Saving up for Fine Art Degree at 42 years old

[A_brush_with_fate]

Hi everyone,

As long as I can remember I longed to go to Art School but my parents were both in print media – I trained as a Graphic Designer after college but never felt the inner passion for it.

Now, after 20 years of freelancing in Graphic Design, I have made the decision to put away money monthly for a 4 year Fine Arts Degree.

Hope to someday be here chatting with you all – as a student :thumbsup:

ps. You hear all the time that ‘it’s never too late’ but I wonder if that’s true in the art community …. surely an artist creates a far bigger body of work if he/she starts in their early 20’s ….. Is it considered a negative thing to start fine art so late in life?

Since the first caveman (or woman) put pigment to rock, our mark-making ensures immortality.

[Eon]

Sorry this section of the forum is so dead, hopefully you will see this reply. Congrats on taking a step towards your goal! I wanted to pass an advice I was given by someone more experienced than I: when starting later, the best thing is to find ways to leverage this and also to acknowledge your limitations.

As a someone who already has experience outside the school environment this could be one of your greatest strengths. Younger folks tend to be less serious and less goal minded, they have yet to learn how to learn and how to time manage – you will (hopefully!) surpass them in this.

Your limitation is that you will have less time to explore. You best bet is to acknowledge this and force yourself to be very specific in your aim. You might never have the time to be a jack of all trades, to widely learn many skills, to be a master at figure, landscape, abstract, drawing, painting, the list is endless.. but picking one passion? Absolutely! I believe it’s possible to become a master if you maintain laser focus.

[mevnjmart]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>I went back to school for a change of major to Studio Art at 46. I had all of my general education courses and my classes from my previous major worked as a minor. I have 11 classes, all art and art history, left to finally get my B.A. Never too late!</p>

[RFRafferty]

It’s never too late.  Remember, it’s the passion.

http://rrafferty.faso.com/
NBAL, CLAG, WAS-H, PSST, Plein Air Austin

“Every artist was first an amateur.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

[PaintYourPassion]

Yes! Go to art school. You’re going to be 4 years older with or without the schooling so go to art school.  It is an advantage that you have been doing freelance Graphic art for 20 years because the more you draw, the better you can draw. The better you can draw, the more accurate you can paint.  You need the classical training, there’s a lot you’ll learn. Those first 20 years will serve as a great benefit. Your skill level will be ahead of most, you’ll progress faster and further than those without your background.  Many of the best painters of today started out with solid decades of graphic art careers under their belts and they are making a good living painting full time.

 

[dmgthesequel]

Perhaps a little late to throw in an opinion here, but I hoped to add a couple of thoughts. Some of my background for perspective: My BFA is in painting from a well known school. I work in packaging design. I went to art school rather late, after an enlistment in the military.

I found the most valuable part of Art School to be the contact with other students. I also found that younger students are not always kind to older students. In fact, some were downright cruel. After my initial experience with that, I transferred to a more traditional academy where there was a much larger group of adult students. There are enough frustrations to work through while trying to learn, your fellow students can either make it impossible or enlightening.

Learning is traumatic. Yeah, I know that sounds dramatic, but to really experience a paradigmatic shift…to really see the world in a brand new way…you have to acknowledge that some of your core ideas and beliefs may need to be burned to the ground and completely revised. My first lesson in that, was that good ideas and beautiful results can come from anywhere, even accidents. I once watched a another student create a better sculpture than the one I had labored over by accidentally dropping theirs on the floor.

One final thought, you can gain the technical knowledge through books and museums and some of the experience through workshops far cheaper. You can also direct the course of your eduction more specifically toward your interests and tastes. A full degree program will involve wasting money on poor instruction, in my experience great teachers are rare. When you do find them, you never seem to be able to take enough classes with them. They are incredibly valuable and in high-demand but, seats are limited.

Thanks for reading, hope that helps.

 

Cheers,

Dave

[Christie]

I hope by the time you read this you are, in fact, an art student.  I went back to university to study art at 53.  Yes younger students are often unsure of how to relate to me, but eventually they either come around or they don’t.

Being able to decide you are creating art for you and picking and choosing what advice you will take during critiques is something that comes with age and experience.

This time i am not expecting to be included in all the clubs and social gatherings, I am there to learn and then go home.  I am much happier than I was during my first post secondary experience.

I help where I can (mostly critiques) but for the most part I leave everyone to themselves unless they ask for help.

frankly I am having the time of my life!

Do all you can with what you have, in the time you have, in the place you are. -Nkosi Johnson Twelve-year-old Zulu boy, living with AIDS
Illegitimi Non Carborundum

[henry becker]

Congratulations on making the decision to pursue your passion for fine arts! It’s never too late to follow your dreams and pursue what makes you happy. Many successful artists have started later in life and have still achieved great success.

Age is just a number, and what really matters is your dedication, talent, and willingness to learn and grow as an artist.

Embrace the opportunity to learn and create, and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. Good luck on your journey to art school and in your future as an artist!

Die iPhone 14 Pro Hülle schützt Ihr iPhone vor Stößen und Kratzern und verfügt über eine magnetische Dockingstation, die mit MagSafe-Ladevorrichtungen kompatibel ist. Kaufen iphone 14 hülle in schweiz

[Author]

Posts