So, I am super amped cause in September I’m starting my first year at Massart, I am going to do art things all day, which is great after a year at Northeastern of being a Spanish/Business major.
Anyway I am wondering, for those of you who went through art school - and those who didn’t - what type of unconventional shit really helped you in the long run?
I’m going to be a graphic design major and take a butt load of illustration electives, but is there anything that ended up helping you a lot when you didn’t expect it to? I have mad resources/facilities now and don’t want to waste them!
27 Comments
jelly said 4 months ago
No matter what you’re studying. Sit in the front row. It makes a huge difference.
a killer wombat said 4 months ago
networking, get to know as many people as possible as school. Cause as much as you want to think this industry is based on talent a whole lot of breaking into it is knowing the right people.
Jon Kruse said 4 months ago
so true
get peoples business cards that you meet.
Killer Napkins said 4 months ago
awesome!... i went through a fine art program at my community college... (very good art program) ... but i know what helped me the most is my core drawing classes... drawing from life and drawing from figures helps so so so much.. and i could tell who did and who didnt take those classes seriously ... hah ... our graphic design program, was weak though.. they didnt really care to teach the students about drawing too much therefore their work looked like garbage... hah ( even there design wrok looked like something that i saw back in highschool honestly) ... but anyway .. ill tell you thats what helped me a lot .... also in class critiques and jsut being around other students producign art is always great... you leanr alot from each other... much like people do on here too!
Ameeee said 4 months ago
Based on what I’ve heard from people employing graphic designers - it’s really valuable to know how to use the programs inside out in a real practical way. I guess because starting out (there are exceptions of course) you’re not going to be doing anything too creative. Knowing how to use all the layout functions and time saving things in InDesign will go a long way also - because apparently a lot of people finish their studies and can do really great art, but can’t do something basic.
At my college they were really big on us working in a "studio" environment. Every project had deadlines ranging from 1/2 an hr to 6 hrs - with a couple a bit longer. I found this really helpful because it forces you to think quick on your feet and it sounds good when you’re displaying your portfolio.
Oh and keyboard shortcuts..they go a long way too!
jaynajaynajayna said 4 months ago
This is so true, last semester I took a 300 level figure drawing course (which I had to kick and scream my way into because I wasn’t and art major) at Northeastern, almost all of the kids in it were seniors (in a 5 year program) in graphic design - none of them could fucking draw! Ok, so maybe like 3 or 4 of them could. It was so sad though, they would come over to me and be all, how do you draw them boobies so good, frosh?
Thanks all you doods for the advice keep it comin
swissarmyshark said 4 months ago
go to as many boston art shows as you can, you’ll feel bad about your own work, but it will help
Ameeee said 4 months ago
PS...I think it’s great that you’re going to take heaps of Illustration stuff combined with the Graphic design. Killer combo! That’s one thing I really missed out on by leaving university. Getting back into illustration will be my focus this next 8 months.
Good luck! Way excited for you! Oh the people you’ll meet! I’m a little jealous!
beth said 4 months ago
If the class offers tutoring go!! It helps alot and helps you get to know people that are trying to pass like you! So then you have friends to study with!
landshark said 4 months ago
1) you get back what you put forth.
2) in a critique keep a cool head, if someone whose work isn’t by most standards better than yours gives you ideas still listen and consider them.
3) experiment with your work based on what students and faculty say, if they say "i want to see this done bigger" or "use more colors." try that out, because essentially you are paying for the experience to experiment under those that hopefully know a thing or two.
4) find out if any teachers let students have free reign to the supply closet and if so figure out a way to loot, loot, loot.
5) work, work, work. find a certain time of the day that you do work best and do it at that time EVERYDAY (even christmas). I personally get up every morning at 7:30 and start work at 8 and go 'til Noon (i write though, but essentially the same thing).
6) make good choices. smoke your blunts and drink your whisky and beers if that’s your thing, but don’t ever make that the choice over finishing or working on a project. (drugs may help a few artists but truth be told you’ll witness more talent fade than prosper from this at school)
7) go to the library. i repeat go to the library. this is something 90 percent of students refuse to do. this is the most wasted resource today on campuses. go to the stack of big books, with all the prints of famous artists, graphic design books, and look at whats printed and reflect how your work ties into and how it doesn’t. i personally went to the library once a week, every sunday afternoon, think of it as your church.
8) collaborate. do a project or two with other students. they may have a couple of tricks to do things you can learn, and a few to share.
9) go to outside discussions. teachers will require you to go to some of the artist lectures and some won’t. go to all that you can, you’ll learn a lot here, sometimes more than in the classroom. i myself didn’t go to them for the first few years, mistake.
10) surround yourself with the most talented, either teachers or students. if you’re struggling or not doing good work you’ll at least be surrounded by it. this is why so many people on this site improve, when surrounded by talent you can’t do anything but improve.
Ameeee said 4 months ago
Landshark FTW!
Joe said 4 months ago
This is networking, but more specifically: form relationships with professors and others who have connections to places with which you want to be involved. I’m going to be applying for grad school in anthropology this fall, and I’m going to have recommendations from three profs who got their PhDs from the University of Chicago, all of whom are highly respected by the faculty their, so their recommendations have a lot of influence there (and University of Michigan). In addition to my transcript and writing, these recs are what will really get me in.
