How an art school in coastal Georgia is killing its students — and why no one is talking about it.
I went to SCAD. This wasn’t everyone’s experience, but it was similar to mine and a fair few friend’s of mine.Â
I saw this article on twitter, and the thread is really revealing.Â
I’ve had people ask me if the experience is just a “SCAD” experience. It’s not. It’s Ringling, RISD, LCAD, MICA, CCAD, DigiPen, and on and on–it’s all the private art colleges.
Just do the full soul search before making the decision to go to these schools. That’s all I ask.Â
I have debt I’ll never be able to pay off, and I can’t bankrupt out of it because the loans are private, as the school intended. That’s the world of art colleges.Â
Unless your family is affluent enough to pay out of pocket without feeling any hurt, I can’t in good conscience recommend art college to anyone.Â
All the knowledge you need can be found online today, and nearly all of it is free to access via youtube and blogs. You can even ask artists/professionals about their process and their jobs, ask to interview them if you feel nervous to just ask off-hand.Â
I will likely NEVER see a day that I am without debt. No one told me that coming in. So I’m telling you. I left with such extreme burn out that I barely made any artwork for a full year because I would devolve into shakes and panic. It’s taken nearly 4 years to overcome my PTSD with drawing. That’s why I paint so much, go figure.Â
PLEASE, please, if you decide to go, go in with a full-understanding.
People die because of the culture. There were a few when I attended. No one talks about it. And it’s getting worse.Â
