Art Institutes - Love Em or Leave Em?

I've heard time and again, people who spent the money to go to an expensive, prestigious art institute, have lived to regret it. Sure they probably got some good out of it, but more often than not the art school they choose never really gets them where they thought it would. Of course nobody knows this until after the fact, and hindsight is 20-20 as they say.

Countless starry-eyed aspiring artists graduate from high school, all fired up to attend a big name art university, or maybe a school of music. Inevitably, relatives come out of the woodwork to tell them what a mistake it is to pursue their art education, and that going to art school will be a waste of their talent, etc. etc. Of course who listens to their relatives at that stage of their life? Certainly not I! All we want to do is get away from our parents, brothers & sisters, or whomever else is constantly telling us what to do (or not do) with our life. Heading off to art school has to be a whole lot more fun than staying home, that's for certain!

At the end of the day however, the art institute you choose to pour your heart and soul into, probably doesn't much care about you the individual. If they change policies that cut classes you planned to take, well that's just too bad. Or if they change their fee structure and suddenly you can't afford it the way you thought... also too bad. The university staff certainly aren't going to make up for your losses out of their pockets!

These specialty art schools are in business to make money, like any other company. Once they have your money in their coffers, your art education is not exactly a top priority. Yes there may be a few excellent teachers who seem to really care about how you do, but their influence is extremely limited at best, and pointless at worst. Ultimately, you're likely to primarily learn a few of life's harder lessons. Self reliance, don't trust too much, life is hard... those will be your mantras throughout your art institute stay.

But then again, everyone always comes away with a few memories, from a few events, that ultimately help to shape them into the person they are for the rest of their life. So maybe going to art school is not entirely without merit - but it's an expensive way to "find yourself" that's for sure!

Kathy Hildebrand is a professional writer who is easily bored with her "day job" assignments. So, she researches anything and everything of interest and starts writing. Writing about an extremely wide variety of subjects keeps her skills sharp, and gives her food for thought on future paid writing assignments.

More of her research and articles can be found at her web site and other sites around the internet.