3 Reasons Not to Go to Art School

They say to do what you love, and the money will follow. I believe in this.statement, with some clarifications.

You have some talent, and you really love doing art. Nothing else really appeals to you, and pursuing an art degree is looking more and more attractive.

1. By the time you're done you may be tired of doing art.

Once you start doing it as work it becomes, well, work. You pursue it because you love it but then the love turns to something else. This is a case of doing what you love, and the money will follow, but the love might fly out the window. This isn't the case for everyone. You might eat, sleep, and breathe art. It may take some time and soul searching to figure out where you stand on this.

2. You probably won't be able to make a living only doing art.

You may start to doubt your decision to try to make a living as an artist and resent that choice. Most artists must do other things to bring in money alongside their artwork. If your only education/experience is doing art, then you will have fewer choices and lower compensation when it comes to those side jobs. Telemarketing, anyone? So in addition to art school, learn some other skills. As an artist, I bristled at the phrase "something to fall back on". That implied that inevitably I was going to fail as an artist, and there was no way I was letting that happen! It is more a matter of learning other skills so that your non-art sideline income comes from something you can tolerate and that pays relatively well.

3. You hate doing marketing.

Artists must spend a lot of time marketing their work, and looking for and pursuing opportunities. You went to art school so that you didn't have to deal with the stuff people in other professions deal with: public relations, advertising, business management. Guess what? Those things are at least as important to your career as an artist as is your artistic talent itself. Know this now. Your art education will probably barely teach you about business practices, so you'll need to take it upon yourself to learn.