I sat on the floor in A.C. Moore trying to pick out what paint to use. This paint is too green. This purple isn't 'purple' enough. What on earth is "Quinacridone Red?" I decided the smartest thing to do was call my mom, who studied textile design at the University of Southern Massachusetts, which is now UMASS Dartmouth. She scooped me off the floor (hypothetically, of course) and made all the choices that took me hours, in minutes. She told me in art school, they weren't allowed to buy any colors other than red, blue, yellow. Then, using white and black and their beloved color wheel, had to craft every color they needed.
This little struggle of mine and years of stories both of my parents have told me from their years in art school sparked a special appreciation for those who study art. There's a whole hidden life they live, so I decided to ask some of my friends to share a bit about their experiences so far.
Here's what they had to say.
Why did you decide to study art?
"After seeing my brother go to art school, seeing all the cool things he made, and being successful after graduating, I decided that art and design would be a wise path to go down. I’ve always liked making things, and the idea of getting paid to create was even more intriguing." -Tony, Graphic Design at MASS Art
What is the most challenging thing you have faced so far?
"The most challenging thing as an artist is turning the thing you love into a job. It's hard to hear criticism on something you could've spent hours, days or weeks doing. Sometimes you get feedback that just seems so far off, but you just have to nod, apply corrections and learn. It's difficult because we don't have textbooks to follow, or concrete answers, we simply have our creativity and it can be hard to hear that your creativity is wrong." Renée, Graphic Design at MASS Art
What is the most valuable lesson you've learned so far?
"...grow a thick skin to criticism. Everybody has an opinion on what they like, so people are quick to say "that logo sucks, I could do better"…but could they? In any case, you have to be open to criticism, and not fall in love with your own work. If people are ultimately going to paying for your work, they feel that they can give input, as in "make that blue, make that bigger, etc…
But would you tell your dentist to "grind that to the left, use the number 3 drill?" Of course not. You have to convince people your chosen field takes thought, talent and skill also." -Anthony, Visual Design, SMU
" The most valuable lesson I've learned from art school is just to ignore society's criticism. Keep doing what you love. I'd rather be happy doing what I love, than miserable and doing a job I hate. If you work hard, you can easily beat the stereotypes and be a successful artist, and with that comes the greatest happiness of all" -Renée, Graphic Design at MASS Art
"I'm not sure I've learned the most valuable lesson yet but I guess probably that it doesn't matter where you go to school or what you do in school but about the connections and opportunities you make. I worked for a retail company my freshman year and met my current boss through a class I did at school and now I'm making a lot more money at a job I enjoy a lot more. I learned that everyone you know could help you at some point or ." -Colby, Fashion Design, MASS Art
"Work hard and be nice to people." -Tony, Graphic Design, MASS Art
What is something you'd like to tell the world about what you do?
"Art students have a reputation of not being able to get a job after they graduate. Some people even argue that an art degree is useless. Art is not useless because it is everywhere. Everything needs to be made, designed, and work for people. Someone designed the car you drive, the font you're reading this in, your favorite app, your favorite movie and the building across the street. You get the idea. But just like any other major, you have to put in the time and effort if you want to make a living out of it. You spend a big chunk of your life making a living. Spend that working time doing something you love rather than working for making a lot of money. Don’t get me wrong, money is still very important. While people say that money can’t buy happiness, I say, why not make money and do something you love at the same time?" - Tony, Graphic Design, MASS Art
"I think society as a whole has created a stereotype for art students that isn't flattering. The "starving artist" is always thrown at us. Quite frankly, it couldn't be more false. Every career path has people that fail and people that succeed. It's hard to see on the news polls listing your major as one of the most "pointless" and "least successful" majors to go into, because it isn't true. We don't live in a plain white world. We all live in beautiful color! Everything in this world is enhanced by an artist. Every advertisement we see, piece of clothing we put on, piece of furniture we chose for our house, and the TV shows and movies we watch, they were all touched by an artist. People think we're all chain smokers who live in studio apartments and eat ramen noodles every night, when in fact were innovators, leaders, creators and doers who help bring color to the world in every step." -Renée, Graphic Design at MASS Art
"I have no intention of being a starving artist which I think is the worst term, there are so many opportunities to make great money doing something you love and I think some (definitely not all) kids at art school just have the courage to accept it might be harder but they don't give a sh*t." --Colby, Fashion Design, MASS Art
"The most misunderstood fact about art school is how valuable art it is to society. We don't value art as much as we should nor do people (generally) understand how long it takes to create a piece. Everything we look at, touch, or view has had an artist/designer put their touch on it. Just think how ugly things would be if all clothing were a solid color, or if we hadn't progressed from the original Nintendo Tennis game or Pac Man to the graphics of Call of Duty. It all takes a designer's vision to see the possibilities." -Tracy, Textile Design, SMU
"... that art students are "weird"…some truly are, but not all of us.
Lastly, nude figure drawing class isn't as "awesome" as your non-artisit friends think it would be." - Anthony, Visual Design, SMU
Now, a little feature on my great friend Callie Mastrianni, who started off taking art classes with yours truly in high school. She is such a talented artist and unbelievably hard worker. Here is what she has to say!
Name: Callie Mastrianni
Major: double major in Illustration and Ceramics, with a minor in Sustainability at Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Why did you decide to study art?
"I decided to study art because it was so exciting to learn that I could make a career out of my favorite thing to do, and the idea of studying my favorite field for at least four years was an absolute dream."
What, if you know, would you like to do after your studies?
"I’m not sure what exactly I’d like to do after my undergrad - I’d love to illustrate cook books and children’s books, and create ceramic work out of a personal studio, but I’d really love to own a farm and create work in a studio there - sustainability and agriculture inspire my work a lot, so that’d be the dream!"
What is the most difficult challenge you've faced so far?
"The most difficult challenge I’ve faced since coming to art school is finding the balance between advocating for my own work, and staying humble. I’ve always tried to stay modest in terms of my work, but coming from a small high school with only a few other students focusing on art, it is hard to judge where your work stands. Arriving at a college where you are one of thousands studying art was extremely humbling, and extremely nerve-wracking. It was (and is!) one of my biggest struggles trying to advocate for my work, while not coming off as too proud. Finding the balance between being your own supporter and staying grounded and humble is difficult, but very, very important!"
What is the most valuable less you've learned so far?
"The most valuable lesson I’ve learned since coming to art school is that you truly get out what you put in - you can’t “cram” for a project the way you may be able to for an exam, you really just need to put in the hours. There’s not much room to hide behind anything with your assignments, so you really do just have to do the work - no shortcuts. "
What is something you'd like to share with the world about what you do?
"I think the most common misconception about art school is that we don’t have any work, or the work we do have isn’t hard - during my finals week, I stayed up for 3 straight days without sleep to finish one of my projects, and that was only one of five. Any work at the college level is hard - and art isn’t an exception! Also - I promise, we do get jobs."
Callie also makes some amazing clothes in her company called "Spilt Milk." Check it out here: spiltmilkco.com!
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