Teaching The Artists How To Art

Interesting segment on Rob Black and Your Money today, asking the question I brought up in Do What You Love article—are university educations worth the high price tag?

No consensus, except to say that yes, higher learning is a good thing. You will— make more money than your high school educated counterparts, and the gap between your earnings and his or her earnings will grow exponentially as you both become mature employees.

And I guess my previously vented frustrations with this issue does not come from the acquisition of an education. I am all for continuing education throughout one’s lifetime. I don’t think anyone should just settle into their chosen skill/field and get all comfortable and couch potato-y. But I do think that you need to be careful where you spend your money (or acquired debt).

I keep meeting people who are working on their MFAs (Masters of Fine Arts)… in creative writing, in music, in visual art, in poetry, in things that cannot really be taught. I mean, yes, you can teach the history, the theory and the general techniques, but when it comes down to it…you can’t really teach someone to form creative/exciting/challenging new ideas. Those are created within. They come from watching and reading and sponging up everything around you.

As a very important sidenote: I realize the MFA is a degree that helps one acquire a job teaching. And for that, I have absolutely no beef. Teaching, when you are someone who works hard at it, and has a lot to share, is a very worthy/noble/honourable profession. Mr Sherry, my Grade 10 English professor, changed my life. And made me trust in the power of good teachers. A difficult feat for anyone facing a room full of bored 16-yr-olds.

The MFA seekers I am targeting here are those who do it for fun, or worse, for their “lifelong dream of becoming an artist”. You don’t need a degree to become an artist. You just need to work your butt off on your art. Like any other job. But good luck getting someone to pay for it.

And these MFAs seem to be mostly pursued at places with high high high tuitions and flashy commercials and mail-outs. Places that make the majority of their money on expensive campus housing for out-of-towners (or out-of-countryers) who don’t know any better. I’m not naming any names. But if anyone reading this is going through the application process and there is little or no competition to get into these schools… be on alert.

I’m opening the floor up for discussion and challenge. Prove me wrong. Or rather, just share with everyone your point of view. Sharing points of views is much more constructive than uh-huh/nuh-uh-ing each other to death. So what do you think? Can creativity be taught?