want to have a career in the arts?....or any career for that matter?

During my first year of teaching I heard many students tell me about their dreams of becoming an artist. Because of student interest, I created this poster as an addition to my final project while completing a Masters Degree at Mansfield University. The final project was a poster series that attempted to simplify the Elements and Principles of Design so that K-6th graders could begin to understand them as so as to put them into practice. I've been referencing it quite a bit while teaching over the last five years.

Study has to be first...in my mind. If you want to be successful in any career, you must know your trade. You must grow with the times.

Because art is the expression of your ideas and your emotions, artists without a deep understanding of people and things make art that falls flat. All of the artists I truly love are brilliant individuals. They aren't just loaded with artistic talent. They possess a high level of knowledge about many things. Their intellect draws me in and I want more and more from them. Their abilities stand the test of time.

I have always been interested in the person behind the art. What else do they do with their lives? What are the writing? What rare works or sketches are lurking out there? How did their artistic style evolve as their education grew? The more I find out about their lives the greater connection/love I have for their artwork.

Many students get bitten by the lazy bug and need the occasional lecture on hard work. I usually relate it to becoming a professional athlete or vet or some other popular profession that most definitely requires piles of hard work to achieve the title. I guess I lecture a lot...probably because I needed this very lecture when I was their age. To be honest, I needed this lecture until I was about thirty years old. When I was being paid to do a job, I always worked hard for every boss I had. The real issue in my life was how I spent my down time. My time away from work had no focus or any real purpose at all except to have fun. With this blog and the Angry Strongo character I now have a genuine focus for all my time. Though this time is minuscule, any artwork, design or odd idea now can be refined for the eventual appearance on this site. That is a good thing to have in ones life. My plate is always full now. My hope is that all that may find themselves reading this stuff find it tasty as well.