Things I Wish I had Learned at Art School

Afloat oil 12 x 16

 I am one of those rare people who actually went to art school and stuck with it after graduation.  We worked hard at art.  I learned how to take criticism and how to draw the figure and how to use gouache.  I put together a professional thesis project that was presented in New York City. I did not learn anything about marketing my work, approaching galleries or publishers, applying for grants or residencies, or writing an artist's statement. We lived in a bubble where production and technique were emphasized and there was very little time for what would happen once we left that little world.
 
Right out of college, I went on to work a year-long internship with the illustrator Barry Moser. It was there that I learned about the day to day life skills needed to succeed in the publishing business.  I learned by example. 

So while art school may look good on my resume, would it have been more prudent to seek out a working artist and ask for an apprenticeship?  Or to sign up for workshops with artists whose work I respected?  I was too young to have the foresight or to even know which painters I may have looked to for guidance, and I am grateful I had the opportunity to go to art school. I have learned about the business side of art by trial and error. I have made many mistakes along the way. Perhaps, that is what succeeding at this art thing is all about.