What I learnt from going to Art School!

vtravels (65) in art • 7 years ago (edited)

Hi Steemians, hope you all had a lovely weekend. Today I am sharing a bit of a different post but one that I am quite passionate about - my experience of art school, I would love to hear your experience's if you have been to one too! I hope you enjoy the post! - Verity x

Before I became a professional wedding photographer I loved doing my own fine art photography, even from the age of 4 I was picking up my parents cameras and using them, but never did I consider pursuing it as a career. I wanted to be an artist, in what I wasn't sure, but I knew art was where I wanted to go! I have never really trained in photography, I went to Art College and then I did a Fine Art University course but didn't study photography, I did painting and other forms of art and then when the photography section of the course came around and we were taught how to develop our own film and were given a film camera to rent I was hooked! Now, almost 12 (scary!) years later and probably 80 film cameras that I've collected I am still as in love with it as when I first developed that first film! Although I didn't get taught how to take photographs at art college or on my university fine art course, what I did learn was that apparently to make it as a fine art photographer there needs to be a story behind each of your photographs.

After an intensive year art course I knew I wanted to keep it going so chose to do Art at University, after a short while I knew photography was my strong point and as I had learned after being there for just a few months a story was what I needed! So I started taking photographs and then making up reasons and weird stories as to why, it became normal. I would take a series of photographs and spend 1, if not 2, weeks coming up with a story as to "why". I would submit them to the tutors who took in my stories and were enthralled by them, but after a while I realised it was just not me, I didn't ever understand why you had to have a story, and most of the time the sadder or politically appealing the story was the higher points or attention you would get.

On my uni course I was literally being judged against people who presented a plastic container of their own sick (yes!) and another who filled buckets with candle wax. Now I am not saying whether their "art" was good or not but I don't really feel that I was in the right place for my photographs, that I took just because I wanted to, to be judged against something completely the other end of the scale of art. I made it through my 3 year course doing what they wanted, coming up with obscure stories and sometimes I would get to the point where I would believe them too!! It didn't feel right, but everyone else was doing the same, and they kept questioning me when I couldn't think of why I took a photograph, and saying "just because I wanted to" just wasn't good enough.

So the people on my course drawing pictures as if a child had drawn them got huge credit while I was just sat there thinking what on earth I was getting myself into! I had no idea art had to have THIS much purpose The likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin did amazing things for the art world, but they were the first ones to push the boundaries of what is called "art". But what made them so prolific was that they actually had genuine reasons "why", and what I found on my course was that there were just hundreds of wannabe Hirst's and Emin's wanting to do whatever it took to shock the tutors and the art world that they were going to the ends of the earth to do it, and to be honest most of the time it worked! To me art is just art. It comes in many thousands of forms, but to ME it has to INSTANTLY be visible, so if there is an installation of a light bulb flickering on and off in a art gallery and I can't instantly tell why, to me that is not art. It shouldn't need an essay to go with it. I love installation art, I really do! But there are ways to make it accessible to everyone without all the rubbish behind it.

Another reason I just didn't get the uni course was that we were having to learn about other artists and mimic their work. I actually got in a lot of trouble with one of the tutors for arguing this but I was really just curious! I wanted to know why they thought copying other artists was making US better artists?! Surely being an artist comes from WITHIN. I didn't understand how copying how Picasso paints or painting from a photograph was really teaching us how to be our own artist. My dad has been an artist since I was born, he had no teaching and has made a living on it for nearly 30 years. I'm sure Picasso or Monet didn't study millions of other artists and copy their work. Each famous artist in the World is so completely unique that I found it hard to understand how copying others wouldn't just make us all turn out the same. They weren't allowing us to become our own artist. I am not quite sure what reasons they gave behind it, I probably wasn't listening as much as I would do now (typical teenager!!) but I remember thinking at the time that they didn't really know how to respond. Instead they just said I had to comply with the course or not be on it!

As I wanted to now pursue photography instead of painting it was completely new to me. So I set out taking photographs of everything. Suddenly a whole new world of art had just opened up to me and I was using the camera as more of a paintbrush! It was now my way of expressing myself or just taking photographs of what I liked!! But again the tutors had problems with this, they kept saying I needed to find my niche, I couldn't just keep taking photographs in all these different styles and different subjects I had to just pick one! "But why?!" I said, I loved taking photographs of everything, from landscapes to long exposures to art, people, abstract I wanted to create everything. I said "well is there one that just isn't quite as successful as the others?" and the tutors said no, they saw potential in them all. So against their wishes I just did what I wanted, I took photographs of whatever I wanted and every time I submitted a selection they loved them. Why should we narrow down our creativity? I found it hard to believe that an art course would make you want to do that.

When I left art college ( an intensive 1 year course ) in Wales I really really wanted University to be the same, they gave us so much homework and pushed us to be the best, but after a month of Uni I quickly realised it was not going to be the case. We weren't pushed at all, we were given 8 week periods to submit work and then bring it in, with no guidance only criticism on the work you did in those 8 weeks, how is that useful? But then I kind of came to the conclusion that art just isn't something you can really judge or teach. Sure you can teach someone how to use a camera or a paintbrush but to create a "work of art"is up to them, I think skill only makes up a very small percentage of an artist the rest you must be born with! So I came to terms with what the tutors were doing and just accepted that I was expecting a lot more than was available to me, and although it isn't an excuse for how poor I found this course, they were just finding whatever ways they could to TEACH people art, so if that meant copying others in their mind I guess that was fine!

I ended up being the only person to sell all my final pieces of work at the degree show, out of the WHOLE course. And funnily enough the photographs that sold had NO story attached to them, so the viewer that bought all these photographs bought them for their beauty not the story behind them, I was so happy. I butted head with my tutors a view time on the course, but in the end I think it taught me that you just have to do what you believe in, if you don't believe in your work it will come across and it just won't work. It's like with anything it's all YOUR OPINION and how much you depend or believe the opinion of others!

