10 Lessons I Learned in Art School

Here are 10 lessons I learned in art school. While you can be an artist without going to art school I learned so many valuable skills while studying my Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts.  I have also included some help in preparing your art portfolio for art school. Check out my tips for the 10 lessons I learned in art school below! 


Lesson #1 Time Management

In post-secondary education there are a lot of deadlines and the same is true for art school. At the end of the semester there are critiques where you are presenting the art you have been working on and there are also papers and presentations in other classes. It is a lot to balance especially if you are working other job(s) like tutoring or being a teaching assistant on top of that! Art school taught me how to define my priorities, schedule my time, make goals and break down tasks so that I could accomplish everything!


Lesson #2 Listening to Feedback

In art school there are a lot more critiques than in high school. In high school I don’t remember really having any critiques. Critiques are a great chance to present your artwork to your classmates and professors and listen to their feedback. I would take notes in my sketchbook for each critique. Often, I would hear ideas to try, books to read, artists to research or changes to consider. It’s a great opportunity to really refine your listening skills. It’s less about you talking and explaining the work and more about letting the work speak for itself and hearing how people respond to your art. 

10 Lessons I Learned in art school - click the image to pin this for later!

10 Lessons I Learned in art school - click the image to pin this for later!

Lesson#3  Art Skills

Of course the main reason for attending art school was to focus on learning new art skills and enhancing existing art skills. While studying, I learned papermaking, printmaking, oil painting, figure drawing, still life drawing, ceramics, throwing pottery, screen printing, fabric dyeing, sewing, hand embroidery, crochet, Photoshop, taking quality photos of my artwork, and the list goes on and on. The more skills I was able to master the more diverse my art practice became and the more interesting my art was.  Naturally I learned how to get better at acrylic painting and other skills! (Check out my FREE guide for acrylic painting at the end of this post!)


Want to go to art school but unsure how to create an art portfolio that stand out and gets accepted? Click the button below to join the waitlist and be the first to hear about my course!

 

Lesson#4 Making Money as an Artist 

I went into art school thinking that the only way I could make money as an artist was through selling my art but I learned a lot of other routes artists take to make money like awards/grants, commissions in galleries, art licensing, teaching, art fairs and more! As an artist it is so important to have multiple streams of revenue to be able to count on having a consistent income. Read these tips on pricing your art!

Lesson #5 Networking and Relationships 

Art school is where I made a lot of close friendships with people who really understand what being an artist is. I met wonderful professors that have helped me to get jobs, art sales and grants. The art world like any world is about connections and who you know. Networking is incredibly valuable and it is a lot easier to get opportunities through having some connections.

Jackie Partridge

Jackie Partridge

Lesson #6 Budgeting

Being a student taught me how to budget and save. I lived away from school and learned I needed to save for unexpected and expected costs like art supplies. I became frugal with my money and avoided going out or spending a lot on clothes and entertainment. I also learned about taxes and how to create a budget when applying for an art grant. 


Lesson #7 Presenting Your Artwork

I always thought an art gallery was the only place you could really showcase your art. I learned I could show it anywhere. I have shown my art online, in site-specific installations, outdoors, in rented buildings, on campus, in libraries and more! The possibilities are really endless which is always exciting! 


Lesson #8 Confidence 

Lessons I learned in art school. Stack of books

Art school made me a lot more confident in my artwork. It allowed me to feel very proud of the art that I have created and it gave me confidence to apply for exhibitions, artist calls and grants. Hearing praise about my art boosted my confidence and helped to diminish my imposter’s syndrome that a lot of artists struggle with. 



Lesson #9 Decision Making Skills

Art is all about decisions. From the title of your work to the materials you use -it all comes down to hundreds of decisions. It’s important to not overthink, trust your gut and be able to not waste time making decisions. I began to see my art as fluid. I could always rework something or install a sculpture differently the next time to truly learn from the experience. 



Lesson #10 Taking Risks 

I took a lot of risks in art school. It’s important to try things, to listen to feedback and to experiment. Art is really a series of experiments and taking your Master of FIne Arts is a learning process where you are learning about yourself just as much as you are learning about what kind of art and subject matter you are interested in. 


Download my FREE guide for 10 Tips to Make an Art Portfolio for School Applications that Stands out!


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If you need coaching to help you with your art portfolio- answer questions, decide what pieces to put in your portfolio, learn how to make one and have it stand out- check out my coaching.


Related Articles

Why I became an artist

For help with your art portfolio -click here to read this helpful blog post! 

Tips for pricing your art

6 tips for achieving your art goals

Join the art portfolio course waitlist




If you are wanting to improve your acrylic painting - you can download this FREE 16 page guide by clicking the button below! I show you the 10 common mistakes beginner painters make and what you can do to avoid them!

I hope you found these 10 lessons of what I learned in art school helpful! 


All the best on your path to becoming an artist! 


