“Is it okay to be a self-taught artist?” You may have wondered at some point on your art journey.
Of course it’s okay to be self-taught!
After all, you don’t need to go to an art school or receive a fancy degree in order to make art and call yourself an artist.
That being said, if you don’t have formal art education, you probably spend time searching for information on how to improve your skills.
That’s why, in today’s article, I’m helping self-taught artists improve their artistic abilities by breaking down:
By the time you’re done reading, you’ll know how to take actionable steps to improve your art education and become a better artist!
Table of Contents
What is a Self-Taught Artist?
A self-taught artist is someone who did not receive formal art education from an institution such as a college or a university.
Instead, the self-taught artist develops their art skills by learning from a variety of free or paid resources. These resources include:
As you can see, the self-taught artist can access information in a multitude of different ways that suit different learning styles.
In a nutshell, the self-taught artist is responsible for improving their own art education, finding learning materials, and progressing at a pace that matches the time they put into developing their art skills.
Artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Henri Rousseau are both famous self-taught artists.
What is a Trained Artist?
A trained artist is an artist who has received formal art education from a recognized institution where he or she followed a designed curriculum and received a degree or diploma.
The trained artist has paid for their education in order to receive structured, organized, and specialized instruction from qualified professionals.
During a program, the trained artist learns from resources including:
The trained artist pays a lot of money to improve their art education. In return, he or she is given a roadmap to develop their skills at a faster pace and with greater expertise than the untrained artist.
Can a Self-Taught Artist be Successful?
Yes! A self-taught artist can be successful!
When all is said and done, having formal art education or a lack thereof does not ultimately determine your success.
Success is determined by your self-discipline, determination, willingness to learn, and commitment to never give up.
Now, let’s look at some of the best advice that will help you improve your skills as a self-taught artist:
There are many more pieces of advice that I could give you, but I believe these are the golden nuggets of wisdom that will provide you the most value.
So, take note of these tips and start implementing the ones that you believe will benefit you the most.
Self-Taught Vs Trained Artist
There are many benefits and drawbacks of being a self-taught artist. The same is true for the professionally trained artist.
Which is why there are many, many opinions regarding the self-taught artist vs art school debate.
Since both have their own unique pros and cons, it should be noted that neither is better nor worse than the other.
It all just depends on perspective and personal preference.
So, let’s compare and contrast them.
Benefits of Being a Self-Taught Artist
There are many amazing benefits of being a self-taught artist.
One of the greatest benefits is that you do not need to spend thousands of dollars on formal art education to develop the same artistic skillset as a trained artist.
Here is a list of advantages that self-taught artists experience:
As you can see, if the self-taught artist is clever and determined, he or she can achieve many of the same results as the trained artist.
For this reason, there is a rise in the number of self-taught artists who are making a living from their art and thriving without formal art education.
Disadvantages of Being a Self-Taught Artist
That being said, there are some notable drawbacks of being a self-taught artist.
Especially when you compare them directly to trained artists. Several disadvantages include:
Don’t worry if you identify with any of these shortcomings.
In the upcoming sections, I’ll share with you my best tips to help you improve your skills with ease and clarity.
Benefits of Being a Trained Artist
We explored the many ways in which the self-taught artist benefits from an informal art education.
Nevertheless, there are many reasons for which people pay good money for formal art education.
So, let’s explore the most valuable benefits of being a trained artist:
So, if you want a more structured and organized way of learning art, becoming a trained professional is the way to go.
Disadvantages of Being a Trained Artist
That being said, there are some less than glamourous aspects of being a trained artist.
The biggest drawback is that formal art education is very expensive.
And the worst part is that a graduate is not guaranteed to work in an artistic field or even earn decent money for the investment they made in their education.
So, let’s explore a few other downsides of being a trained artist:
Regardless of these drawbacks, if you have the determination to succeed, you can always find a way to make your formal art education work in your favour.
Conclusion
In this article, you learned about what it means to be a self-taught artist.
What’s more, you now understand the important distinctions that differentiate a self-taught artist from a trained artist.
But at the end of the day, whether you’re professionally trained or not doesn’t matter.
Because if you create art, you are an artist.
So don’t stress out about your identity as a self-taught or trained artist. But if you struggle with this issue, check out these self-care tips for artists.
How you go about perfecting your craft is completely up to you. Remember: the world is your oyster.
So, if you’ve been struggling with your identity as a self-taught artist, understand that you are not alone.
In fact, every year more and more people are taking up art and learning how to create art on their own terms.
Now get out there and start using these tips to level up your skills so that you can become an even more successful self-taught artist!
Are you a self-taught or a trained artist? Do you agree with the pros and cons of each type of artist? Share your opinion in the comments below!
MIRANDA BALOGH is a self-taught artist who loves teaching her students how to paint with watercolours. To do this, she inspires her audience to step into their power as artists so they can create beautiful artwork with confidence. Subscribe to her art channel on YouTube to enjoy more art content!
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