Master_Control said 4 months ago
Super good advice man. I start my first year of College at the Academy of Art University in SF. I have never been more excited for something in my entire life. The school’s graphic design program is phenomenal. I know I’m going to walk away with a fucking solid experience/education.
jimiyo said 4 months ago
faaaantastic.
Listen to your professors even if their breath stinks and you think they are senile.
I didn’t. Now I remember all the topics they touched on about negative space, gestures, and motion, and wish I would have listened better. I would probably be better at anatomy especially if I had listened about the gestures.
The boring stuff like doing still life, is very important. Seems mundane and fruitless, but its the ability to see contrast and actualize that.
Dont take bullshit classes just to get the credits. I took a semester of bookmaking, cause I knew it was easy and small. Also some other class that was BS. (I only had a 18 hr minor in art)
BUT DO take classes that you know you might actually be interested in. I regret not taking Oil painting 1 & 2. Was too expensive.
Anyways. Get the fundamentals down.
Excited for you. You have the chance to come out a killer artist.
I know a few internet friends of mine that sucked balls when they first entered and then came out and kicked my ass all over the place afterwards. You will have no other time in your life, at least as easily, where you can focus totally on art. Take advantage.
Good luck!
Perudoesitbetter said 4 months ago
Oh awesome, Hope you like it there.
I go to Emmanuel, it’s like right down the street. I can take classes at Mass art if i wanted, since we are all part of the COF (colleges of the fenway) im sure you know this already. I havnt cross registered anything yet, but i plan to.
Maybe i’ll see ya around...I doubt it though unless i hit up the mass art library. haha.
jimiyo said 4 months ago
congrats on TOTD
at http://www.designbyhumans.com/
Kolby said 4 months ago
Congrats jayna
I started school this week.
So far Im just taking two core classes.
quakerninja said 4 months ago
The best work I ever did was was all night on napkins at dennys, with buddys. I would rip those fuckers a new one and they would show me up the next day, it was like pen fighting and paper was the battlefield, take the most not at all art crap, it will help you think outside the box, I got a ba in theology, an aa in liberal arts, then some art crap. Polonesian art history beats davids stone dick any day of the week. (yay jungle boobies and monkey cocks)
learn some of that css web junk I wish I had, and mograph helps, people pay for motion.
If you hate it quit there are tons of schools out there. You want to have a good time after all.
shrooms for breakfast the whole bag just do it.
hideouscarwreck said 4 months ago
yay jolbs!
Master_Control said 4 months ago
oh snap!
brett_district said 4 months ago
i didn’t actually go to Massart, but i spent a lot of time at the Squealing Pig.
man, i miss that city.
Derisory Designs said 4 months ago
Take classes that aren’t related to your major so that you have other sources of inspiration to draw on when working on projects. I am not a religious person but I took quite a few religious classes in school and it gave me a lot of inspiration for my architectural degree. not to mention the few graphic design classes I took eventually led me to screen printing.
perfectevolution said 4 months ago
Couldn’t agree more with this.
jaynajaynajayna said 4 months ago
Haha dude, I go there every once in awhile. My room mate’s friend bartends on Mondays for Metal Mondays and he just plays metal all night. Last time they were playing old samurai movies on a screen that went so well with the music, biddies all runnin and almost getting raped and then saved by a bigger, gnarlier, samurai
illdthedj said 4 months ago
GETTING BUDDY BUDDY WITH THE TEACHERS.
i finished my masters degree in graphic design last summer, and i wouldnt have found my cushy graphic design job here at Gallo winery (we make all the budget wine like boones, b&j, barefoot, hornsby’s, etc lol) without the help of my TEACHERS.
IE> NETWORKING.
i got out school w/ my MFA at the age of 25...i thought i was hot shit cuz i had a masters, but in reality it dosnt really mean ANYTHING without experience (which i completely lacked, besides random freelance work, a summer internship, and tons of rave flyer designs lol but thats not going on the resume). EVERYWHERE i applied for full time jobs in san francisco area pretty much said the same thing: "your portfolio is great, but we’re looking for someone with a few years experience."
great, how do i get a few years experience if noone will hire people that have just graduated?
ANYWHO, long story still a long story, A TEACHER knew that this position opened up and let me know...but they too, were looking for someone with a few years experience...however, the teacher that was super supportive of me gave me the good word...perhaps my ex-teacher knew someone here in the graphic design department?
Basically, in the graphic design departments all over various art schools, the teachers are not only graphic design teachers but also working professionals in the field that you want to get into. They’re the people that have been doing for years what you want to be doing. In a sense, if you are able to impress your teachers, pay attention to what they say, become friendly and on good terms with them, and genuinely express interest in their classes they teach, in the long run it could help immensely in finding a job out of school.
and since you are spending X amount of days a week with them, they are your best bet at networking, and not only finding out about potential jobs, but even receiving personal recommendations.
good luck! ;p
illdthedj said 4 months ago
totally agree....
this Sacred Geometry class i took blew my mind, and helped me with my design work even tho it wasn’t exactly a graphic design course.
jelly said 4 months ago
Everytime I pass this thread, I think it says schlong.