Do THIS instead of going to art school

I've talked to so many professional artists and the consensus is this: you DO NOT need to go to a traditional 4-year college and pursue an art degree to succeed either on your own OR in the industry. You can DIY your art degree for a FRACTION of the price.

A sufficiently determined and motivated person could get all the value of art school and more just with the resources available to you on the internet for free, but almost anyone could find a comparable education for FAR cheaper than the cost of a traditional art degree with a combination of independent paid courses, art books, etc.

THAT BEING SAID - before you try to eviscerate me in the comments, art school is GREAT for some people!!!! Some people need that structure! But some people don't want to be saddled with tens of thousands of dollars, if not well past six figures, of student loan debt. I have friends that are incredibly thankful they went, but it isn't for everyone. I want to present people with as much information as possible so they can make the decision that's best for them.

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[CallyLawson]

Most of the best and most successful artists that I know are self-taught. I didn’t study art when I was younger, I learnt later in life from local evening classes and later an online course in painting and drawing. Being self-taught means that you learn so much from your own mistakes and experience. I wish that I had taken the step to being a full-time artist earlier. However, I don't regret not going to art school 😊

[woopitywoo]

I think one of the hardest steps is trusting the process, but the longer you pull through and get results even if you are inconsistent, can be really motivating. I’m very inconsistent, but have become more consistent as a result of seeing my progress these last three year. I’m so grateful for all the tips and help you have so kindly provided along the way!

[royschreuder]

When it comes to finding my own style I believe it’s best to study subjects that I am interested in rather then the work of other artists. I feel like when you look at other peoples artwork too much, it automatically causes you to copy elements in their work. This can really hold you back. A wider range of interests and research leads to a more unique style I believe.

[onimanga]

All the people i know who went to art school stopped doing art and im here still studying and learning from YouTube, the people who claim u NEED an art degree just don't understand

[reneenoriega]

Your videos have actually help me a lot to form a curriculum suited to my needs. While i understand how art school can and help people who thrive on structure and order, we need to accept that a lot of people simply cannot afford to make those kind of investments. Also, NMA have great resources! I found them while looking for pose references and was very pleased with their classes

[ariedebrenart]

As a self taught artist I'm constantly trying to improve my skills. I'm currently taking an online portrait drawing class. I also started taking an in person painting class at a local cultural arts center near me. Both classes are surprisingly inexpensive. Not to mention getting guidance for another person is always extremely helpful. Thanks for the tips!

[Lozanofineart]

What I love is that most community colleges in the US are free, at least the two year programs for an associates. I actually didn’t think art would be my career until I decided to go to college for art. It really transformed me, the professors became my mentors and I learned so much. There is also allot of free art programs for both Bachelors and Masters you just gotta look. My dream job is to teach at a university level so the only way to do that is to get a masters degree. 😱

[melskrinjaric]

I am doing NMA and it has been great for me. I have seen a lot of progress on my work but doing it like this is not for everyone. You DO need to have a lot of discipline and ver motivated

[ellahopkinson]

The only reason I'm going is to have fun, and because I want to study conservation and you need an art degree for that, also in the UK you only have to pay back your loan once you earn over a certain amount so I'm not worried about the money, but I probably wouldn't go if I didn't think it would be fun and necessary for further study ❤

[celtpro]

@Kelsey, never apologise for being ill and getting better. You did not come across as being unwell. As you are the one who was not feeling great at the time of recording, it made you more self-aware. The video was well put together and put a focus on structure when learning as an artist. We all have lives, some personal time is needed that is what gives live meaning, otherwise you will become bored which is why people give up.

[bluewren]

For a self directed art education you can't go past Art Prof. Over 1000 videos on youtube and comprehensive self directed learning curricula in a number of media and techniques on their webpage AND all absolutely free. (I am not affiliated in any way with them, just enjoy their content and learn from it).

[PatrickInTheBox]

I have always found this true, however people who need the motivation and guidelines and can’t do it themselves could use artschool

[yen]

As a Master's graduate, my experience in graduate school opened my eyes to the power of self-learning. It's worth noting that my graduate program was in a field unrelated to my undergraduate studies. Throughout my studies, I relied entirely on self-study, as professors and classmates paid little attention to me. My sole focus was finding ways to graduate. This experience led me to fully understand that you can entirely teach yourself a subject you have no prior knowledge of. It made me question the necessity of traditional schooling, except for those who enjoy exams.

[aderita]

Thank you Kelsey for this video, and all the advise you give on how to make money from art. I am an architect, and we did study most of the things you see in art school, the only thing I didn’t see was human figure. But the knowledge is there, the foundations. So now at 36 I am getting started with my art career, and your videos have been very helpful. I will say this, no you don’t need to go to art school, to make art. I think you just need to learn fundamental things, that you can learn from a book, or online courses. But aside from that I think practice is the best teacher in art.

[coletteporee]

i love this video! i’m currently at a smaller private school studying art and this video made me feel confident in my decision to not go to an art school! i’m finding a lot of good things when it comes to my art with going to this university :)

[jeannettesalazar]

You are very disciplined with yourself and is good. I was at uni and they never toll me what I had to do in the future as an artist. They teach me to develop my art skills only. creativity is a gift that you have and no one can teach you that. You have the gift no all the people can do that. Congratulations

[royschreuder]

For me it was kind of a similar proces 😀 I experimented with a lot of different styles for years until I found my own. To be honest that really planned out structure didn’t work for me. I figured it worked better if I kept my motivation high and just work on a ton of different types of projects.

[Annathia]

the reason i was really excited to go to art school is because i wont have to study for school as much 💀
But also I wanted to become an animator and I loved drawing (still do) so I think that even with the fact that art schools in MY country arent that expensive, I think it was worth it (I think like 1700 euros per year)

[GuilleePG]

This Video just showed up to me, and as someone who works with art and got a chance to recently start studying art in university, I was Flabbergasted at how much teachers refuse to actually teach the Fundamentals.

[mgenst]

I have no desire to go to an actual art college. But I REALLY want to study full-time at an art atelier! I feel like it's the perfect compromise between self study and a college education. You don't get a degree, but you get all the technical training you could ever ask for with great teachers who really know their stuff. It's still expensive, but only a fraction of the price of going to college.