With how much informative content is being made everyday by professionals already in the field, it’s very possible that you don’t need to go to school in order to get the teaching you need.
Art schools are great places for opportunities, meeting teachers who can help you get jobs, other students who are going into the same field, being exposed to mediums that you would have never thought to be interested in, philosophies you would have never come across. Art schools are special because they’re quite different from what you’d experience in any school prior. You’re walking into an experience that those schools didn’t prepare you for, where you can grow up, hash yourself out as a person and as an artist, make some decisions for yourself whether or not you /really/ want a job in the field.
However, you can definitely make a career without going to art school. With social media nowadays, it’s a lot easier to connect with people who could get you those same opportunities, jobs, recommendations. You can meet people you would have never met even if you did go to art school, form connections with people of your choosing for the things you really care about. The internet is vast, and it’s unpredictable, but it’s not impossible. Especially now that sites like Patreon exists, there’s always the possibility.
The “nice” thing about it all I guess is that what matters in the end is your work. If you have the skill, the work ethic, and the personality they want, they won’t turn you away just because you chose to not go to art school. To me (and a lot of people out there), it’s a poor reflection of them because it shows what they value. Of course, there’s a valid reason for them wanting to see a degree, but if they turn away someone who’s clearly qualified but just doesn’t have the piece of paper to prove that they’re in a whole lot of debt, that’s their problem. It’s their loss.
As long as you dedicate yourself to improving, being honest with yourself about your work, challenging yourself to be better, you’ll still have the most important part of the equation no matter what choice you make in terms of school. Hope that helped!
