07-22-2017, 08:35 PM
sorry i don't have specifics for the schools in the uk...this is just general stuff.
1. Build good habits now. whether you go to school, do online courses or self study totally on your own, your proficiency as an artist is probably directly linked to the amount of targeted and effective work you do. Note, effective; grinding without understanding your specific goal and reasons for studying will make things much less focused and predictable in terms of your improvement. Discipline is integral to doing anything well and if you want to freelance successfully, ever, you can forget about it without self discipline. Make this a priority now.
2. Debt can be debilitating weight that follows you around, but if it's a means to an end and you are a focused disciplined sort, it may be worth it, but much longer and harder to be free of it on the tail end. I was lucky and didn't have to pay my way fully through university (non art related) but I definitely didn't want debt hanging over me later on when I decided to art, so I self taught.
Somewhat different, is not having enough money to pay for the basics of your physical survival while trying to couple income to your art. This is the WORST situation to get into, is a constant stressor and is likely to eventually fuck up your art and desire to do it eventually. If you see yourself ever in this situation, do whatever it takes to not remain there for too long.
3. I agree with others that working a day job and paying your own way is difficult and more suited for focused stubborn people. However having done that for 3-4 years and transitioned to fulltime freelance, I see now that working and doing self study can actually also be a very effective motivator, more than if you had 18 hours free everyday to do art. But it totally depends on your personality and attitude. I self taught in the 4-6 hours I had free between being at work on weekdays. It was hard to sustain for long periods without some form of physical crash until I learned to balance this with adequate rest and fun. But overall I was MUCH more prolific when i was working a non art related job and doing art on the side, where somehow it is harder for me to get to work these days. I am a lazy ass without external time constraints placed on me.
4. Don't sweat the specifics of your path too much. Things will tend to work out if you can maintain a healthy passion and interest for what you are doing. That tends to translate directly into your work and is visible for all to see. Once you start getting too uptight and worried about what discipline to focus on, whether your stuff is good enough, whether people like your shit, whether it will get you jobs, etc etc then your work will exhibit those symptoms too.
5. On the flip side, you should determine what you might enjoy and/or have a specific proficiency for before you "get good enough". Don't wait too long to learn about the illustration process, or game production/design, or 3d, or whatever. Having some goals to help you focus can be an incredible boon, even if they change along the way. Just remember to have fun and be lighthearted!!! Explore, Learn, Play, no matter which way you go. Lose this aspect of enjoyment of the journey and you may as well give up.
1. Build good habits now. whether you go to school, do online courses or self study totally on your own, your proficiency as an artist is probably directly linked to the amount of targeted and effective work you do. Note, effective; grinding without understanding your specific goal and reasons for studying will make things much less focused and predictable in terms of your improvement. Discipline is integral to doing anything well and if you want to freelance successfully, ever, you can forget about it without self discipline. Make this a priority now.
2. Debt can be debilitating weight that follows you around, but if it's a means to an end and you are a focused disciplined sort, it may be worth it, but much longer and harder to be free of it on the tail end. I was lucky and didn't have to pay my way fully through university (non art related) but I definitely didn't want debt hanging over me later on when I decided to art, so I self taught.
Somewhat different, is not having enough money to pay for the basics of your physical survival while trying to couple income to your art. This is the WORST situation to get into, is a constant stressor and is likely to eventually fuck up your art and desire to do it eventually. If you see yourself ever in this situation, do whatever it takes to not remain there for too long.
3. I agree with others that working a day job and paying your own way is difficult and more suited for focused stubborn people. However having done that for 3-4 years and transitioned to fulltime freelance, I see now that working and doing self study can actually also be a very effective motivator, more than if you had 18 hours free everyday to do art. But it totally depends on your personality and attitude. I self taught in the 4-6 hours I had free between being at work on weekdays. It was hard to sustain for long periods without some form of physical crash until I learned to balance this with adequate rest and fun. But overall I was MUCH more prolific when i was working a non art related job and doing art on the side, where somehow it is harder for me to get to work these days. I am a lazy ass without external time constraints placed on me.
4. Don't sweat the specifics of your path too much. Things will tend to work out if you can maintain a healthy passion and interest for what you are doing. That tends to translate directly into your work and is visible for all to see. Once you start getting too uptight and worried about what discipline to focus on, whether your stuff is good enough, whether people like your shit, whether it will get you jobs, etc etc then your work will exhibit those symptoms too.
5. On the flip side, you should determine what you might enjoy and/or have a specific proficiency for before you "get good enough". Don't wait too long to learn about the illustration process, or game production/design, or 3d, or whatever. Having some goals to help you focus can be an incredible boon, even if they change along the way. Just remember to have fun and be lighthearted!!! Explore, Learn, Play, no matter which way you go. Lose this aspect of enjoyment of the journey and you may as well give up.