Whenever I first went into art school, a professor once asked me why I didn't go into architecture... My brother went into architecture, so it would be a suitable field for me, as far as he could see. My answer was that the work load was way too large, and I wanted to sleep. So imagine how ironic it is that I'm studying a field that ends up granting me next to no sleep, and a massive workload to go with it. Life can be a bitch.
I have just two professors that actually work in my major, and out of those two, I've only really answered to one of them for the last year and a half. I constantly find myself frustrated by the Indie nature of the film and digital department, the equipment we're given to work with (or the lack there of), and how the school kind of looks down on the design arts. It's a truly odd dynamic. But in a way, it makes the people in your field stick together. There's nothing quite like the people in our department. And I'd imagine anyone in the school would probably say the same about their own department. I've had the privilege of exploring some of the other parts of this school, just due to the broad requirements of my major and the incredibly high number of studio requirements. Each major has a different dynamic, a different teacher, and a different kind of love hate relationship. While many of the fine arts do get the much desired sleep that we all so desire... or at least have a much better chance at it, I can't say I'd really trade the fact that all I have to take to class is a portable hard drive and a notebook, versus a palate, a drawing board, a box for supplies, your painting/drawing, and whatever else they decide to tack on. I did that all Freshman year. No more.
But on the subject of crazy classes, the wrong combination in art school can be deadly. I once made the mistake of taking a digital photo class, a video class, and a 2D Animation and Effects course all in the same semester... and that didn't even include the two liberal studies classes I was taking. I kid you not... when finals came around, I slept one hour every day for a solid week, until the last night when I literally worked straight through until my class the next morning, and had to sit through a five hour critique. By then, I was running on fumes. Sleep in art school is a luxury, and not always one that you can afford. You make the mistake of thinking "things will get better..." but they just get harder. Rock in a hard place when you try to pile too much together. News flash, none of your professors care that you have another class.
Still, you learn to make choices of what is really important to you. You can do without sleep, without food, or even without bathing, but not all at the same time. I always make it a policy to bathe, no matter how little sleep I've gotten (even if it's none at all). At 7am, sharp, no matter what is going on in my life, no matter what project is due or the amount of progress I have done on it (or have left on it), I will go home and eat, and shower (if I haven't already). On the other hand, there's the other rule, food or sleep? Many people in the college try to go without both--totally a horrible idea. I always chose food over sleep. I usually have a ton of work to do, but there are no limits to my crankiness when I'm hungry. That said, I eat dinner every day, period.
But staying up can have its perks. The Mac labs have a weird sense of crazy that seems to come alive sometime between 2am and 5am. I have seen people randomly walk in dressed in full cosplay, coupled with strange music videos, and lots and lots of sobbing, screaming, cussing, and singing. Sometimes the singing even becomes a group activity. So really, it's not all bad.
But I'll stop here, because a further explanation would take quite some time. Just know that art school is a different kind of crazy.
~C.Mitchell
Saturday, July 30, 2011
The Never-Ending Quest for Sleep
Four years. That's the amount of time I spent without sleep. Now that I graduated, I have the privilege of sleeping whenever I want - for the most part. It's the ultimate victory against every crazy homework assignment, every insane critique, and every moment of art school that denies you the right to even an hour of rest.
As much as I appreciate the diploma, I appreciate the sleep so much more.
I remember the first day of freshman orientation four years ago. The Vice Dean of the time looked at each of us and said "Yesterday was the last day you will ever get regular sleep." We refused to take him seriously. For the next two weeks we met each other in the hallways with a lively "Hi! How are you!? Nice day isn't it!? Yaaaaaay Art School!!!!" or something similar to that.
The atmosphere of the entire school changed after that third week. Everyone I knew no longer had smiles... or proper bathing habits for that matter. We had all become swamped in our classes and only greeted each other with an exhausted "heeey." Some just looked at you with tears in their eyes. As sad as it may sound, it is a part of the experience. We learned about the ridiculous work loads we would have to endure. I remember staying up every wednesday night just to make sure my Drawing 2 assignment was complete, only to receive a C+ the majority of the time. That's life I guess.
At the beginning of every year, I would promise myself to get my work done early enough to get to bed early each night. I was determined to get the 8 hours of sleep I would always be told I needed (by non-art school students no less). It never happened. No matter how much planning I did for my assignments, I would always go at least ten days a year without sleep. It's jarring at first. You sit in class without any idea of your surroundings. After a while, you get used to garbage trucks and birds telling you it's 6:00 am and you have three hours before class starts.
As the years passed, the lack of sleep became less of an issue. We didn't get more sleep each night, we just knew how to handle it better. Whether it was loads of coffee or energy drinks galore, we did what we had to do to get our stuff done. Most of us were in a position where we were shelling out $30,000 or more to go to school here. We figured we would get our money's worth.
Thinking back, it could've been worse. One of the great things about art school is the opportunities you get to work on projects that you truly enjoy. I think about all the times I have spent up late at night doing something I love, only caring about sleep when upon finishing. Animation gives me that same drive. I guess that's what some people call passion.
- M. Shaw
As much as I appreciate the diploma, I appreciate the sleep so much more.
I remember the first day of freshman orientation four years ago. The Vice Dean of the time looked at each of us and said "Yesterday was the last day you will ever get regular sleep." We refused to take him seriously. For the next two weeks we met each other in the hallways with a lively "Hi! How are you!? Nice day isn't it!? Yaaaaaay Art School!!!!" or something similar to that.
