Last weekend, art students from around the country gathered in Austin to show off their best works to the harsh eyes of college reps. They were given advice on how to improve their art, make it appropriate for submitting to the rep’s college, and on the rare occasion, considered for automatic admission and scholarships. Numerous art schools specializing in every art field you could imagine were at the event, offering a wide-variety to the hundreds of students who attended.
As professionals, the representatives gave valuable feedback from a well-trained perspective, offering new advice many students hadn’t ever heard before. If one wants to begin a career in this high-competition, high-effort path, taking a trip to Portfolio Day is highly recommended, no matter how you view your skills.
“I got insight from each [college], since the schools kind of focus on their own field,” senior Chelsea Theriot said. “I liked how a lot of them weren’t biased, [and] gave me a lot of feedback.”
Art for many is recreational, which is perfectly acceptable (even embraceable) considering how relaxing drawing can be; for many others, their hands will build their career in art from the ground-up. Even if you aren’t completely set on going into an art career, taking your work there to get looked at could push you in the right direction for your upper education.
“I plan on pursuing technical sound design and technician for theater, [which] is something I talked to [CalArts] about,” senior Jessica Snyder said. “They were impressed I do that, and gave me information on it, which I honestly didn’t expect to get out of Portfolio Day.”
Whatever you want to pursue, even if you have the slightest itch to be creative in any way, Portfolio Day gives a fresh perspective to your work, something that you don’t get every day. Ask your art teacher for details, there’s another Portfolio Day next year, giving you plenty of time to prepare yourself. Lots of artists feel their art isn’t good enough for events like this, which completely doesn’t matter. For as many students that have amazing portfolios filled with copious amounts of masterpieces, there’s just as many beginners with half-filled sketchbooks.
