Do Schools Kill creativity?

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Comment by Bradley (aka: Oak) on September 10, 2008 at 5:08pm

Now this is a subject I can sink my teeth into, as it were!

To begin with I would like to say that I am in full agreement with both Brajanne when she says that one year at an art school to learn certain much needed working techniques is more than enough time, and with John Wistanley when he reminds us how important it is for governments that the artists they choose for certain commissions and grants must have academic training and hold a degree. (Not John's exact words - but I believe I have the right idea, do you agree John?).

Personally, I am a classically trained actor. I studied at the Goodman Theatre at the Chicago Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A A lot of good that did for me!? I was fortunate enough to study acting and not the visual arts because by studying drama my talent for the visual arts was virtually left untouched. If the "fine" professors and "teachers" of drama were anything like their counter-parts over in the school of Visual Arts (and they were!) I would most likely be retiring from a lifetime of selling insurance at this point in my life. The facility of Goodman Theatre went out of their way to stamp on, as well as crush and mush, every bit of talent and all dreams of a career in the theater a student had - deep into the cinders of the adjacent parking lot. No student escaped the wrath of these no-body / has-been and never were successful "professional" dream killers. And yes, I know a certain amount of cold water must be thrown in a student artist's face just to cool off the young "I can do anything better than you!" egos that many students bring with them to theatre and art schools. By the end of the first year, more than 3/4 of the students gave up. Some went on to larger cities to "make it on their own" while others just let the dream die as they choose another career. So sad because many of them had real talent - talent that needed fostering - not more "cold water"! It got worse as the years went by... until (usually in the third and fourth years) the students finally started showing "The Goodman Attitude" in their work in the (student) theatre. Years later I would hear from casting people how they could always tell if a person auditioning for a certain role was from Goodman Theatre before they ever had the chance to answer the question: "Where did you study". The snobbish, affected and arrogant attitude was as easy to identify as pimples on a face! It made no difference at all if the actor/actress was talented or not - or if they read well for the role or were the perfect "look" for the part, they were seldom hired because it was well known that people who studied at the Goodman Theater were a pain in the ass to work with. I almost never told anyone where I studied.... and tried to break every habit I ever learned at Goodman.

It was the same for the visual artists who studied at the Art Institute. It was possible to spot a student artist from the Art Institute almost as easily as it was to spot an actor/actress from Goodman. However, I think visual artists can be more independent and far more fierce than actors/actresses. Maybe because the visual artist goes off to their studio and works alone (for the most part) and only shares works in progress with trusted chums, fellow artists and lovers. The artist does not even have to be at the gallery for his or her show... so the independence the visual artist has became more attractive to me and soon after laboring at Goodman I made my way to Cap Cod and met my mentor who TOLD me I was a painter. The rest of that story can be read on in my bio. It is not important here and now.

So, if you have not guessed by now....(?) let me assure you that I feel art school is damaging to the true artist, stifling to growth and development of talent and most importantly is much too much and far too far overrated and too much importance is put upon a degree in the arts.... unless one wants to become an art teacher... but why would any artist worth their salt want to become one of those?

Oh, by the way... I am a self taught visual artist - a painter. I learned some techniques from my mentors... like how to stretch a canvas properly, color values and theories. What brushes to use and what type of canvas or linen to stretch, I learned on my own.... and just about everything else I now use to do a painting I taught myself. And, as fate would have it... it has been longer than I can remember since I was on a stage.

Bradley (a.k.a. Oak)

Comment by JOSEPH PAUL FOX on September 10, 2008 at 3:00pm

Yes,creativity is put to the side in the classroom. the whole objective in going to school is to learn the basics and to use the mind to question. Our physical schools are not problem but the teachers. They are just projecting what they have learned on to their students. The instructor is lacking co-creativity. I call them shadow artists' and crazy makers. To be an artist in today's world comes with suffering and at times is very joyful. As artists' our true schooling is everyday life and if you have been called to be an artist, it is a great honor. You have been given that grace to create. I know and feel this everyday. God Bless and continue to co-create.

Comment by baltazarcsatillo on September 10, 2008 at 2:59pm

Thanks dawn for a very enlightening video. Perhaps its the schools curriculm and bureacracy that stunts creativity(for both students AND faculty) .
I am fortunate as a resident artist in the city of Chicago to be able to work and witness the immense creative capacities of these kids ....if you tap into it! Accompanying image is from a six week summer residency in which the elementary student artists discussed, located an image (In their minds), drew that image (from different points of view,) made armatures and finally as a result...these three dim sculptures!

Comment by baltazarcsatillo on September 10, 2008 at 2:51pm

Comment by john winstanley on September 10, 2008 at 2:51pm

less now than when i was a child but still the regimented directives from the hypocritical goverment are more concerned with training as education than real education!!

Comment by moom on September 10, 2008 at 1:16pm

Schools is good to learn artistic craftmenship: how to use artistic tools but no one become artist in school...if you wanna be artist you must born as artist

Comment by Brajanne on September 10, 2008 at 11:52am

I am a self thaugt artist with a high level of creativity and it is always my creativity that decides which way to go. Schools are good to learn the basics: the different kind of paints, which kind of brushes, to learn some tricks of drawing good sketches, and that kind of stuff and 1 year is more then enough for that.

Comment by cornel airinei on September 10, 2008 at 11:45am

Educated artists have not balls.Emasculated teachers has cut theirs balls. Whoever artwork is alike diploma work. Don`t make diploma work, make art.

Comment by Valdemar Cher & Tania Krosse on September 10, 2008 at 11:44am

Sure Dawn, to us schools are mostly nothing but brainwash and castration!

Comment by moom on September 10, 2008 at 11:17am

Do Schoold Kill creativity? I don't think so! :)))

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