Dear Alex, thank you so much for putting sense into this whole thing.
Now I need to get a bunch of stuff out of my chest.
There’s some personal things I want to share about this, because I’ve had my share with people who think calarts is the cream of the crop, and some of those people are trying to find ways to be disappointed and be despised with the school (because they can’t afford it, get in, whatever the reason is) and it infuriates me because they think a school will get them the job they want. There are some who feel like they have no hope because they can’t get into cal arts.
As a graduate from the school, and from what I’ve experienced with my fellow classmates, it’s really you who makes the experience of your own education and your own career path. I’m pretty sure there are people who will counter this argument with things like “Well Calarts introduces you to these amazing classes and guests”, but all I can say is that you can go so far with that – but most of one’s improvement is based on them practicing alone. A few of my coworkers come from USC, UCLA, and have taken far more story boarding workshops than I have, and know about story better than what I know about it. I’m also learning a lot from them!
There’s so much stigma about the school because of all the alums that come from there, who seem to have their names all over the place. It’s also a very expensive school, and it’s painful to see my friends having to pay loans after graduating.
But is having a majority of calarts students within the industry a problem? I can see what that person means, but mostly no. A lot of friends I know who are incredibly talented (and way more talented than the normal calarts folk) do not come from Calarts.
They made their way by doing good stuff on their own, attending exhibitions, networking with people, etc. You could Make a killer portfolio, work on your own projects, be an exhibitor and sell your own work, pitch ideas to people. Networking and putting your work out there will help you get your name out there – now that recruiters are surfing tumblr, attending these social events, etc. Recruiters love seeing people who can manage these things.
Did you hear that most people in the industry look at one’s portfolio rather than the school they attend to? Sure there’s a calarts network, but since its a creative industry, recruiters look for people who can work with them based on their experience, their art style, personality, and other things.
Like what Alex said, this is what it means to be a professional. It’s about how you can find advantages with the parameters and assets you have, and work with it. This means skill, time, resources, people, health… If you have a lot of perks, don’t take it for granted! I felt like that at Calarts too, if I wasn’t working on a film every year, I would have tried to write more – or really work on my draftsmanship, my reel (by doing acting and dialogue tests) and my portfolio (doing a more specific and catered art portfolio), and all I could really do for example – was to work on my film. A lot of the students at calarts catered their portfolio and reel to their film, since it was one of the only things we could work on. Some of my classmates did internships to get hands on experience within the industry. Some of my friends did not have the privilege to attend an art school, so they took workshops, watched online lectures, joined sketch groups and networked with people. I have so much respect for people who really try out these things.
About cal arts, I don’t think the problem is that the industry is filled with calarts alum – it’s more of the fact that people are forgetting what it means about loving the work you do and being professional.
Looking at the many posts I’ve seen on Tumblr, it’s sad to see people think Cal arts is the only way to make a name within the industry.
I do agree with the point that the animation industry should be more spread about, instead of the majority being in LA. I feel like starting in the industry elsewhere can be risky – but sometimes: great things come with great risks.
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