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How to Create an Art Portfolio: 7 Tips!


How to create an art portfolio with 7 tips from artist Jackie Partridge. I have been exhibiting my artwork since 2012. I have received artist grants and awards and I have attended artist residencies. With this experience I have done my share in submitting my portfolio for numerous applications. As a teacher, I have worked with grade 12 students to help them with their art portfolio applications. See my 7 tips for your college/university art portfolio application below!

After receiving my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from Lakehead University I also completed teacher’s college. I graduated being able to teach grades 4-12 in Ontario before taking my Master of Fine Arts at Concordia University.


During my time in teacher’s college part of my placement included teaching art to grade 12 students. In the first term I helped students with their portfolios as they were in the midst of applying for university and college arts programs. I volunteered my time to help these students during my lunch break by giving them tips and ways to improve what they had selected to be in their portfolios.


I have worked as an art instructor for a private boarding school where I helped international high school students with their portfolio applications in art, graphic design, illustration and architecture programs.


If you need ideas for what to put into your art portfolio application you can click here!

blue paint brush with paint on it. Start making art for your portfolio

7 Tips to Make Your University/College Portfolio Stand Out

Tip #1

READ THE REQUIREMENTS -AND FOLLOW THEM

You need to know what they want and usually they tell you specifics!

Every university and college or even programs within the same school have different application requirements when it comes to their portfolios. Some schools are very specific asking for a certain number of pieces, certain media used or certain sizes of work. Some schools want original work, some/most don't-- they want photographs uploaded on programs like SlideRoom.  Some schools even have specific themes like "Make a work that is finished yet unfinished." This can make the process more difficult and leave students feeling overwhelmed and unsure -often overthinking their decisions and ideas.

Want to go to art school but unsure how to create an art portfolio that stands out and gets accepted? Click on the button below to get on the waitlist for my art portfolio course!

Tip #2

Show Your Creative Process

Most schools want to see your process work - they want to see how you think about your art and why you made the choices you did.


Tip #3

Show Your Personality

The purpose of the portfolio is an introduction and a chance for your chosen school to get to know you and see if you would be a good fit there.  You want to show your interests and possibilities you might want to continue to explore while in post-secondary education. You should include materials you like working with and show your artistic style that is unique to you!

How to make a strong portfolio for school -tips by Jackie Partridge

Tip #4

Show Variety

You want the professors reviewing your portfolio to be impressed by your skills and see you as an artist who is versatile. Therefore, it is important to show that you can do more.

By showing variety you are showing that you aren't afraid to try new things and experiment with your artwork. It shows that you are open to growing and learning which is the whole point of college and university programs. Check out my YouTube channel for tips to make your acrylic paintings stronger! You can also improve your painting with FREE12 page Guide!

Tip #5

Show Program Specific Techniques 

If you are applying to specific programs like architecture or illustration you want to think about possible projects that might be studied in those programs. Once you have thought of those ideas you could try to include relevant pieces in your portfolio.

If you are applying to a non-specific program like a Bachelor of Fine Arts for example- then again you want to show variety. You need to show your range, talents and abilities.

How to make a strong portfolio - show your diversity of skills like ceramics

How to make a strong portfolio - show your diversity of skills like ceramics

Tip #6

Details are Important 

You need to remember that review panels are looking at portfolio after portfolio for hours on end. You need to stand out and be memorable. Make sure you consider details to set you apart.

Edit your photos, think about your layout, come up with clever titles for your work. All these details are important!


Tip #7

Show Your Thinking, Your Writing and Research

Usually you will be asked to submit written descriptions about your work- make sure they are detailed and informative.

List your inspiration- if you did a drawing based off a building or place -state that research. You want to show your intelligence and critical thinking abilities in these descriptions.

Make sure you edit your writing, stick to the word count and choose a consistent and legible font.

Take time to plan your written descriptions and do not leave them to the last minute!


I wish you good luck with your portfolio applications and the BIGGEST tip I can give you is to start early and trust your gut!

What People are Saying

I was excited for the opportunity to work with Jackie!

The presentation from Jackie was very specific relevant information to prepare my students for applying to art schools. It gave us a checklist to follow and ideas we had not yet considered.

 

This presentation is a MUST for anyone needing information to better prepare students to apply to art schools. Not having gone that route myself, it was invaluable!

 

Jackie was not only knowledgeable, but easy to work with and super accommodating. I would highly recommend her!!

 

Britt, High School Art Teacher, California, U.S.



Here are my art portfolio ideas. These ideas are great if you are struggling with what to include in your art portfolio.

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Want Some Help With Your Art Portfolio? I Would Love to Work With You - Send me an Email!

I offer Portfolio Review and Portfolio Development Consultations. I can help you decide what to create, what to include in your art portfolio, answer any questions, prepare for interviews, and more!

All the best with your art portfolio applications- You got this!

All the best with your art portfolio applications- You got this!