Artistic Training

 The Process of Art

ARTISTIC TRAINING 

Apprenticeship  

For centuries craftsmen have formed associations that preserve and teach the ‘secrets’ of their trade to apprentices in order to perpetuate the knowledge and skill of their craft. In general, the training of artists has historically meant working as an apprentice with an established artist. The Middle Ages in Europe saw the formation of guilds that included goldsmiths, glassmakers, stonemasons, medical practitioners, and artists, and were generally supported by a king or the state, with local representatives overseeing the quality of their production.

In many cultures, apprenticeship is still how an artist learns and builds their skills and artistry to  specifically represents creative aspects of that culture. Some nations choose which artists have learned their skill to such a degree that they represent the best of the culture, and as such are allowed and encouraged to teach others. An example would be artists considered National Treasures Links to an external site. in Japan.  Does your country of origin have national treasures? Look it up! 

 

Art taught in School

In nations where education is more available and considered more important than experience, art schools have developed. The model for these schools is the French Royal Academy founded by Louis XIV in the 17th century. In the 19th century, the Victorians first introduced art to the grade schools, thinking that teaching the work of the masters would increase morality and that teaching hand-eye coordination would make better employees for the Industrial Revolution. These ideas still resonate, and are one of the reasons art is considered important in education.

A recent New York Times Links to an external site. article by Steve Lohr explains how this notion has carried into the realm of high technology and the digital arts. A woman quoted in the article says that a proficiency in digital animation is an asset less for technical skills than for what she learned about analytic thinking. In addition, a BBC article Links to an external site. talks about how young surgeons are not prepared for surgery because they lack enough of an early education in art that would prepare them for the manual dexterity required to cut and sew in surgery. 

Like all skilled professions and trades, artists spend many years learning and practicing their technique and conceptual knowledge. Art schools are found in most colleges and universities, with degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. There are independent art schools offering two and four year programs in traditional studio arts, design, and multimedia. The degree earned by students usually ends with a culminating exhibition of their artwork and directs them towards becoming exhibiting artists, designers, and/or teachers. Such degrees also consider the marketing and sales practices of art in contemporary culture. 

 

After Art School

Artists continue to develop their craft on their own through practice, study and experimentation. Whether they come from art schools or not, it takes a strong desire to practice and become an artist today. There are no longer the historical opportunities to work under church, state or cultural sponsorship. Instead the artist is driven to find their own path and exhibit their work in some other venue, from a coffee shop, a digital marketplace, a craft fair, or a gallery.  Great art is all around you, take a moment to look at and appreciate the artwork you see in your community!

 

Requirements to be an artist

What is required to become an artist? Skill is one of the hallmarks that we often value in a work of art. Becoming skilled means a continual repetition of a craft or procedure until it becomes second nature. Talent is certainly another consideration, but talent alone does not necessarily produce good art. Like any endeavor, becoming an artist takes determination, patience, skill, a strong mental attitude, and years of practice.

Creativity is another element necessary to become an artist. What exactly is creativity? It’s linked to imagination and the ability to transcend traditional ways of thinking, with an exaggerated use of alternatives, ideas and techniques to invent new forms and avenues of expression. The music composer Leo Ornstein Links to an external site. described creativity this way:

 “Once you’ve heard what you’ve created you can’t explain how it’s done. But you look at it and say ‘there’s the evidence’”.

Creativity is used in all art forms, it’s what an artist uses to take something ordinary and make it extraordinary. The root of creativity is the ability to combine seemingly disparate thoughts, concepts, or ideas and bring them together in a new way that communicates an idea. Creativity is what brings the magic into the mundane! And importantly, creativity is higher level thinking that can be practiced and developed.

Creativity can be a double-edged sword in that it’s one thing that artists are most criticized for, especially in the arena of buying and selling art. In general the buying public tends to want things they recognize, rather than artwork that challenges or requires thinking. This dichotomy is illustrated by a poem by English writer Robert Graves, “Epitaph on an Unfortunate Artist”:

He found a formula for drawing comic rabbits

This formula for drawing comic rabbits paid,

So in the end he could not change the tragic habits

This formula for drawing comic rabbits made.

 

The ability to give expression is really what art is all about. It can range from creating pieces just for beauty’s sake (aesthetics) or for social, political or spiritual meaning. The artistic process and training culminates in a form of human expression that reaches all of us and ideally elevates humanity as a whole. There are as many ways to be an artist as there are humans -- to fully appreciate the artist and their voice we need to consider that if we value expression we must value a multitude of voices, some of which contradict our own values and ideas.