Art School Advice

[AceOfKnaves]

Presently I am working up my qualifications for The Art Institute of Seattle, but am finding it a little difficult with money issues, and my job getting in the way.

I am trying so hard to get my promotion taken care of before Christmas, (Shift Manager at Taco Bell) and to finish up my arrangements with the community college.

During all of this I have been trying to get my long hated father off my back about starting a singing career. (Don't ask)
He insists that I make a demo recording and scan through manager friends of his.

A couple of days ago, he offered me a place down in Florida. He has told me that he would pay for all of my things.....clothes, housing, internet, food, etc., if I chose to go down there and go to Art School.

He has a few interviews set up for some serious scouts there, telling me I'll be a big star. I honestly don't care about that, but he's offered me free art school if I go there. And it's like a vacation, because I wouldn't have to work until I got out of school.

This seems like the dream escape, but I would have to leave my mom, friends, and life behind, to go live by a man that I've really disliked for many years. It's a LONG story.

Anyway, I am really torn. Any advice? :confused:

[Spookmonkey]

Originally posted by Selena Kyle
Presently I am working up my qualifications for The Art Institute of Seattle, but am finding it a little difficult with money issues, and my job getting in the way.

I am trying so hard to get my promotion taken care of before Christmas, (Shift Manager at Taco Bell) and to finish up my arrangements with the community college.

During all of this I have been trying to get my long hated father off my back about starting a singing career. (Don't ask)
He insists that I make a demo recording and scan through manager friends of his.

A couple of days ago, he offered me a place down in Florida. He has told me that he would pay for all of my things.....clothes, housing, internet, food, etc., if I chose to go down there and go to Art School.

He has a few interviews set up for some serious scouts there, telling me I'll be a big star. I honestly don't care about that, but he's offered me free art school if I go there. And it's like a vacation, because I wouldn't have to work until I got out of school.

This seems like the dream escape, but I would have to leave my mom, friends, and life behind, to go live by a man that I've really disliked for many years. It's a LONG story.

Anyway, I am really torn. Any advice? :confused:

Actually, from what I've heard from people who have transfered from the AI-Seattle its not that good of a school. If you really want to get into an Art Institute, I'd suggest Art Institute of San Diego (http://www.aicasd.artinstitutes.edu/) . Everyone who transfered from other AI's agree that San Diego is the best of them all.

Now aboutt he "free ride" that your so torn with... If you trully don't like him, turn down the offer. Much to somewhere completely new. It's ok to leave your friends and family behind when you go to college, it's hard but it helps open up your eyes to "new worlds". It's not like your never see any of them ever again, there is such a thing as vacation and traveling... (such as a friend can come down and visit for a week or something). Loans, Grants, and Scholarships can pay for all if not most of your schooling and living expenses. Though I would suggest getting a job asap to help. If you plan in going into either advertising or graphic design you can start freelancing probably within a year of starting, you could even get an apprenticship at a print house. If you plan on going into animation or game art, you basicly have to wait for your schooling to be finished before you can go out and get a job... big companies like midway and sony (everquest was made in san diego, I visited ita too... the server room for it is huge) are here too.

The only downside to the AICA-SD is that it is a brand new school so it is still growing (I mean this is the FIRST quarter in our new building, just finished week 4 of 11). But that is also a plus as well, since it is still growing we get a chance to help shape the future of the school for future generations of students (and actually I'm in the first class of students to have the AI curriculim, so I will be int he first class of animaters to ever graduate from this school. I do have some fantastic people on as faculty (the dude who made the Doom game cover is one of our teachers).

Anyway, I would again suggest moving away from everybody, meet some new people, make your own path, your own future, make your life yours to do as you wish.

[BLACKHEART]

'Singing career? Make a CD. You have a computer, just download the right equipment. I make diss songs to people all the time and then give them the CDR. I tell them I just found it with a note attached saying, "Give this to your annoying friend"

[Outlander00]

First, It sounds like your dad is a real ass because he is trying to take advantage of your situation. Personally, do whatever you feel that is in your heart is right and that youre comfortable with. That way, you wont have any regrets in the path you chose. It may not be easy to decide.

As a recent graduate of Pratt Institute, I look back and I am glad I stayed in New York instead of heading down there, where a couple schools (Savanna [which, btw, is a very good school for art] and the International fine Arts College in Miami [which was a joke]) were giving me full rides. The art field is thankless(unless you have the resources to advertise your skills to various places in your field), but rewarding in the end if you strive and succeed. I know first hand its hard at first, especially if you dont have the money to start out, but if you like the challenge its a good step forward. You just have to ask yourself what would you be happier doing 5, 10, 20 years from now.

btw, what type of art work do you do?

[Digu Volz]

Do you really want to sing ? Would it be something you're even minutely interested in ? How badly do you want to go to this school ? Have you asked any of the people you are worried about leaving ? They say the heart wants what it wants.

Those are all questions you should ask yourself. Some answer, huh ? :p

[cross blues]

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices... if you stay in Seattle and have to work to pay for college, that is gonna take a lot of time away that could be used for your art. If art is what you're really passionate about and you're sure that's what you want to do, I think moving to florida would be a better idea. if everything is going to be paid for, the only thing you have to worry about is school. sure you'd be away from friends and your mom but usually that's what college is anyway right? and you could always fly back home on weekends if you needed to.

and about the singing career... there is no way you could have a worse singing voice than jlo and look where she is now. you could always try it. even if they don't want to make a cd at the least your dad would be off your back right? and if they do want you to record a cd, well just imagine


of course I have no idea what your life is like so.... I just hope maybe I helped a little ;)

[Spookmonkey]

reading these replies almost makes me want to vomit. 99% of them is just people saying what they think you want to hear. If you don't want to be a singer don't be. End of story. I was serious when I said AI-Seattle wasn't that great. There are better art schools out there, even within the AI netowrk of schools. Move. Move away. Meet new people and have new experiences. You can expand yourself so much if you don't.

[AceOfKnaves]

Thank you for all of your wonderful replies everyone. I have taken all of them to heart, and have thought pretty hard about this.

I'm not going to go to Florida. I wouldn't admit it, but it would be a form of using my father. And I'm not that kind of person.

I'll stay in Washington for the remainder of this year, then most likely find elsewhere to attend an artschool.

And I'd rather be an actress than a singer. Sheesh, my dad doesn't know me at all. :p

Anyone know a great school for learning CGI? :)

[Outlander00]

Most of them would be either in CA or in Canada actually. Basically, wherever you find a major animation studio, you'll find a school that has a great CG department (because they get grants from those studios). Also, find a school that has a good Illustration or Fine Arts Drawing program because from my experience, a lot of these CG houses want to know if you can render something from design to actual product. In order to do that you need to know how to draw, and draw WELL. I wouldn't suggest my alma mater because the facilities arent all that great (even if the faculty knows a lot). I'd stay out west like in CA.

[Spookmonkey]

Originally posted by Selena Kyle
Thank you for all of your wonderful replies everyone. I have taken all of them to heart, and have thought pretty hard about this.

I'm not going to go to Florida. I wouldn't admit it, but it would be a form of using my father. And I'm not that kind of person.

I'll stay in Washington for the remainder of this year, then most likely find elsewhere to attend an artschool.

And I'd rather be an actress than a singer. Sheesh, my dad doesn't know me at all. :p

Anyone know a great school for learning CGI? :)

CGI for movies, tv, video games? we have one of the absolute best 3d teachers at AICA-SD right now. seriously he is uber talented and not only has major contacts in the industry (he got the old 3d teachers hired away to a game company so he could teach us!) but he's a kickass guy.