Do You Need Art School To Be Successful?

For aspiring artists, the prospect of art school can be daunting.  It’s competitive, it’s expensive – but when you get past that, it can be one of the most life-altering experiences for an artist.  You get special opportunities, you make countless connections (socially and professionally), and you’ll learn about all aspects of art - you’ll get a well-rounded education, including art history, various forms of studio art, and design.  Interested in art school?  Read on:

In the art world, people sometimes assume no degree is needed for success.  That’s not to say it’s advisable – stardom, though tied to talent, almost has more to do with winning the metaphorical lottery.  For most of us, it’s simply not going to happen. 

A bachelors’ degree in fine arts (or, even better a BFA) will definitely give you a leg up.  As each generation becomes increasingly educated, a college degree is quickly becoming vital.  Now, an undergraduate degree is almost the status quo; masters’ degrees, too, have recently become much more popularized.

In art school, you’ll be taking classes with who will presumably be the future leaders in the field -you could be making the connections of a lifetime.  And more than in the strictly practical sense, there’s something wonderful about being thrown together with a group of artistic young people -that’s a breeding ground (in the figurative and literal sense) for creativity.  You’ll be inspired by your peers and instructors, and be pushed to create even better and higher quality work.

And let’s not forget the fact that prestigious art schools are also often visited by art dealers looking for the next hot thing.  Plus, students are also afforded opportunities like public gallery shows.  While employment is by no means guaranteed, you’ll get once-in-a-lifetime networking and professional opportunities.

For many, art school is an important step in building up a respectable portfolio.  Art school gives you more than just experience: when else will you have a four-year block of time set aside exclusively for you to create?  It’s an artist’s dream come true; it’s an opportunity and experience not to be missed.

And think of it a way to incubate your talent: an education in art will give you the chance to explore mediums and techniques you may never have tried on your own.  Maybe you’ll go in as an oil painter and come out a mixed-media sculptor – or maybe you’ll find that you’re actually an extremely talented typographer.

There are lots of reasons to go to art school – be it to learn the top interior design tips, or to become the next Picasso: the possibilities are endless. Art school is not a means to an end – it’s one of those situations where the quote-unquote “journey” is the most important part of all.  Albeit rather corny, it’s true: art school is an experience that you won’t regret.
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Dave Landry is a writer that has contributed to several different education sites. He knows that with the growing costs of education art school might not seem like a viable option but encourages prospective students to look further into the benefits of higher education.

View the original article here

Do You Need Art School To Be Successful?

For aspiring artists, the prospect of art school can be daunting.  It’s competitive, it’s expensive – but when you get past that, it can be one of the most life-altering experiences for an artist.  You get special opportunities, you make countless connections (socially and professionally), and you’ll learn about all aspects of art - you’ll get a well-rounded education, including art history, various forms of studio art, and design.  Interested in art school?  Read on:

In the art world, people sometimes assume no degree is needed for success.  That’s not to say it’s advisable – stardom, though tied to talent, almost has more to do with winning the metaphorical lottery.  For most of us, it’s simply not going to happen. 

A bachelors’ degree in fine arts (or, even better a BFA) will definitely give you a leg up.  As each generation becomes increasingly educated, a college degree is quickly becoming vital.  Now, an undergraduate degree is almost the status quo; masters’ degrees, too, have recently become much more popularized.

In art school, you’ll be taking classes with who will presumably be the future leaders in the field -you could be making the connections of a lifetime.  And more than in the strictly practical sense, there’s something wonderful about being thrown together with a group of artistic young people -that’s a breeding ground (in the figurative and literal sense) for creativity.  You’ll be inspired by your peers and instructors, and be pushed to create even better and higher quality work.

And let’s not forget the fact that prestigious art schools are also often visited by art dealers looking for the next hot thing.  Plus, students are also afforded opportunities like public gallery shows.  While employment is by no means guaranteed, you’ll get once-in-a-lifetime networking and professional opportunities.

For many, art school is an important step in building up a respectable portfolio.  Art school gives you more than just experience: when else will you have a four-year block of time set aside exclusively for you to create?  It’s an artist’s dream come true; it’s an opportunity and experience not to be missed.

And think of it a way to incubate your talent: an education in art will give you the chance to explore mediums and techniques you may never have tried on your own.  Maybe you’ll go in as an oil painter and come out a mixed-media sculptor – or maybe you’ll find that you’re actually an extremely talented typographer.

There are lots of reasons to go to art school – be it to learn the top interior design tips, or to become the next Picasso: the possibilities are endless. Art school is not a means to an end – it’s one of those situations where the quote-unquote “journey” is the most important part of all.  Albeit rather corny, it’s true: art school is an experience that you won’t regret.
______________________________________
Dave Landry is a writer that has contributed to several different education sites. He knows that with the growing costs of education art school might not seem like a viable option but encourages prospective students to look further into the benefits of higher education.

View the original article here

School trips rescued following collapse of ABTA Tour Operator

Four schools had their trips dramatically rescued following the failure of ABTA tour operator TJM travel on 23 May 2013. ABTA tour operator Voyager School Travel stepped in to offer the schools the same trips to Tossa de Mar in northern Spain departing only 24 hours after TJM went out of business. Voyager School Travel provided the trips safe in the knowledge that the payments made by parents to TJM travel for their children’s holidays were fully protected by ABTA.

Ensuring these trips went ahead at such short notice was a daunting logistical challenge but it was made possible by the expertise on offer from Voyager School Travel and the 100% financial protection offered by ABTA for the trips. A further 25 schools have been affected by the failure of TJM Travel and they will receive full refunds, which will enable them to rebook their trips with other ABTA specialist tour operators.

The Gable Hall in Essex, Hayes School Kent, Winterbourne School in Bristol and Wye Vale Buckingham were the four schools affected each of whose parties had paid tens of thousands of pounds to TJM Travel, which was protected by ABTA.

Mr Stephen Whittle, Head of School at Hayes School said: “Receiving the news the day before our trip was due to depart that TJM Travel had ceased business led us to doubt whether the trip would go ahead. Our trip leader received prompt and professional contact from Voyager School Travel providing the reassurance that they could honour the booking, accommodation and planned activities. The trip went ahead and whilst parents were informed of the change all went ahead as planned, with no difference to the students’ and staff members’ enjoyment of a great trip.“

John de Vial, ABTA Head of Financial Protection, said: “Any travel company failure is not good news for their customers but by working together with our Member Voyager School Travel I am delighted that we were able to get these four school groups off on their trips. It is a shining example of the important role that ABTA performs in financially protecting over three million holidays provided each year by ABTA tour operators.”

Nigel English, Managing Director of Voyager School Travel, said: “The pressure was certainly on to turn everything around in 24 hours, but Voyager School Travel was happy to do all that we could to help the schools in these difficult circumstances and ensure that pupils who’d no doubt been looking forward to their trip all year, did indeed get to go away. From the perspective of a professional working in the travel industry, it was great to see that not only does the ABTA bonding system work, but the system is relatively simple and straightforward.”

View the original article here