Lessons from Art School

I spent $90,000 on my graduate school education. With that amount of money I could've sailed around the world in a yacht, drinking champagne. Instead, I collected random wisdoms about what *not* to do as an artist. The lesson this week is that skill and technique are overrated. Storytelling is the one thing that will keep your audience interested in your work. Facts tell, stories sell. In a critique session in grad school one of my peers put up a white sheet of paper with nothing on it and called it a painting. I almost lost my sh*t. How could he call this art!? What I learned is that 30 minutes can be devoted to the most earnestly made, finely rendered drawing but people will look at anything and discuss anything. We formulate opinions fast. So, you need to get good at talking about your work and having a cool idea to share rather than get better at drawing. Perfectionism is likely ruining your career. Just start showing your work and telling your story. See what happens.