The atmosphere of the entire school changed after that third week. Everyone I knew no longer had smiles... or proper bathing habits for that matter. We had all become swamped in our classes and only greeted each other with an exhausted "heeey." Some just looked at you with tears in their eyes. As sad as it may sound, it is a part of the experience. We learned about the ridiculous work loads we would have to endure. I remember staying up every wednesday night just to make sure my Drawing 2 assignment was complete, only to receive a C+ the majority of the time. That's life I guess.
At the beginning of every year, I would promise myself to get my work done early enough to get to bed early each night. I was determined to get the 8 hours of sleep I would always be told I needed (by non-art school students no less). It never happened. No matter how much planning I did for my assignments, I would always go at least ten days a year without sleep. It's jarring at first. You sit in class without any idea of your surroundings. After a while, you get used to garbage trucks and birds telling you it's 6:00 am and you have three hours before class starts.
As the years passed, the lack of sleep became less of an issue. We didn't get more sleep each night, we just knew how to handle it better. Whether it was loads of coffee or energy drinks galore, we did what we had to do to get our stuff done. Most of us were in a position where we were shelling out $30,000 or more to go to school here. We figured we would get our money's worth.
Thinking back, it could've been worse. One of the great things about art school is the opportunities you get to work on projects that you truly enjoy. I think about all the times I have spent up late at night doing something I love, only caring about sleep when upon finishing. Animation gives me that same drive. I guess that's what some people call passion.
- M. Shaw
Art School
I've been a student in an art college for about three years, so you can say that there isn't much that can really surprise me about people in that kind of setting anymore. I suppose the first thing I should say is that there are a lot of common misconceptions about art college. I know the first thing people say when I tell them, "I go to art school," is "oh." As if that just covers everything. A lot of people think that art students are lazy, pot-smoking hippies who haven't made it out of the 70s. Which for about 50% of the school is probably absolutely true. Are they lazy? Yes, probably. Are they pot smokers? I don't doubt it. Even some of the older teachers join in on this kind of action, trust me.
But then there are the other 50%. The second 50% are the ones who sit there and work their asses off day and night and probably haven't even had the time to attend a party, not to mention become a full-time pot smoker. I'm a digital media major. I fall in that category... the category that often ends up saying, "I wish I had gone to a normal school so I would actually have a manageable work load." If you think I'm kidding, you should've seen the way I had to handle my classes about two semesters back. It's hard to say we have it easy when you have people skipping class so they can finish work for a different class.
What you learn really quickly about art school is that it's not really all about the art. In fact, art school is about 75% bullshitting and learning how to convinced people you actually meant for something to be that way (even if you're making shit up on the spot), 15% learning technique, and 10% creativity. It's all about the "concept" here. There is no definite grading system. You just do the best you can, hope you're motivated when the time comes, and then move on to the next project. Art school doesn't really recognize midterms. There are no big tests or crazy extras, unless you have the misfortune of having a professor that likes to tack on extras on top of your workload. Every class is a constant array of projects on top of projects. And these aren't things you can usually get done in just a one to two hour study session. Many of the projects I've dealt with have been as many as 10-20+ hours each. No kidding. And yet, somehow it miraculously all gets done.
Though I was a little shocked the first time I took an art history class and viewed slide after slide of nude male sculptures and paintings, after about a week or two, the excitement was gone. By now I'm completely desensitized to it. But beyond the projects, the nude sculptures, random paintings of sexual organs and the rest of the crazy stuff that goes on in this school, by far the most shocking things are the students. I have seen the students in my school do, say, and wear things that I would have never believed before I came here. And yet, by now I am so accustomed to it, that it takes me a minute to realize that it's strange. Though I am constantly tested, I love this school. Having to take a foreign language class in a normal state college over the summer for a graduation requirement has made me realize just how much I actually love the weirdness of this school. Truly, there is nothing else like it...
~C.Mitchell
But then there are the other 50%. The second 50% are the ones who sit there and work their asses off day and night and probably haven't even had the time to attend a party, not to mention become a full-time pot smoker. I'm a digital media major. I fall in that category... the category that often ends up saying, "I wish I had gone to a normal school so I would actually have a manageable work load." If you think I'm kidding, you should've seen the way I had to handle my classes about two semesters back. It's hard to say we have it easy when you have people skipping class so they can finish work for a different class.
What you learn really quickly about art school is that it's not really all about the art. In fact, art school is about 75% bullshitting and learning how to convinced people you actually meant for something to be that way (even if you're making shit up on the spot), 15% learning technique, and 10% creativity. It's all about the "concept" here. There is no definite grading system. You just do the best you can, hope you're motivated when the time comes, and then move on to the next project. Art school doesn't really recognize midterms. There are no big tests or crazy extras, unless you have the misfortune of having a professor that likes to tack on extras on top of your workload. Every class is a constant array of projects on top of projects. And these aren't things you can usually get done in just a one to two hour study session. Many of the projects I've dealt with have been as many as 10-20+ hours each. No kidding. And yet, somehow it miraculously all gets done.
Though I was a little shocked the first time I took an art history class and viewed slide after slide of nude male sculptures and paintings, after about a week or two, the excitement was gone. By now I'm completely desensitized to it. But beyond the projects, the nude sculptures, random paintings of sexual organs and the rest of the crazy stuff that goes on in this school, by far the most shocking things are the students. I have seen the students in my school do, say, and wear things that I would have never believed before I came here. And yet, by now I am so accustomed to it, that it takes me a minute to realize that it's strange. Though I am constantly tested, I love this school. Having to take a foreign language class in a normal state college over the summer for a graduation requirement has made me realize just how much I actually love the weirdness of this school. Truly, there is nothing else like it...
~C.Mitchell
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