Micro-Activity # 3:Brainstorming Discourse Communities

The discourse community that I am a part of is the Art and Animation Community. It is an active community with some of the most amazing and interesting people one could ever come across. Like every community, however, there are some problems. One example is the ongoing “Is going to art school even worth it?” debate and whether an artist should work for a studio, or work for themselves and do freelance art.

Art is everywhere we look. From the murals on the side of the buildings to the buildings themselves, art is something that is present in our everyday lives. If art is something that you would want to do for the rest of your life, a lot of people would recommend that you attend art school. Art school is often the main debate of the community because some people feel as though it is a scam, while others feel as though their experience in art school was worth it. This creates a division amongst some of the members in the community, specifically between the older artists and the younger artists. 

There are a couple of solutions that have been proposed in order to settle down the debate. One solution is to be self-taught. While an art degree is not necessary, employers and studios do tend to prefer skill over a degree. If you are a good artist and display mastery over the basics as well as providing a relevant portfolio, there is a high chance that you may be hired

Another possible solution is to only go to art school if you are able to afford it. The trope of a starving artist with an art degree has been a joke for a while, though for some people it is their reality. People tend to take out a hefty loan for art school, but because the industry is so saturated as well as their employees being expendable. Animation school is expensive and time-consuming. According to an article on Investopedia titled “How much does Harvard really cost”, a degree at Harvard is about $49,653 a year without financial aid. On average, the tuition for some of the top-rated art schools cost $36,000. An art degree which is arguably useless, should not cost so much, hence the debate in the community.

Another problem in the art community is whether or not one should work for a studio, or be a freelance artist. There’s a saying by Mark Twain that goes “find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” It is rare to be in a good-paying position in the animation industry, as companies tend to work their employees like cogs to a clock. It is much easier and cheaper to hire a young person who came straight out of college with little to no professional experience than it is to higher someone who is well known in the industry. Unless you are working for a company like Disney or DreamWorks, you won’t be getting paid much for your work. This is why a lot of artists tend to do freelance work. Some argue that freelance is better because you get to hand-select who you want to work for a make your price. It all comes down to reputation and credibility. If you’re an employee, you can be fired at any moment, as well as have your work stolen and used by the company that you worked for.

As of right now, there is currently no solution to this problem. This is because it really comes down to personal preference to what the artist wants to do. If they feel more comfortable working for a studio and want to reap the benefits of that, then they are allowed to do so. If one wants to make their own schedule and work for themselves as they slowly build up their credibility over time, then they are welcomes to do so. Unlike the college debate where the cons can outweigh the pros, this problem does not have much of a solution, unfortunately.

https://www.creativebloq.com/career/studio-vs-freelance-pros-and-cons-11618813