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I went to the School of Art at CMU mainly because I was told by my guidance counselor in highschool that I'd fit in very well socially, and I also heard that CMU is a great school. If I hadn't gotten into this school, I'd probably have gone to Syracuse or some art school that wasn't nearly as academic/well-rounded as CMU. I went to CMU SOA (School of Art) expecting to learn very "practical" stuff—in the sense that they'd help me fit right in to the Hollywood niche of 3D modeling and animation or working for Pixar, perhaps even doing that stuff for a game company in sunny California. I know how incredibly cliche I sound. I probably sound like every other animation/digital art student in an art school. But here's what I learned in regards to these expectations I just mentioned:1. Around the end of my senior year, I'd realized I only wanted to do 3D animation/modeling because it was where the money was, compared to 2D media. 2. I don't have to work in a huge company that the whole world knows about in order to be happy.3. As an artist, I'm an artist because it's what I love to do and I enjoy it—if I'm going to be an artist, I shouldn't be motivated by money. For me, my best work has been motivated by passion… so I chose 2D media because I loved it more than 3D. And in the long run, if your passion leads to your best work, it will pay for itself.Let's talk about what SOA actually ended up making us do. Granted the college experience is actually what the STUDENT makes of it, not what the college MAKES YOU make of it, overall I found myself pretty unprepared once I got out of the internship that's (pretty much) on the CMU campus. (I interned at Disney Research for a year and a half—word of advice, if you want to work there, get connections and stand out in 3D art or engineering or programming… or something related to robotics…) and that was about 3 months after graduation. So technically, I didn't know what to do with myself on that fall after graduation. Here's why I think this is so. Freshman year, all your classes are pretty much picked for you. Concept Studios I and II, Drawing I and II, 3D Media (wood, metals, clay…), Electronic Media Studio… World History, Interp and Argument, Contemporary Arts Forum… of course, if it isn't a Studio class (each 6 hours a week) it's some history kind of course. In my experience, you don't really take multiple-choice question tests. You're expected to answer essay questions during tests, write essays for the bulk of your assignments, go to lectures and recitations and be able to discuss the readings. In at least 90% of the classes I've taken, participation is expected of you and takes up a significant fraction of your grade. That means you need to speak up during critiques during Studio classes (and when you do, contribute to an 'intellectual' discussion) and show that you've read the material in classes like in World History and any Art History classes. One huge obstacle I had to get through in my first 2 years of CMU SOA was how this school was NOT trade-school-like, like Art Center College of Art and Design of RISD or Ringling or MICA… though I really loved the professors and they were all very respectable (the art professors anyway), they're DEFINITELY leaned more towards the Contemporary Art scene, as in work you'd find in the Museum of Modern Art, Carnegie Museum of Art or the Whitney Museum… you're expected to obsess over artists like Marcel Duchamp, Donald Judd, Richard Serra, Andy Warhol, Vito Acconci, Matthew Barney Marina Abramovic… I'm not saying that these artists were irrelevant. I totally understand that (some of) these were among key figures that brought us from "art" in the "traditional" sense, like hyper-realistic paintings to today's contemporary art consisting of the abstract and conceptual, as opposed to purely aesthetic and literally representational. What I greatly appreciated about this program is how it got me to learn to accept contemporary art, even though it seemed like in Freshman year the professors were showing me porn-like videos of artists' performances. Make this distinction though. Just because I ACCEPTED it doesn't mean I learned to LIKE it. One of the biggest things I learned in my approach to any art, (and in a way, anything else in life,) was to be able to see them intellectually/objectively, while being able to put away your personal preferences because it is not enough to just say you hate Vito Acconci's perverted disturbing art work, you've got to make your point and prove it to those you're discussing the piece of art with. Basically like a lawyer. So essentially, you're taught to do whatever you want as long as you can defend your work intellectually and if the work somehow has something to bring to the table. Not in the practical sense, but "intellectually". Bottom line in regards to the kind of work you do in this school, in my experience, it's not enough to simply draw a pretty picture or if you just happen to be more skilled in drawing/painting than your peers. If you show your complacency to the faculty, they won't treat you that well.I found that the faculty/staff really like art work that has these qualities, some or all of these:artsy enlightenmnent experienceand networking my way into Disney Research, the game-making group of people I'd met and got to cling on to was one huge reason why I do not regret being at CMU. Not only do you learn to work together with team-mates in making games, the club invites companies like EA and Sony to come and scout for potential employees/interns. If you don't get a job out of it, at least talk to the people, network and make yourself known!So overall, I loved CMU and I do miss it. The art professors were VERY nurturing, gave you tough love and were always able to help you even if they don't specialize in your medium of art-making. The student body is very diverse, and most importantly, most of them I've met really care about their field of study and worked hard—and that is a VERY good vibe to have, because it made me want to care even more about what I did and do well. But if you're looking to end up working for Pixar or some huge animation/game company like Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network or EA or Blizzard… I'm pretty sure you'd have a harder time (not saying it becomes impossible) getting into those companies if you go to CMU SOA as opposed to a school like SVA/RISD/Ringling/Art Center or some other more trade-school-like institution. don't get me wrong, though. CMU SOA does have a few animation classes with an emphasis on learning Maya, and in the earlier required classes, you're required to learn how to use some software, including Flash, Final Cut Pro and Photoshop.If you go to CMU SOA, and they don't end up teaching you how to market yourself as an artist, do your own research on your own time—and you could even do freelancing part-time during the school year if you're good with managing your time. It's not enough to just be a good art-maker, if you want to be "successful"—you've got to round up your audience somehow.Good luck and I hope you enjoy your college years! |