If you love art and feel you have a talent for it, and if you want to use it in your profession somehow, you might be thinking of entering art school. It can be a hard choice sometimes when the idea of going straight into work can be even more tempting, or opting for a different kind of career is what you feel other people want of you. Remember, though, that it needs to be your decision because, after all, this is your life.

As Henri Matisse said: “Creativity takes courage.”

To help you decide, below are some of the reasons why attending art school is a good idea and not something you are likely to regret.

Learn From The Best

“Creativity is contagious, pass it on.” Albert Einstein.

When you attend a regular school, the professors who are teaching there are generally just that – professors. They may be academics and write books on their subject or do a lot of research, but they don’t live their subject. Art professors generally do, however. Art professors are often artists themselves. This means you are learning from the very best; you are learning from people who are doing exactly what it is you want to do. Not only will you learn a lot about their particular subject, but you will also have the chance to talk to them about how they began their artistic life, what they do, how they do it, and why they love it so much.

You will also have an incredible opportunity to see their art either in person in an exhibition or online through searching. Doing this can be hugely inspiring and encourage you to work even harder than ever before.

Find A Mentor

Because art is such a personal thing, it can be extremely useful to find a mentor who will help you to refine your work and let your own style be free. This is why art school is a good idea. If you attend a regular school and practice your art on the side, you won’t be able to show it to as wide an audience, and you won’t get such specialized feedback either.

Your mentor might be a professor as mentioned above, or it could be a peer whose work you can critique, meaning you can mentor one another! There are many different options, but you’ll only be able to discover what is going to work for you when you attend art school.

Structured Learning

When it comes to art, it might feel as though it is rather abstract (sometimes literally), and that could make you feel as though you can’t really learn much by attending art school. This plus the student loans that you may need to take out can put people off.

However, a structured learning environment, even (or perhaps especially) when it comes to art is a good thing. Without being able to learn this way, it is easy to feel as though you know it all, and stop discovering things. This can make you less of an artist, and it can mean that you never reach your full potential. It can also mean that you stick to what you know, rather than trying new things in a safe, structured way. It could be that the medium you are working in isn’t what will bring your art to the biggest audience, or make you happiest.

As for loans, these may be necessary and unpleasant, but by taking out such loans, you will be investing in your future, giving yourself the best chance to not only pay them off but to really make a living out of your art. Remember as well that student loans can be written off if need be; you can find out more at Crediful.com.

Tools And Space

If you practice your art at home, either full time or part time, you will know that you need a lot of equipment, from easels and paints and canvases to larger pieces of machinery, clay, tools, and much more. At art school, all of this is provided for you so you won’t have to spend many thousands of dollars on getting what you need. You can enjoy your art and determine which media is the one you work best in so that when you graduate, you just need to buy what will help you, not everything else too.

You will also get plenty of studio space, which means you can showcase your work in its best possible light.

Exposure

Finally, art school offers you exposure for your talents. There will be chances to have your work displayed, or to enter competitions. Plus influential art critics and talent scouts will come to the school to speak with students about what it is they want to do with their careers. This is not something an amateur artist would be able to utilize, so it makes sense to make the most of it.