I don't know what goes on in the US. I am from Greece, I'm talking about the situation here. Obviously this might not be as useful as you and the US so anyone reading this discussion should keep that in mind. Here be a bit backwards, there be -apparently- much better. Also here be cheaper, there be ridiculously expensive so I guess that evens out as well.
it's about surrounding yourself with people who are in the same situation and are exploring at the same time you are under the focussed tutelage of someone who has demonstrated proficiency in their field.
Yeah that's all great.
I still stand by my opinion that real life is the only place where anything of the greatest value occurs; the internet is a wonderful place to get help and meet people and have a good time, but it's still, no matter what anybody does, imaginary.
Greatest value? Well each to their own as far as categorizing values goes. But I don't understand how the internet is imaginary because there's no physicality to the critique process. I've met many, many people from the internet in real life, I go to trips with them, generally my real life and internet life are blurred. I don't treat critique any less seriously if it comes from an internet source and in fact, I am much more careful what I write when on the internet because it's a public platform for communication. Great things have happened for me online, generally. I'm sorry to hear that for you it's imaginary, but on the other hand I'm glad you're taking art school in stride and dynamically and putting your focus there, as you should in this period of your life.
When it comes to professors authority, any student who doesn't question their teacher at every turn is going to lose big.
Look, it's not about this Dead Poet Society type of thing you're discussing. I'm not talking about being taken seriously and/or questioning authority in this wonderful world of academics and high art where you can stand to gain at every turn blah blah blah. I am saying that regardless how testy or pernicious or
deep a relationship with an art teacher is, at the end of the day he is getting your money to teach you art. This always creates a certain dynamic between customer and provider and whereas higher ethics are welcome on the part of the provider, it should be realized that a provider he is. I am saying this because it's a lot, a lot different from coming on the internet and getting good critique out of the good will of strangers. You say it's imaginary, what's going on here. I say it's a freakin' miracle. There'll always be professional teachers providing for those that can afford it. I could afford it, you can afford it. A lot of people here cannot and yet they learn and progress out of a sense of belonging to a community on the internet which you strike off as imaginary. I've bettered my art at the critique of Ptoing much more than I did from the services of a teacher that got thousands of euros from me on the whole. This just blows my mind.
At least in America, the only people who succeed
I don't know the first thing about any of this, I'll take you at your word. Most professional artists in Europe have had at best, fringe connections to the academic world. At least in the fields I follow (mostly sequential art) people are self-taught and highly sought out for their individual talents. I don't know if that is success in America, but it is success of inner ambition, so hey, that means it's possible.
As far as a backed opinion, you've been to an art school, but you're attacking far more than you've experienced (a line or two aside where you admit this).
I am sorry, I do not understand this statement.
I've not come anywhere near completing school yet, but while my endorsements carry less weight than yours, I've already seen enough at RISD, CCA, and Parsons to know that your condemnations are widely misapplied.
Fair enough. A discussion such as this is surely to the benefit of the reader interested in applying to art school.
