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
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