[Naeem]

]
edited
_________________
http://www.annisnaeem.blogspot.com/

[Nilwort]

Well if Art Center is too expensive for you, may as well go to Cooper Union and make that experience everything you can. If you are worried about it being a less credible school in the field you are interested in, maybe it's either time to move on to something else or to dig your heels in and make your work speak for itself.

I've talked with artists who have no college experience whatsoever, yet lead very successful careers. Granted, they may be the minority, but the point is that it doesn't matter what school you go to. What matters is the dedication and integrity that you express in your work. Get serious about it. Make a portfolio that shows just how good of an artist you are. The work will speak for itself if you have put enough into it.

Education is important, but sometimes we can be our own greatest teachers. All you need is the passion and the motivation and the rest will follow.

[[Shizo]]

Yo annisahmad, why did you erase your post?
It looked like a pretty normal question that you asked.

[Naeem]

shizo> . i felt that it was stupid after i posted it...
_________________
http://www.annisnaeem.blogspot.com/

[gLitterbug]

I don't think it was stupid annisahmad. But it was probably one of those question you know the answer to already anyways if you listen to your insides.

[Nilwort]

It wasn't stupid annisahmad. College stuff can be very confusing

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

[Gort]

My own personal take:

If I had to do it all over again, I would and at great cost. College is typically gonna hit your wallet. Even decent non-private schools can really wallop you in the student loan area, as tuition, housing and materials costs are overwhelming, but sometimes that what it takes; you have to ask yourself, how bad do I want it? How far am I willing to go? If I could go back in time and hav a conversation with myself, it would be "do it" - go after it and attack it with razor sharp focus, willful intent and clarity.

As far as you know this is your one shot.

When I was a teenager I was enthralled with concept art, and I devoured every bit of material I could get, but the resources were limited in 1983; "The Art of Star Wars" with work by Joe Johnston was probably the only major book out there, and magazines, such as Fangoria and Cinemascope, provided brief glimpses into this realm, yet I had no real guidance; my instructors in high school knew nothing of concept art and where to begin. Even the instructors I spoke with at SCAD back then were somewhat ignorant.

But over time along came the Internet, and the resources are vast and wide; the opinions, artwork and more importantly guidance are so prevelant. You can even email industry pros directly or get feedback indirectly through public forums (such as this one).

My point is that if I had these type of tools and constructs back then, my career would be different; knowing what I know now, I'd do it all over again; I would make the leap to Southern California; I would do whatever I had to do for acceptance at Art Center and pay for it (borrow it all if need be) to follow my drive to learn and pursue a career as a concept artist.

Remember this: as far as you know you have once chance. Have courage and strength, and remember you have tons of friends - most if not all of us here on these forums - out there rallying behind you. If you think it's a risk, well yeah - it's a risk, but the greatest discoveries and accomplishments in this world were not without risk and above all courage, and the very same can be said for personal achievement.

Where ever you end up, remember this about your goals: go after them and attack with razor sharp focus, willful intent and clarity. Place your committment to success in the center of it all.
_________________
- Tom Carter

"You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf" - Jack Kornfield

[Amilee]

I'm behind you buddy! It takes a lot of courage to do what you want to do! Go for it and don't you dare look back 'cause only you know what you want!! *hugz*
_________________
Say whaaaaaaaat?

[Jimmyjimjim]

I didn't see your original post, but I'm getting an idea what it was about.

I'll speak from experience here-

I went back to school at 27. Two years lower division classes in Virginia and I started Art Center last Fall. It was a tough move- I left behind a good job doing GUIs and graphic design at a software firm and my friends thought I was nuts. But I'm positive that I'll come out alot closer to where I want to be in life than before I started.

I don't know your background, but here would be my advice: Go to Pasadena City College (very cheap and a good training ground) and CRANK on General Ed classes. You DON'T want to have to mess with this stuff while at AC, and it's a good training ground to see if you can be a dedicated student. They also have great ID classes that will help your portfolio.

Loans aren't that hard to get, believe it or not. You might need a cosigner, but that isn't that hard. If you have alot of debt, work at paying it off while at PCC before you apply to Art Center. I've asked alot of instructors candidly at AC about if paying off loans will be a problem and the conscensus is no.

