crafthaus
The MFA Guidebook for Studio Artists
This blog is intended as a guide for potential and current MFA students, focusing on those in the craft disciplines. It will primarily focus on tips for prospective students, but will also address the needs of those currently working toward their degrees. By sharing my own experience, articles I find and interviews I conduct, I will work to offer guidance to studio artists who may be nervous to start the journey alone so that they can have the same phenomenal opportunity and experience that I had in my MFA program.
Tom Supensky
What ever your specific area of study is, always keep in mind that the work you make and the direction you take should be based on who you are as an individual. Just because you admire another person's work, your teacher, fellow student, or other artists, remember that they are all different from you. Be yourself and don't let those responsible for your degree push you to something you are not. I could say more on an individual basis once I know a little about you and see what you are doing at the moment.
Jan 29, 2012
Jessica Todd
That is great advice, Tom, and a very good point to bring up for other readers. Part of the reason I chose to attend Kent State was because the head of the department, Kathleen Browne, was very open to my work moving in different directions. She encourages her students to pursue the kind of work they're passionate for, even if that means exploring other media (in my case, fibers). In my interview and still today I feel very free to follow my work where it leads me, rather than being pushed in one direction or another by faculty or classmates. This is an important thing to keep in mind when visiting programs during the application process.
Jan 29, 2012
Tom Supensky
Jessica...you are fortunate to have such an open minded head of department. Regardless of that, listen to everything and everybody and then take from it those aspects that work best for you but don't forget the rest as they may someday have some significance for your next stage of development as an artist and a person. Good luck with your studies.
Jan 29, 2012
The Justified Sinner
I have to say that I view one of my roles as a tutor as being that of preventing my students from emulating me! Not that many of them try; perhaps a couple over the years. Unfortunately, we can all name places where emulating - or at least flattering - the tutors gets you your degree. Perhaps this is not so bad in the US? It is a bit of a problem in some places in Europe.
Honesty is the main thing. I always go on at length - probably boring length! - about the importance of artistic integrity and honesty and being true to one's vision.
Jan 30, 2012