What it’s like being an art major at Temple University

Tyler students definitely don’t get enough credit

People joke all the time that art majors “have it easy” in college, but in reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Although I’m no longer an art major, I can honestly tell you that being one was one of the hardest things to do and the most rewarding at the same time.

For starters, the average class size for each of my art classes was about 15-20 students, which is different from other subjects with lecture classes of about 150 students. All of the professors knew their students by name and the students knew each other by name too.

The classes would also be about 2 and a half hours long…FOR EACH CLASS.

So if you’re complaining about having a 3 hour night class, imagine having that for several classes…multiple times a week.

“Oh, but you’re just drawing the whole time, it shouldn’t be that bad.”

Yeah maybe for high school, but for college? You go through papers and papers of drawings, and sometimes your professors might do an exercise where you literally have just a few seconds to draw a model.

For example, on my first day class freshman year, I was required to bring in a stick to use to draw a model. At first, we had a few minutes to draw the model in a certain pose, but then my professor asked the model to strike a new pose every few seconds. The time to draw the model became even less and less, until we were down to maybe three seconds.

Some of the 3-5 second drawings I did with a stick on the first day of my drawing class

Throughout those 2 and a half hours of class, your professor is also walking around the room, looking at everyone’s work and every few minutes they will come over to you and look over your shoulder while you draw. If you’re an artist you would know that having someone look at you while you draw is one of the most nerve-wracking things because your mind is more focused on the person, rather than the drawing.

Since you’re creating something the entire class, you have to be completely engaged. So unlike your other classes where you are just hearing your professors lecture, you and your classmates are the center of attention in art classes.

Most likely, you’ll probably also leave class with your hands and clothes covered in charcoal or paint.

The homework is also to make art, and unlike other classes where you can miss a reading once in a while, you have to do your art assignments. If not, your whole class will know once it’s time for the critiques.

In case you’re unfamiliar with what a critique is, it is basically when you display your art project alongside your classmates’ and then you all discuss what you have created. Both your classmates and professor offer honest feedback, letting you know what they did and didn’t like about your project. Participation is also very important in critiques.

Also, unlike your homework for other classes where you can do it in the comfort of your own room, your art assignments may require you to go outside to a specific location, such as a museum, or even at a specific time of day, such as at night.

Your professors might also require you to use a specific kind of paper or drawing material and sometimes you may not be able to find it at the school store. This is where Dick Blick’s becomes your best friend, because you’ll probably be there every other day buying new supplies.

However, this can also be very costly. For example, in my 3D class, we had to make a large soft sculpture (basically a pillow) and I made one of a camera. Since it was so big, I ended up spending about $30 on supplies such as spray paint, fabric, and stuffing. Remember, this is just for ONE project.

Soft sculpture project for my 3D class

Some of the supplies can also be completely random and spontaneous. One time, I had to find a stick outside for my drawing class and another time I had to buy a head of garlic for my painting class. Yes, you read that right.

Since you’ll probably have a few art classes back to back, you’ll be carrying a huge bag or box with all of your supplies. This can get you some weird stares from other students, who may not understand that the big pillow you’re carrying with you to class is for a project.

Depending on the assignment, you may also have to go to the art studios or the woodshop in Tyler. Most of the times, you’ll be in there for hours, but unfortunately they are not 24 hours, which means you definitely have to plan your assignments ahead of time, especially since the studios can get crowded during midterms and finals.

A good thing about the assignments is that you have a lot of freedom. So although everyone might have the same assignment, such as to make a chair, you can customize it however you want. I spray painted my chair and glued buttons all over it (which took forever). It was amazing to see everyone’s end result because not one project looked the same, and you really got the chance to see everyone’s personality through their work.

Before and after shots of my chair project for my 3D class

Although the classes were challenging, I have also learned so many new things, such as how to sew, how to make my own vinyl stickers and coffee coasters, how to make a chair from scratch, and how to use all of the Adobe programs on the computer.

As I said before, art majors are not appreciated enough. I can’t tell you how many times after telling someone my major, they just stayed silent and gave me a weird look.

Art majors spend as much time, if not more, on their assignments as any other major. Yet, they don’t get enough credit for the work they do.

Although art classes can be very intense and demanding, it is also very fun and rewarding because not one class is the same. Seeing your idea come to life is also an amazing thing to see and sometimes the final product can be completely different than what you expected. That’s the thing about art, there is so much freedom and room for interpretation that you never know exactly what you’re going to get.

In the end, seeing the final product will make all the long hours in the studio worth it.

@michmendezmedia

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