Art School

Ok so when I think of schools in Atlanta for design I think The Creative Circus, Portfolio Center and The Art Institute.

Now, I went to school at The Art Institute. (Pause for a moment) So, from reading the information above that would mean I went to the worst of the 3? Well, that depends on who you ask. Also, I suppose it’s all a matter of opinion. Here is mine.

Around 1998 I was going to school for Computer science. Completely bored with the abstract concepts I was being taught I decided to do something with Art. Art had been in my life for a long as I can remember. Of course, my parents always told me “I know you like that stuff, but it’s not going to make you a living”. Well, I should say it was more my Mom than Dad. My Dad is a Photographer at heart so now he does more than anything support what I do. Mom was well; just not that involved to begin with. (ugh)

I wanted to get into Multimedia/Web stuff. Out of the three schools, AIA was the only one that had a complete program dedicated to nothing more than just that. I was sold and transferred to The Art Institute in the Fall of 1998. (Fast fwd a few years)

So, I graduated.....

Looking back and even until now. How do I feel about AIA?

I believe it’s a commercial approach to art school. Sure, it’s a business and they are in it to make $. But, why did they seem to allow anyone to enroll? Sure, I had to write a thesis type paper that sure as hell made me feel important at the time. (I wonder sometimes, did they read it or just stamp a big “APPROVED” right next to my student loan check)

I learned a TON there for sure. But, what I think I learned more than anything was how to get my work on the web; how to ftp, how to use photoshop better, illustrator, dreamweaver, flash yadda yadda. I remember a few quarters before I graduated I took a “conceptual thinking” class. I asked the Dean of education why they did not make you take that right at the start, or at least more classes like it.

To me, the the idea is EVERYTHING. It’s the most important part of the process. If you don’t know what you are doing then how do you know what to execute? That’s my frustration with The Art Institute. They teach people how to execute, but not the creative process as a whole. Maybe in the traditional design programs it’s a bit different. However my time there I know was mostly spent learning the technical side of things.

I remember a few times teachers getting on to me about bringing in rough sketches for idea’s. Why? Because I did not spend 6 hours in photoshop showing all the tech mastery I had been learning. (Let’s not forget the bad drop shadows and bevels)

Maybe things have changed?