Whilst I don't regret going to Uni to do art I don't think if I had known how the course was going to be I would have taken it, in the end I grew as an artist on my own and I guess if they had been pushing me to do all this work and homework maybe I wouldn't have had the time to grow on my own. I still think that to be an artist comes from within so to anyone who has ever been told they need a "why" I say you just tell them "because I wanted to" and to me that is a good enough reason!

- Verity x
Photography by me and copyrighted to me.
Please UPVOTE / RESTEEM / FOLLOW to support my work on Steemit - Thank you!

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7 years ago by vtravels (65)

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shlomit (54) · 7 years ago

I totally agree!
When I went to art school, I designed whatever I wanted and then made up a story for the teachers as well :D
What I like in art is that it evokes emotions and people create their own stories in their mind while viewing it. That's why I don't like giving my explanations with my work, I want people to interpert it on their own.

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Aww thank you for your comment, I am so glad it wasn't just me who had this experience. I am glad you don't give explanations to your work now, that's what I love about it is that everyone can take what they want from your work.

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shlomit (54) · 7 years ago

Love the photos by the way <3

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Thanks!:)

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ricpicks (64) · 7 years ago

congratulation for all your victories, you have a very good eye for photography, great compositions and colors! but its even nicer to see that you took some time and take part in the "fix it Friday" just because you love to do what you do and of cause this was decent work as well =D, anyway... #followed

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Thanks you, your right I do enjoy it! I think that's the answer, I am so grateful for everyone who comments, follows or likes my page, it means so much to me, if I can inspire other photographers then that's all I can hope for!

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raoul.poenar (60) · 7 years ago

Woow I love this series! The fourth one is my absolute favorite! :) Resteemed

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Thank you so much, and thanks for the resteem, much appreciated :)

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ananuaremere (60) · 7 years ago

You are amazing!

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Awww your amazing too!!

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resteemy (37) · 7 years ago

Congratulations, you were selected for a random upvote! Follow @resteemy and upvote this post to increase your chance of being upvoted again!
Read more about @resteemy here.

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Thanks!

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jezfredcaderao (33) · 7 years ago

nice passion. ilove art too.. keep posting

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Thank you!

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artizm (60) · 7 years ago

Most of the wedding photographer is far from attracting art photography. their only purpose is to make money. but you are both an excellent wedding photographer and an excellent artist. aesthetic look is very good. I love you and your work very much.
I missed a lot of your share, now I look at all and wonder!
congratulations .. HUG !<3

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Aww thank you Ceren, we love what we do so I am so glad it comes across, I don't think we could do it if we didn't. I hope you have a lovely week, speak soon! :)

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derekkind (64) · 7 years ago (edited)

An honest assessment. And as usual, the thing itself isn't necessarily good or bad, but how you react is what makes the difference. It sounds like these art courses helped you hash out your own views about art, even if they were very different from those held by the people teaching the course, whereas some students may have just done as they were told and got no farther, either in art or in wisdom.

I don't think school/university and art go together very well, because the grades that you're supposed to be working towards don't reflect either your own satisfaction with your art or the public's reaction to your art, and arguably those are the only two things that matter. Your teachers, by virtue of being immersed in the art world themselves, may be the least qualified people around to tell you how your art will be perceived in the real world.

Art is a great thing to learn about, both the theory and technique, but it's too subjective to be subjected to a standard rating metric, especially at the early stages, when kids are just trying to figure out what they like.

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Thank you for your comment. Your right they did help, in their own way! And whether they meant to or not that's why I don't regret going to them! I agree I don't think the two go together that well either, I'm sure an art history course would be fine but that's completely different. And as far as the tutours go I would have loved them to be artists themselves making it in the world, however they weren't, they didn't even do an art form themselves so I didn't quite understand how they could judge us on ours.

I agree, it is a hard thing to teach and shouldn't be based on a metric rating system where you get good or bad grades, I would love to see that change!

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derekkind (64) · 7 years ago

Just to digress a little, I feel like it's the same for photo critiques: it doesn't particularly matter whether the critic is right or wrong when they analyze an image - what's important is listening to the critique and deciding for yourself whether it's right or wrong, and why.

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

I definitely agree with you, I think you do have to take what you can from it all, and if you don't agree with them that's fine too, but criticism is good when it's required!

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annalogic (47) · 7 years ago

Wow! I truly feel it. Perfect composition. The colours are powerful! Well done.

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Thank you!

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ilanaakoundi (64) · 7 years ago

Yup, me too, I agree! Art should be about what inspires you as the artist, if others come along and enjoy or appreciate it then it 's wonderful. Art is not formulaic, it comes from within! I love the photo on the farm with the plastic covering the hay blowing in the wind, cool!

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Yes it should come from within and you should do it to make yourself happy, and if it does it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks of it. Thank you!! That photo was part of a series which I should get round to posting soon! :) xoxox

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ilanaakoundi (64) · 7 years ago

Exactly! I found my art teachers from fine arts to commercial arts mostly full of themselves and arbitrary "rules" I should like to see that series, very much! looking forward! xo

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Me too, they didn't even practice art themselves so I found it hard to understand how they would judge us! Anyway! I am glad it wasn't just me with this opinion, thank you for your comments! xx

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alevaskye (53) · 7 years ago

Thank you for sharing your experience. It's always seemed an odd concept for me to judge artwork. Obviously each person can have very different opinions about the same piece, so how can one assign grades? Makes no sense.

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vtravels (65) · 7 years ago

Yes I am sure people have different experiences from the same course, but your right I don't understand how it can be graded either, I hope the system can learn and change in the future!

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