What is the typical semester like for an "Arts" student?

[Martin]

I dunno what the f-ck they do all the time, cuz it sure as hell isn't schoolwork.

I have 1 artsie course this semester. I am getting 80s and I am only showing up for the class 1/2 the time. I have not done any HW for the last 2 months.

I also watched my sis go through political "science" and damn...artsies have tons of time on their hands. Work? perhaps maybe occasionally..but not really.

 

[Jfur]

Originally posted by: MartyTheManiak
I dunno what the f-ck they do all the time, cuz it sure as hell isn't schoolwork.

I have 1 artsie course this semester. I am getting 80s and I am only showing up for the class 1/2 the time. I have not done any HW for the last 2 months.

I also watched my sis go through political "science" and damn...artsies have tons of time on their hands. Work? perhaps maybe occasionally..but not really.

She must attend a really sad school

 

[johnjohn320]

Originally posted by: Jfur

Originally posted by: MartyTheManiak
I dunno what the f-ck they do all the time, cuz it sure as hell isn't schoolwork.

I have 1 artsie course this semester. I am getting 80s and I am only showing up for the class 1/2 the time. I have not done any HW for the last 2 months.

I also watched my sis go through political "science" and damn...artsies have tons of time on their hands. Work? perhaps maybe occasionally..but not really.

She must attend a really sad school

Yeah, no kidding. MartytheManiak, having one fvcking course in "art" (you didnt bother to say what kind of art) does not give you an idea of what an art major is...

Has everyone here forgotten that music education majors take more classes than any other major at most universities?

 

[stonecold3169]

Depends on the type of arts. I go to an engineering university (Comp sci being my major) and about a mile down the road there is a big music college. I have several friends at both places, and I have to say that although the number of credits taken tends to be lower on the music side, they do just as much work as we do here. With practice time figured into the equation as well as mandatory extras, they stay pretty busy. On the other hand, I also have a couple of studio art majors, and they do jack and get good grades, and are always out drinking and with friends on weeknights.

 

[ElFenix]

yeah lets attack people getting an education, thats productive. don't we get this thread like every week?

 

[LethalWolfe]

Originally posted by: BillGates

Originally posted by: Whisper
The majority of a liberal arts major's time is spent reading. I'm a psych major and english minor, and can attest to this first hand. Weekly essays and tests are about as much fun as my weekly organic chem lab was. Good thing I dropped pre-med, or I'd be crying right now

It may look like us liberal arts peoples have more free time because we're more prone to procrastination than you and your fellows. I know that quite a few times this semester I've pulled all-nighters for my abnormal psych tests, and I have yet to begin writing my weekly essay before Thursday (due each friday morning). I'm finally getting back into my old study habits, but ironically it comes just when I'm beginning to get into my research experience and internships. Ahh well, at least I'll be prepared for the hell that is grad school. Woohoo!

Oh, and to this:

Isn't art about a person's creativity? How can you make people go to class to LEARN some art style.

I say take an art class; you'll be surprised. Art is just like english/writing in that you'd think it's intuitive, and can't be taught. But try going through an art appreciation or critical reading and writing course without seeing your own works improve. The higher level courses generally help you in maturing your talent. As you learn to notice things in the work of others that you hadn't seen or paid attention to before you begin to assimilate those techniques, and then use them in your own stuff.

Yeah, that's what I was talking about - you start to lose your unique style as you try to model your work after that that others have done.

If you want to be an artist, you really don't need to go to college - just sit down and paint some crap or whatever. If you really are a true artist you should be able to produce good things without having somebody looking over your shoulder telling you what you're doing wrong or how you should be doing it.

(I may be wrong about this; I hate "doing" art, but looking at it I don't mind. I spent 4 hours at an art museum yesterday and saw daVinci's first painting, pretty sweet)

Yeah, yer way off base there.

To be a good artist you have to practice, you need to be critiqued (sp?), and of course you need to be able to make something that doesn't suck. Obviously some people have more talent and skill right from day one, but that's true in every aspect of life.

Good art instruction, IMO, will spend 30% time on theory (the "why") and 70% time on technical aspects (the "how") and studio work. And, of course, a student who really "want it" will spend time outside class working on their own (I averaged 30 hours a week working on my own projects) Of course some art is more technical than others (photography vs paiting, for example).

The most valuable part of going to college for an artist is the access to equipment and opportunities that only present themselves to students. Thru my department in college I had access to a lot of stuff and actually got some paying gigs that wouldn't have been possible unless I was in school).

Of course college isn't for everyone and some people do have the ability and discipline to learn, grow, achieve, and express w/o the "structured" (and I use the term loosely) environment a college art major would offer. Even people who don't go to school usually find a mentor, or a group of other artists to be with. They are still teaching and learning even if it's not in an academic setting.

Lethal

 

[UglyCasanova]

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Originally posted by: BillGates
Art: what a worthless major!

Isn't art about a person's creativity? How can you make people go to class to LEARN some art style.

I can just hear the hippie teachers: "NONO, that art is all wrong. Even though it is all individual creativity, it is WRONG. Your unique creativity is incorrect, and you fail!"

That or they just sit in class all day and make bongs out of pottery clay.

Someone who feels this way is what makes people like me very sad, lol. This is exactly what people talk about when they say "Americans have no exposure to fine arts."

Of course you have your own creativity. But you have to know what you're doing first. There's two (general, broad) steps in learning music: Craft and Interpretation. For example, a carpenter can't just decide to build a really cool house with all sorts of neat features, and eye candy, etc, if he hasn't perfected everything that goes into building a house, using the tools, making everything structurally sound, etc. He has to be an engineer first, then worry about making it "cool" later.

I don't really know how to say it, other than I grieve for you if you see studying art as a worthless waste of time.

I have taught myself how to draw, with very little instruction from any art teachers (only the required bs art classes in school). I think I am fairly good at drawing as well, since I have been offered numerous scholorships to colleges and have won several awards. I have also practiced for 18 yrs. It is possible and in the end you do end up with your own unique style. I do not think that you can go to class to become an artist. The classes teach you technique, not creatity. Technique is very important in expressing yourself though, but don't confuse great technique with creativity or true art. The only way to learn to draw is to sit down all of the time and draw. I don't mean draw DBZ either. It doesnt have to been some boring ass still life or another pic of a landscape, just practice different techniques and always challenge yourself. If you have an idea but you think it is too hard to draw, you should not be in the classes to begin with. Hell yeah stuff is hard to draw, but you never improve unless you challenge yourself. My opinion for what its worth though.

 

[yellowperil]

It depends how involved you are in your major. Just doing the minimum to get your BA/BS in a non-'hard science' major isn't that time-consuming, but doing other things like research takes up a lot of time. I was a microbiology major my first two years and a psychology/sociology major the last two. When I was taking research credits for psychology I was at school for longer periods of time than I ever was in biology.

 

[LH]

lol,uknow how many art people work to make video games? or did you think comp sci people draw too

The majority of my contacts in the game industry that are artists, have BFA's, either in Drawing or Design, with a handful that have BS in Comp Sci. Over the next 15 years, high quality artists will be needed, sure there are some comp sci people that are good artists. This is why the game industry has started poaching hollywood artists, because hollywood has alot of talented artists. 15 people that worked on Shrek are now in the video game industry. Several from Pixar are now in the video game industry. Etc etc.

As graphics get to photo realistic levels, highly talented artists are going to be in demand in the game industry. Anyone can learn animation, but to be up their in skill level, pay level and in demand, most people would prefer a person with a BFA(or MFA), over someone with a comp sci degree that doodles and dabbles.