Do it if it's your dream, man.

[Drunken Monkey]

damn jimmyjimjim,, we lived almost the same tale, except, i was fired for slacking at work ;]

25, 2nd term trans at accd now.

ACCD is not a perfect school.... there is so much bullshit, it boggles the mind. But its still probably one of the best (if not the best) schools in the world.

Annisahmad, take this as my opinion, which is all it is, and i don't know what department you were thinking of applying for... but if its illustration - i'd recommend looking around at cheaper colleges or even unaccredited schools. If you are diligent enough, you can spend a fracton of the money and get the same education as you would at ACCD.

15k + rent + food a semester is a waste of money if you are paying out of your own pocket (loans or not) and are studing "drawing concepts". We had a very talented guy switch to product, because he was just disgusted with the illu curriculum. And looking at the illu grad show... there is better work in sp thread by young dudes with no education other than daily visits to goodbrush and a lot of vim and vigor.

Ok, faces and figures, nakid chicks, costumes... go to LAFAA for 3 years you will do the same shit probably even better than accd illu grads. Notice how many ACCD illu grads teach at LAFAA, Gnomon, then there is Vilppu... ask models and they will point you to some places that are completely unknown in the LA area that teach awesome fig classes, i had a list, i lost it.

If you are going to go to 'College of Design' go there to study design... they are good at that.
_________________
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity" - Sigmund Freud

[ten]

edit -- outdated info --

[Popeye]

why does everyvbody want to get into ID program if they want to be doing entertainment design??
no offense to ID people but i just dont understand.

[thom]

edit

[Jimmyjimjim]

Damn, thom!

They gotta get you to write the next school catalog. You make it sound so sexy!

See you next week!

[Popeye]

i agree with you on the point that the program seems to be directly heading toward getting a job. but at the same time i see a lot of very standard/ similar stuff from the entaintainment people.i know it is what they are looking for, but seriously, sometimes it bores me. i really dont mean to offend any body but i really see that trend thing going on.. i dont know if it is the way the teachers teach or it is just the students are too lazy to find a better way to reinvent what they learn..of course there are few exceptions.i understand that the entaintainment industry in the us is looking for people who can do these. it is just that as a student, i would try to push a little bit to be more creative.and again, i am just expressing what i see in AC these several term.

i could understand that for people who want to do straight out background/ enviornment design, the illustration program can be some kind of bullshits to them..but i think some of the illustration classes are actually good for practicing idea and thinking. i mean, it is not just the technical skill but also better idea as well.

and what about character design? if character designer is not a position then at least it is should be part of the concept guy's job right? i am saying this becasue i see a lot entaintainment students ignoring this, and it reflects from their works. and again there are exceptions.

sorry for whinning too much. i hope you understand.

[lysander]

[Naeem]

haha.
guys, thanks so much for the info!! i thought that i'd let this thread die, but thanks guys. i really appreciate it. surprised that you guys picked up my drift, when i had deleted it . I will post my portfolio here once i'm done, and let me know if you guys think its even worth me applying .


Gort> thanks for those wise words. Yeah... I don't want any regrets. I'm just afraid of getting shot down by AC. So i'm working daily on a portfolio .

AMilee> thanks bud .

Jimmyjimjim> awesome!! can i see your portfolio by any chance that you sent to AC? I'd like to compare before I send mine off...

DrunkenMonkey> hey. long time no see! hah, i've reached a bit of an obsession with AC now.. You're right about the guys in the sp thread . Heh, i guess its up to you to learn the program after the trad. stuff they teach you.

ten> thanks! great info there. i just might consider pasadena city college. however, i live in New Jersey. So I don't know how much of a hassle it'll be for someone that far out of the way.

thom> cool. you live in USA. I thought you were somewhere in Finland or something . Thanks for the great info!

Popeye> the way i saw it; i thought that it would be wise to take illu, combined with electives of ID. This way, you can combine both skills to make something unique. but since i'm not actually at AC, it's just a theory.

I'll post my portfolio soon...
_________________
http://www.annisnaeem.blogspot.com/