I'm tired of people who teach because they are either inundated in loan payments or have no other choice. The education system I came from had teachers who were the BEST. I guess I'm privileged in that respect, but my goodness, there are some real stinkers out here where I am. The system is piss poor and intellectually banal, the thought process simplistic and puerile and it makes me grateful for every day that I received the bulk of my education elsewhere. The focus out here is on aesthetics and the design process is incredibly shallow. The artists do not read enough (unless it is art books LOL), but often copy each other's work and ideas, or that of those (from peers, etc) they see. But I LOVE learning and learning new skills!
For one; the educational system and the standards here are unfathomably low. It's disgusting. I also had a bait and switch with another one last minute; I'll find out how that goes tomorrow, but the guy is a recent graduate from a very expensive rip-off art school that I shall not name, except to say that their graduates seem to teach..everywhere (which says a lot LOL). I almost feel badly for the guy because his teachers probably screwed him over with unrealistic expectations of the industry and the real world when he was in school (of course they would; they make money off of scamming via selling him false hopes and dreams instead of preparing him for what lies ahead in the real world, which they don't have to deal with because they are insulated in the bubble of "art school".
What is WORSE is that they have this mediocre, homogeneous point of view and POISON the students with this mindset and as a result, also poison the mentality of their students and thus continue the cycle.
So mediocre teachers teaching and therefore poisoning students who graduate and become mediocre teachers and so on. It's really pathetic. And I really don't care that the teacher 'works for X Y Z' company. They're also trying to mind their own @$$ so they don't get fired and can pay their mortgage on their house, etc; unless they're the CEO of the company it's not enough.
They are not creating leaders; so what is the point?
Oh well....I don't sugar coat. Some of these teachers "gots to go" haha. I spoke to a kid who I hadn't spoken to since 2011 and he was STILL on this pathetic mindset of trying to get into this school he obviously can't afford and his work hadn't improved, at all. He was still on the Kool-aid; the mentality of an artistic sycophantic follower. I asked him "but isn't the point of going to X school to get a job and have a great portfolio and have a career in your field? If you couldn't get into the school, maybe you should just try getting a foot into the industry?" He didn't get it. He thought going to that school was his only hope. Sad.
Plus, he said he wanted to get into (insert ridiculously expensive art school) but didn't even want to do models, which is what I think makes students' work that much better and gives them more marketability (guess what; more people care that you can provide a service that can help sell a PRODUCT; not all products are virtual; some actually have to be made). Anyways...that is besides the point: (sorry for the rant...oops).
Don't sacrifice who YOU are. You still have an IDENTITY. Every artist should read Emers0n's "Se!f Rel!@nce" dammit!
I LOVE design, but because of my education (science and art in high school) there is a part of me that is VERY logical. That should be emphasized, even in "Art" school. Teach economics to these people; please, and teach them to be more than one dimensional. Find truth in yourself and not in some teacher or some school where you are just a number! (end of rant)
Amen sister! Could not agree with you more. People are content to copy whats in front of them or the people that have come before them because its easier than looking in the mirror and trying to figure out a) who am I? b) why am I here? Props to you for walking out. Better to split than to lose your cool over something that isn't worth it. I don't know if its just LA or the USA in general, but good teachers are HARD to find. There is a serious shortage of people doing this for the right reasons.. I think you know what I mean. I agree that the folks who skip school and jump right into the workforce are better off in the end because they are climbing the ladder while kids in school are still doing assignments. When the kids in school graduate the ones who skipped school and jumped right in will hopefully be one or two rungs up the ladder while the kids in school are still on the job hunt. Take heart, there are some wonderful mentors out there. I guess sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince? The robotics course sounds promising! I expect great things. :D
ReplyDeleteI realize the "kiss a few frogs" analogy is a bit off kilter for this situation. What I meant to say was, there are many duds out there..Good mentors are hard to find so its only natural that we'll come across a few duds in our quest. I feel like these "duds" are the ones who really make you appreciate a good mentor. The difference between someone just telling you what you're doing wrong, and someone who can offer genuine guidance.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand. I just honestly feel like it's MUCH harder to find those people out
ReplyDeletehere. I feel like the people here can teach you things on a superficial level.
It's frustrating, because in some ways you want to mature as an artist, too,
not just feel like "you get how to draw hands and feet". To me,
there is a difference, and it isn't being addressed in these classes.
And yes, I get it; that's something you have to find yourself,
but I think there is a difference between say, a teacher who teaches
you blues technique, and your being in an ENTIRE town where you
hear some AMAZING blues musicians and are inspired by that
and it creates a whole new artform and pushes people to be their best
and to push the medium and find their own voice.
If that is the analogy, in many ways a lot of this town is just teaching
you to be a really good copy of Elvis. It's not teaching you to be
your OWN Elvis or Freddie Mercury or Elton John or whatever.
You have to find that somewhere else, in my opinion.
And that's disappointing. It's ELECTRIFYING to be in a town
where a LOT of people are doing different, EXCITING things.
Where you can go to people and go "wow, that's INTERESTING"
instead of going "oh look..this person knows how to draw
the same crappy head with charcoal and newsprint AND
I can tell just by looking at it who they studied with".
It's devoid of a voice, devoid of a sense of purpose
or any sense of self. How sad.