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Why I'm an Art Student: An Interview with Becky Chmielewski (4th year art student)

1) How long have you been interested in art? How long have you known that it's something you want to pursue as a career?

I have been interested in art ever since I was young. I always enjoyed drawing and painting, and I would do it in every spare moment that I had. So, I guess that I just always assumed that a career in that field would be what I would end up doing. I knew that with each step I took in my education, that art had to be a part of it, and luckily I went to a high school that valued the arts very highly and prepared me for higher education in fine arts.

2) Why did you choose to focus on art?

I guess the answer to this is pretty simple for me. I choose to focus on art because it is what I love doing. I have a passion for it, I have a drive to do it and I am good enough that I can make a life out of it.

3) To what extent is a formal education necessary for an artist?

This is a tough question. If you look at all of the great artists of the past and present, not all of them have been professionally taught how to be an artist. However, not everyone that is self-taught will be great. It takes a number of things to become a successful artist, and in my eyes, the more education, the better. Not only can you increase your knowledge of a subject that interests you, you learn the basic tools that will make you successful in whatever field you choose and most importantly you are provided with a community of peers and a pool of knowledge to fuel your art. I believe that artists also have to be intellectuals. They have to know what is going on in the world and bring it into their art, not necessarily explicitly, but the world we live in has an effect on the art we produce. Also, it is extremely important to have a core of knowledge of those who have come before us. In the art world, an understanding of art history, society and culture are imperative for creating to your fullest potential. Finally, if you want to be an artist and have a career in that, you need critics, and they do not just appear in the world. At an art school or art department, as a student you are provided with a community of critics and peers to work with, learn with, grow with and share ideas with. Once you are in the real world, this kind of community isn't as easy to come by, so to make contacts and friends and to begin that process of learning in a community, art school is extremely beneficial.

4) What are the most useful skills/techniques that you have learned from art classes?

I suppose some of the things that I mentioned above are important things that I have learned. Besides technical skills that I was able to hone and practice to perfection, I have learned how to speak about my art, how to speak about others' art, how to be critiqued and critique, how to research aspects of art and art history that interest me, and how to use my peers and community to my advantage. I have also learned that there are so many ways of viewing the world and projecting an image or idea into the world, which has expanded my ability to create to my fullest potential.

5) Has attending art school helped you to develop your own personal style? If so, how?

I would say definitely. Attending school has given me the resources to realize how much I can develop my own style. I have a group of people to talk about certain ideas with, and thus to challenge my ideas so that I can say exactly what I want to say within my art. I have worked very hard to find myself and my voice within my art and have gone through much trial and error and tweaking ideas and perfecting skills and trying new and different things to discover a unique vision of what my art can be. It has taken many years, and there are many more years ahead of learning and growing in my own style and voice, but school has provided me a framework for that process.

6) What should potential art students look for in an art school or art institute?

It is very important that you visit a school you are thinking about attending. Meet the students there and talk to them about what they are doing and if they like it and why they chose that school. Meet the faculty and ask them about the kind of classroom they run and about the programs that the school offers. Don't limit yourself to one specific field before you even try other things you haven't tried yet, but make sure the school offers things that you are interested in, as well as a variety of other things and the opportunity to try them. Check out the facilities and make sure they will be conducive to creativity and learn about the faculty and what kind of art they create in their own studios. Also, ask the students about other activities that go on at the school, and what you could get involved in. An educational experience is so much more worthwhile if you do more than just study or go to class. Most importantly, just make sure that the school feels right to you and that you will be comfortable in the city and community that it is a part of.

7) What advice would you give to people considering enrolling in an art school?

Look into many different schools and be willing to expand your way of thinking. Get to know the places you are applying to and make sure that art school is what you want to do. You will be spending many hours in studio and many hours outside trying to develop yourself as a complete artist and it is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, so really pursue something that you have a passion for, and work hard do to get a head start and build up your portfolio so that you have a basis to begin from. But, don't forget how important it is to have a well-rounded education. Having other classes outside of art is extremely important in fueling your creative, as well as intellectual development. Don't let yourself be limited by preconceived notions of what art school should be or what it is supposed to be but find the right fit for you, personally.

8) Do you have any recommendations for sources (i.e. web sites, books, textbooks) that would be beneficial to students?

In general, I would recommend looking up things that interest you in the field of art and learn about the people who have done them before you. You can always learn things from the past. Other than that, I would recommend getting into the contemporary art scene. Get to know the people who are making it now. Go to galleries and museums and art exhibition and get to know the artists that are around now. I am not sure about any specific books or web sites or anything.

9) What kinds of jobs and career opportunities are available in the field of art?

There are many career opportunities in the field of art from working as a professional artist to being a curator at a museum to being an art teacher or professor. It depends on the field of art that you choose, but there are jobs in advertising and design, computer technology and graphics, mural painting and interior decorating, furniture design and fashion design, curating, teaching, performing and commissioned kind of work. There are also other careers in things such as art therapy that incorporate knowledge in other areas like psychology and education that may be of interest to students. I like to think that you can do whatever it is that you want with an education in art and apply it to almost any kind of profession, and I have listed only a small number of them.

10) What do you enjoy the most about studying art?

What I enjoy most about studying art is what I said before: that I can study and learn about something that I have a passion for and want to pursue for the rest of my life. One of the best things about studying art is that I am constantly taking things in and growing in my creativity. I notice things about the world and how it works and how I want to portray it to my viewers. I get to come in contact with extremely interesting and talented people and see the way that they work and learn form their vision, as well as expanding my own. I learn about myself and how I see and what I want to show and what I think is important and what I am made of and how I can become better with each day. Every day is an exciting journey and it is wonderful that with art, I have a visual record of that journey and a glimpse of where I will be in the future.