A common question for many young (and not-so-young) artists is, "Should I go to art school? What art school should I go to? How important is art school? Will I be able to make any money from my art if I don't have a degree?"
Well, I'm not going to be able to answer all these questions for you. However, I will give you some of my opinions and share a few insights that I've learned over the years.
The importance of an art degree
If you are really serious about a future in art, then yes, it is definitely a good idea to consider getting a formal art education. Look it it this way: if you've got the funding and you've got a good shot at getting accepted into an art program, then go for it! Why would you not? All other things being equal, some sort of formal education is almost always better than no formal education. At worst, you'll realize that it was a waste of money (this isn't terribly uncommon with art degrees, alas) but at best, it will be the one of the best things you did in your life. So, if you have the opportunity, you should definitely go for it.
The significance of a degree depends on the individual, however. I've known far too many people who proudly mention their art degree, but oh, wait . . . they haven't painted anything in 10 years and they've done absolutely nothing with the education. But they've got the degree! Wow! Is that supposed to impress anyone? It doesn't impress me. I am like most people—I want to see the kind of artwork people actually are able to produce. The question, "Are you a good artist?" should not be answered with, "Well, I have a degree, you know." That tells us very little about the actual quality of the person's artwork.
I learned a long time ago (while I was attending art school, actually), to not assume that someone was a good artist merely because they had a degree. This is sad, but unfortunately, true. There are too many people who are released from college with a "feel good" art degree. They were "creative" and they were given good grades, but they never were taught any basic skills.
One of my friends experienced an extreme example of this phenomenon: he went through a ceramics program at a large and well-known Southern California college that was pretty much a waste of money. None of the professors running the program seemed to feel it was necessary to teach the students to, you know, make pottery. The students "expressed their creativity" with clay works that exploded in the kiln and were of no practical use to anyone. These students now have ceramic degrees, and many of them want to get into teaching. But who will hire someone as a ceramics teacher when they don't know how to make anything on the potter's wheel and don't know how to handle any ceramics materials? And more importantly, why didn't these students realize that they were getting a useless education and revolt before they'd wasted all those years and dollars?
Fortunately, not all art and creative educational programs are as bad as the example I cited above. Many are quite demanding and grueling. And wonderful. A good education should always be respected and desired. I know that my years at art school changed my life for the better and had a profoundly positive influence on the quality of my work. The secret is to choose a good school and to know what you want out of your education. Don't be like those hapless ceramics students who apparently didn't know any better.
As for the choosing of the right school for you—hey, don't ask me! I don't know what is in your area or what your unique interests are. You have to do that sort of research for yourself.
Being self-taught or having little formal education
Many people discover their artistic side later in life, or, for whatever reason, decide that it's not practical to get a degree in art. There is absolutely no reason to assume that because you have no degree, you won't be able to do much with your artwork. This absolutely is not the case.
I've shown my work in many art shows and galleries, and not once—not once—has anyone asked me where I went to school or whether or not I had a degree. All the gallery owners cared about was whether or not I produced work that they could sell. Gallery owners are pragmatic. They want to sell art. Art collectors are not going to buy bad artwork just because someone with a prestigious degree produced it. An art degree is not going to make silk purse out of a sow's ear.
Those who have no formal art education must not feel discouraged or insecure because of it. They should work on bettering their art techniques, in learning new things, in practicing and trying to be the best artist that they can be. They should not feel inadequate when they try to get into an art show or gallery, or when they show their freelance illustration portfolio to potential clients. Most likely no one will ask (nor care) about where they went to school. As long as the artwork is good, that's all that matters.
Moreover, a person without any formal art education should not feel automatically inferior or lesser than those who have more education. A good education should be respected, but not the the extent that one assumes, by default, that it makes a person "better" in some way. Remember this one thing if nothing else: it's all about the quality of your art, not about your educational background. Self-taught, art school, whatever. It is all insignificant compared to what you actually can do.
Now, don't think that I'm telling you that a formal art education isn't important. I'm certainly not saying that at all. There are many more employment and career opportunities available to those with degrees. If you are able to pursue an art education, then go for it. Do not tell yourself, "Oh, it doesn't matter. I'll put it off." Do not do that. If you've got the resources to do it, you should definitely not pass up the chance. Just choose a good school that will challenge you and help you to be your best. Do not settle for a "feel good" (but useless) education.
Having a passion for art
Remember that an art education will only benefit you if you put in a lot of effort. This was a big revelation for me when I was attending art school. Many of us in art school were geeks—you know, the type that had a sketchbook with us wherever we went, the type that had to draw everything and lived and breathed it. We loved it—always will love art. But some of my fellow students saw art as something they could shut off and on, like a faucet. They did their assignments, but not much more. They didn't love it. I don't believe that any of them produced anything more than average quality artwork. They may have earned a degree, but did it make them a good artist? I doubt it.
During my time at art school, I happened to attend the big comic book convention, ComicCon. There were many artists there, showing off a wonderful variety of artwork. Their work was outstanding. I asked artist after artist, "Where did you go to school?" Most answered with a shrug, "I never went." They were amazingly good artists, and they got that way because they worked hard and absolutely were passionate about what they were doing. I compared them in my mind to some of the students at my art school—the ones who only did the assignments and nothing more, the ones who groaned when expected to do anything extra. The ones who produced only "average" quality work. It was easy to see the vast difference between these two groups of people. One group loved what they were doing and it showed in their art. The other group didn't love to make artwork, and it also showed. Which group did I want to belong to? Well, that was obvious.
In the long run, an art degree is not going to compensate for having no love nor passion for art. An art degree is next to useless if it belongs to someone who isn't a good artist. (However, when applying for some jobs, a degree—any degree—can be useful, which is why I say that such a degree is "next to" useless. It's obviously not useless in some contexts.)
An art education is a sublime experience when the person getting the education appreciates it and loves creating art. And the artist who loves to create work and does it all on their own (self-taught) is also experiencing something sublime. It's the passion for the work that makes us excellent at what we do. A formal art education is often a wonderful part of that, but it is by no means mandatory.
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