, Bengal's stuff too. If I were to say the biggest anime styles that would influence me, it would be Hyung Tae Kim, and whoever does the art for Namco and Capcom, perfect mixture of real life and anime IMHO.

Tenks!
-Jojo

[Mirana]

When I say "asian family members" I mean japanese or chinese family members that you would be talking to on a regular basis (if you don't have someone to speak the language with, it gets lost as soon as you leave the classroom). But if you want to try it, go for it. A university would probably be best for both and cheapest for sure.

Draw in whatever style you want to. There is always going to be someone better than you--hundreds and more, sometimes--and it's so much more apparent when the internet brings them all in close. That's not the point of creating art. Also, be influenced by good artists, not trying to copy them. They're the best at what they do. You need to learn from them and do the best style YOU can do.

G'Luck.

[jojo haru z]

Oh. Asian Family members. Well, I have a good bunch of Japanese Friends and they teach me a whole bunch anyway! You're right though, try to be influenced by the artist, but no copy. I am not trying to copy, but I'm trying to take what is lacking in my drawing, and try to add elements of others.

Thanks for the good advice! I hope others will be able to give me advice about going out of state... I kind of want to get out of St. Louis and away from certain people... /m\

[jojo haru z]

Thanks to my sister and a bit more thought, I've narrowed it down to a couple schools that are definitely out of state. In order of preference:

1) CalArts
2) RISD
3) SCAD

Soooo..... if anyone could give me some more advice about these schools... it would be a great help.

[Athey]

...it would be the best route for me to make money. (Job security, excellent pay.)

WOAH! Who gave you that line of bull? Nurses make good money? Since when?!?

My mother-in-law is a nurse and SHE HATES it. She works horrible hours and gets crappy pay and she never got to be home during same hours as her family members. My husband grew up seeing his mom get home from work when he was getting ready to leave for school, or catching her at 2am.

Personally I would never wish a nursing career on anyone. heh.

I wouldn't go into a career like that unless YOU really wanted it. Thats the kind of life-descision you could regret forever. It's gotta take some serious dedication to do that kind of work and if you're doing it just because your parents pushed you to, I think you'll just spend your life regretting it.

[Pixeldragoon]

Hey there. I was just wondering- You never mention RSAD. Have you looked into it at all? Ringling? It has an illustration and graphic design program as well. It's in Florida too, a very nice city. www.rsad.edu

Good luck!

[WhizBang]

My best advice is you'd better bring loads of passion into this field. There are people out there that live & breathe this stuff 24/7. While it's spiffy you want to take some language classes, you'd better be able to keep it together with the art work too.

[jojo haru z]

WOAH! Who gave you that line of bull? Nurses make good money? Since when?!?

My mother-in-law is a nurse and SHE HATES it. She works horrible hours and gets crappy pay and she never got to be home during same hours as her family members. My husband grew up seeing his mom get home from work when he was getting ready to leave for school, or catching her at 2am.

Personally I would never wish a nursing career on anyone. heh.

I wouldn't go into a career like that unless YOU really wanted it. Thats the kind of life-descision you could regret forever. It's gotta take some serious dedication to do that kind of work and if you're doing it just because your parents pushed you to, I think you'll just spend your life regretting it.

Yeah, like I know what you mean. My mother is a nurse and she has it rough. I worked in the same hospital as her as a unit coordinator for 6 months, and all the nurses there hate it. I WAS in nursing school, and yesterday, I just ejected myself out of nursing. I just signed up for some basic art classes (Drawing I, Figure Drawing I) and some classes I thought would be interesting (Comic and Cartoon Illustration, Photography I).

I was more dedicated to my art in nursing school than I was to the nursing curriculum. I think I have made a wise step and figured out that nursing wasn't for me, especially before I got into the hardcore clinical classes.

[jojo haru z]

Hey there. I was just wondering- You never mention RSAD. Have you looked into it at all? Ringling? It has an illustration and graphic design program as well. It's in Florida too, a very nice city. www.rsad.edu

Good luck!

My sister definitely has been helping me along the way with my decision. She recommended CalArts, RISD, RSAD, and SCAD. She is a CalArts grad, so shes been giving me a lot of CalArts info, and her colleagues went to other art schools as well like ringling and savannah so she pushed me to their direction too.

Problem is, I myself do not have a specific area I want to go into....
Its really confusing, so I guess I'll have to take my classes at uni, and hopefully find out what exactly I want.

Thank for the info guys! More would be definitely appreciated!

[jojo haru z]

Hey everyone, its me again. Now that I have gotten into some art courses at uni, I've been getting in teh mode of drawing and sketching. I'm thinking about putting up a sketchbook, but it may or may not come up soon... For schools, CalArts, ArtCenter, and SCAD seem to be the big keepers for me. I will be taking a school visit during my spring break to ArtCenter and CalArts. I'm thinking of going into CalArts' Character Animation program, but I heard it was REALLY hard to get into. My sister advised me to go for it, and if I didn't get accepted with the portfolio I sent in, she said to try for the Experimental Film then try for Character Animation again.

Any thoughts, people?

-Jojo