CREATIVE OUTLOOK ARTICLES

The Portfolio

Preparing Your Artwork for Admission to a Visual Arts College

by Sheri McKenzie, Vice President for Enrollment Services, California College of the Arts

Are you are considering applying to a visual arts college? As you begin to prepare for the application process, you will discover that the portfolio requirement is an important part of your application. Here is what you need to know to successfully present your creative work.

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Try Art School On For Size

by Char Norman, Associate Provost, Columbus College of Art & Design

You wouldn’t buy a pair of jeans with out trying them on, so why choose a college before trying it out? The college decision is one of the most important in a young person’s life. It is an investment in the future and should be made with careful consideration and research into prospective colleges. Interests and abilities coupled with financial considerations drive the selection of colleges. The success of a student’s college experience and ensuing career depend on a good match between student and college.

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Writing For Artists: Who Needs It?

by Mary Wells, Oregon College of Arts & Crafts

You are planning to go to art school. You are going to be an artist, and you feel confident of your creative ability. In your mind you have a clear understanding of why you create art and what it means to you. It probably seems as though this is enough, but unfortunately for a self-supporting artist in the world today it is not. “What more,” you ask, “Do I need?” The answer is this: You need the ability to express yourself in words.

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How to Afford the College of Your Choice

by Susan Miller, Dean of Students, Memphis College of Art

Did you know that money is most often the deciding factor in where a student attends college? Often students will not attend their first choice school because they feel they won’t be able to afford it. The truth is that a quality education does cost more. That cost includes not only tuition and fees but also books, supplies, transportation, personal expenses and room and board if you plan to live away from home. The good news is that there are ways to bridge the financial gap to make attending your first-choice college a reality.

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From Here To Career

The Guide for the Creative Person

by Debra Belluomini, The Art Institutes

Here's The Truth: A Job Is A Lot More Fun Than School.

But it’s got to be a job doing something you love. And since you’re reading this, let’s assume you’re thinking about a job that involves your love for creativity. The question is, how do you transform your creative passion into a career with a paycheck?

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Creativity With Paper

From Art to Packaging

by Marion K. Allman, The Art Institute of Cincinnati

Paper. The simplest of all forms - flat, barren, uninteresting, a real challenge. AHHH... but with imagination we can turn paper into an illustration via sculpture, pop-up or an environmentally friendly package design that stops consumers in their tracks. Paper is also a huge marketplace for designers who enjoy working in three-dimension.

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Drawing Ideas

Improving Drawings for Your Portfolio

by Deborah Zlotsky, Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing, The College of Saint Rose

Preparing an impressive portfolio begins with creating remarkable drawings. Often, what distinguishes a bland drawing from an extraordinary one is the personal perspective of the artist. For each piece that you include in your portfolio, you should be able to describe not only what the work is (what you see when you look at it), but what its meaning is to you.

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Art Therapists

Help Patients Explore Inner Feelings

submitted by Arcadia University

On the surface, it might appear that fine arts and psychology have little in common. The blending of these two disciplines, however, has led to the development of the field of art therapy, a unique therapeutic approach which has been gaining momentum since the 1950s.

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Photography Jobs

That You Can Get Into

by Low Jeremy

It is not true that there is no money in photography. For those who are truly gifted, fame and fortune is easily achieved. In fact, there are a number of photographers who have reached the top of their field. There are actually a number of jobs that a photographer can get into. Pictures and visuals are important in most media and talented “lens” men are very much in demand in the market especially now with the age of multimedia.

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Be An Artist In All Directions

Submitted by New Hampshire Institute of Art

This is a story of transformation. It’s the story of what happens when a writer goes to teach at an art college and falls in love with ceramics. It’s also the story of how my students and I improved our artwork, exploring new mediums by using our understanding of more familiar ones. To tell this story, I have to begin at the beginning, when a lump of clay was just a lump, when hand building looked basic. In the beginning, I imagined that I would only briefly check out pinch, coil, and slab techniques. Then, surely, I would ease into wheel working classes where the wheel spun quietly, its harmonious hum helping me to birth perfect forms that began in my head and emerged magically beneath my capable hands.

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Calamitrees and Other Work

A Site-Specific Installation

submitted by Montserrat College of Art

When I originally asked New Orleans-based artist Sally Heller to come to Montserrat College of Art for a solo exhibition and to serve as the Fall 2005 Artist-in-Residence, I intended to display a number of pieces that I saw at the New Orleans Contemporary Art Center in May of 2004. Hanging By A Thread (2004), the Wall of Balls (2001) and an intriguing series of wallpaper already had places on my checklist. While discussing the exhibition’s possibilities, Heller mentioned that she would like to create a new piece in collaboration with Montserrat students. Her visit promised an exciting opportunity for students to work alongside a professional artist.

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Is There A Career in the Fashion Industry For You?

by Patricia O'Connor, President/Founder of Fashion Careers of California College

A great variety of careers can be summed up in one word- Fashion! Many people think of it mainly in terms of the people they see most often - the sales staff. That staff is a vital part of the business, but many different talents back up every sale made across the counter. The process of fashion, from concept to consumer, involves thousands of career opportunities and requires a diversity of skills, interests and educational backgrounds.

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Industrial Design

Offers Careers Fueled by Imagination

by James Orr, Chair of the Industrial Design Department, Cleveland Institute of Art & Design

The profession of Industrial Design, in philosophy, is as simple as it is productive: design creates identity; identity creates image; image creates success.
This simple triumvirate provides the foundation upon which exciting and inspiring careers are built. Upon closer analysis, this basic philosophy is driven by a fourth component: IMAGINATION! Virtually everything within our culture is a product of design. Or, more accurately stated, products of the design process.

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