8. Constantly figuring out how to transport materials
Speaking of materials, I was amazed at how large my papers were and the size my other projects would take up. I didn’t live that far from school but every time I had to bring materials or projects to school, my arms were cramping. I’d find myself walking on the street with this large paper and whenever there’s a slight gust of wind, I get so anxious that my papers and I will fly away. I seem to always have to visualize how to best bring my work to school with the least amount of casualties.
7. No space left.
With all of these papers, your work space is always crowded. Because of working with so many materials and large paper sizes, a regular table will never be enough. My paints are in one chair, my multiple rulers and triangles are on another, and my 12 pencils, 5 pens, 36 markers, and 24 colored pencils are lined up in front of me. I definitely did not expect staying late at student lounges or staying at school until it closed just to use the tables.
6. The grading system will not make sense at first.
Apart from dealing with learning how to draw, I also started thinking about my grades. Grades? GRADES? What are those? How do I get good grades? Imagine my shock thinking about how I was going to pass my classes when grades heavily relied on drawings and my skills were almost nonexistent. The criteria and breakdown was so confusing at first and I had no idea how I was going to reach it. Over time, I improved and I learned to accept my grades both good and sad ones since I was just starting out.
5. Constantly comparing your work with others.
But as you grow, you look around. You are in college and you enter this big world full of people smarter than you that you hope to learn from. Then, there are people in your class who have been artists since they were in diapers. What takes them 30 minutes to do actually took them over 10 years to master. The first day I stepped into school, I was already comparing myself with others and judging people silently. I expected that I would compare myself but I didn’t expect how bad it would be to my mental health to see my work versus others daily and for long periods of time like during seven hour drawing classes. Looking at it now, I remember that every person’s progress in class was different from mine. So, I decided instead to focus on doing my best to improve myself.
4. Be Updated!
In college, another realization was how small you are and just how big the world is. Coupled with the internet, the arts and design world is vast and constantly changing. So as a student, I learned the value of being updated with arts/design journals or magazines both print and online. It’s a pool of inspiration and a source of motivation. Because of the tendency to experience multiple creative drains per week, you might yourself on Pinterest, on Google Images, or browsing every design magazine you find at restaurants. There are actually so many places to learn from aside from the school library!
3. The critique can hit you hard.
One thing you can’t get away from as is critique whether its from your family or from your friends. Presentations and comments of my work were one of my biggest fears. But I didn’t know the critique would hurt that much especially when you’ve worked so hard and didn’t sleep all night on a drawing that you don’t know how to draw. It really rattles your self confidence. But I also didn’t expect that it was going to be okay, no matter how badly you want to quit everything, leave your dorm, and go back home.
2. The High Level of Satisfaction!!
But when you’re work turns out well and is complimented, the happiness is overwhelming. You’ve improved and you’ve done so much better. This is how I felt after surviving my first finals. The best part is that the outputs are visual and when you look back, you can clearly see your progress! It feels really satisfying to see how much you’ve improved even while cringing at your previous work. It’s a crazy ride of really low periods and extreme exhaustion and then suddenly transitioning to heavenly levels of happiness.
1. You notice the world more.
My final takeaway is that as an arts and design student, you begin to look at the world differently. You observe your surroundings more. You start to appreciate the forms and shadows of even the most normal looking things like the sunlight on your bed.
That’s why the most valuable thing I’ve gained so far is appreciating the mundane and the madness of the world. It makes you want to draw more and be more creative in imagining, re-imagining, and designing the world around you to become more beautiful and also functional.
So if you’re like me – a fellow (struggling) arts and design/architecture student – or if you’re just starting out in your drawing journey, you’ll get through this! Don’t be discouraged when people look down on your work or your love for your artistic passions. People will tell you that anyone can do arts and design especially because of the internet. They will say, “Everyone’s a writer blogging their feelings away, an artist posting their art on Instagram, or an ‘influencer’ posting videos on Youtube.” They will convince you that it’s not worth studying. But let the expectations happen, the comments hit, and the disappointments pass because with your passion, perseverance, and hard work, you can thrive!
ALSO READ: 7 College Courses You Probably Didn’t Know About
This list can still go on! Are you an artist or designer? Share with us your experiences below.
