Let me first introduce myself. I am Wren, a photographer and an art enthusiast. I frequently write a lot of stuff about cameras and related articles on this blog.

Being in this creative field has helped me made a lot of friend in the field of art who are extremely successful. I am writing this today because a lot of people often get miscarried about degrees. After some chit chat with my artist friends, I finally decided to write this one!

If you have been a creative thinker who has enjoyed art throughout your life, then becoming a professional artist is something that will naturally come to your mind. But is a degree really necessary?

Well, let me tell you, it is not. In fact, the best part of this field is you can start doing art from any stage of your life and yes, you don't need to study to become an artist.

Let me walk you through a few reasons that will help you much better understand if you should get a degree as an artist or not!

Reasons not to go to art school

• Impact on creativity: One of the most harmful impacts, yet the least discussed one. Yes, according to an article by Guardian, creativity is one of the most missed ingredients on education for kids. Naturally, getting into a fixed size curriculum will impact your unique styles and have a damp on your creative side.
• New IDEAS: Yes, undeniably going to an art school seems a good idea for people who aim to become an artist. But in the end, you need to remember, the word artist comes from the word art, which mean to express one's self.
• Limited Genres and Replication: Classes in big art school mostly focus on techniques, styles and history. Thus, if you have the basics cleared already, you will end up replicating most of the famous art forms and works. Which is not something you would really want.
• Digital Age: It's the digital age. Most of the art schools have still stuck upon the older conventional methods of art form and work. When inventions like a drawing tablet are really taking over, it is unwise to sticking up only to the traditional genres without having to get the view of newer styles.
• Style: Art is all about discovering yourself. If you join an art school, you wont be able to develop your unique style that you might have. With the teachings of an art school, you might actually end up losing your style.
• Costly: Not hard to deny that art schools are expensive. Not every one is rich enough to have time or money to go to a school and devote 4 years or so to study at a college.

Infact there are a ton of other ways which will help you learn techniques without an ART School (that are affordable too!)

Things you can try instead of signing up for an art school:

• Sign up for a class
• Check online courses
• See Youtube videos on related topics

The main difference here would be that you will have to put in the extra effort of looking out for things and the time. Apart from this, practice all forms, work on a specific style, improve on it, and make mistakes.

Can you teach yourself to be an artist?

Well yes, you can teach yourself to be an artist. You need to decide up on your goal, look out for various resources and learn from different people and material. The only thing that matters would be investing time and imposing a self-developed time frame to achieve a desired curriculum.

What kind of training do you need to be an artist?

As I've been focusing repeatedly, an artist does not need formal schooling. If you still want to obtain a formal education, you can go for a degree in Fine Arts. Most people opt for Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and later follow up with a master's degree. One of the advantages of a degree is faster creation of a professional portfolio.

Can you get an art job without a degree?

Yes, an artist can get a job without a degree. If you have your natural talent and a bit of hard work, you can easily land up a job whether you are a drawer, sculptor or any other kind of an artist. Some creative field may require a degree, but not all of them need you to be a graduate.