How to turn a love of art into a career
A PASSION for drawing and making art could lead to a career as an artist, designer, animator, curator, architect or even a fashion designer whose clothes are worn by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
TAFE
Don't miss out on the headlines from TAFE. Followed categories will be added to My News.
RMIT student Jack Grayson, 21, had his heart set on studying art from a young age.
“I used to make little comic books and all sorts of weird and wacky things and Mum would take them to work and get them bound with a bookbinding machine,” he said.
“That was always a bit of hoot for me.”
By year 10 he knew he wanted to be a comic book artist and work for Marvel Comics.
His VCE program at Christian College Geelong included studio arts and VCD (visual communication and design) and his work was selected for Top Arts 2016, a showcase at the NGV of exceptional artwork by VCE students.
But his dream of studying at the Jo Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Art in the US wasn’t financially feasible.
THE HIDDEN COSTS OF HIGH SCHOOL
SELECT ENTRY SCHOOLS VS STATE SCHOOLS
“It’s very expensive, and there’s no fee help, so I had to look at things I could do in Melbourne instead,” Mr Grayson said.
He went to an RMIT open day to investigate the communication design, media and game design courses and stumbled into the animation department.
“I looked at everything they had on the table, walls and screens and it looked like everything I’d wanted to do.”
He will complete the Bachelor of Design (Animation) next year and he’s optimistic he will find studio work in Melbourne or Sydney after graduation.
“There’s TV shows and advertising jobs, and there’s a company in Sydney making Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon for Nickelodeon,” he said.
“Even if you do want to work for an overseas company, with access to things online and file sharing, you can work at home and work for a studio in Japan at the same time.”
Recent research by the Queensland University of Technology found jobs in the creative services had grown at three times the rate of the overall workforce.
The university’s analysis of the 2016 Census showed the creative workforce grew from 3.7 per cent in 1986 to 5.5 per cent in 2016.
The University of Melbourne’s Head of VCA Art, Dr Kate Daw, said students who studied fine art became deep and critical thinkers, skills that were now highly regarded.
She said hundreds of students applied each year for the 120 undergraduate places in five different disciplines: painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and sculpture.
“We don’t even look at students’ ATARs,” Dr Daw said.
“They may be extremely academically strong, but we’re looking for a kind of creative intelligence which may not be measured by a conventional VCE score.”
The interview process is arduous.
“We want to see if they are going to manage at art school. A lot of it isn’t about having beautiful finished work, it’s about having a type of curiosity and an appetite for being challenged, and a great capacity to work independently.”
Although students present their high-school folios as part of the interview process, Dr Daw said the VCA wanted to find students whose passion for art went beyond course requirements.
“What we love to see are their notebooks, visual diaries and all the things they make alongside their school folios,” she said.
As part of the Bachelor of Fine Art, students learn how to survive as an artist, develop a business plan, document their artwork, communicate their ideas to curators and apply for grants and scholarships.
Dr Daw said most graduates would work in hospitality or some other field to help fund their artistic practice.
“Many students can go into arts administration, curating, running galleries, or running design or architecture practices,” she said.
Then there are those like Martin Grant, who has become the Duchess of Sussex’s favourite fashion designer.
“Meghan Markle was wearing his clothes when she was in Australia,” Dr Daw said.
“He (Grant) studied sculpture at VCA and I believe he would argue strongly his art school experience really impacted his understanding of form in fashion.”
Art and Design educator Mark Russell said there were about 60 different courses in the creative arts, making it a daunting choice for school students.
The Northern College of the Arts and Technology (NCAT) where he works in the Folio Preparation course, offers a Year 13, which helps students figure out which tertiary course suits them best before making a
large financial commitment.
Mr Russell said many universities used the ATAR to select students for art and design courses, which made it hard for creative people with lower scores.
“Fortunately we can offer alternative pathways,” he said.
“We offer a Certificate IV in Visual Arts or Design and that will usually outweigh an ATAR score.
“We’re also part of a very unique program, the VCAL Senior Extension - Folio Enhancement certificate, which offers bonus points on ATAR scores as well.”
He said some NCAT Folio Preparation graduates went straight into the second year of their university course, thanks to a formal arrangement with Monash University and informal arrangements with other universities and TAFE institutes.
Although independent art and design colleges provide similar pathways, their fees are about $10,000-$15,000 a year.
“We are state funded so there are tuition costs, with our students paying less than $1000 for materials only,” Mr Russell said.
He said a World Economic Forum survey showed creativity was now one of the top three employability skills.
“There are jobs in the creative industries and you can do something you love,” he said.
Using science to study smarter
Neuroscience and cognitive psychology experts are working with educators to improve the way students learn. Here are some of their tips to make the most when you hit the books.
O-Week 2019: Everything you need to know
Orientation Week is around the corner for tens of thousands of Victorian students starting university and TAFE. We’ve got the important dates, events (and how not to overdo it) this O-Week.