I am 20 years old and studying to become a sculptor. The problem is that… Eh… I‘m not really into it. Not that I dislike it, it‘s just that I don‘t really care that much about sculpting. And the issue is that I kind of know what I want to do with myself, but I am also too afraid to do it. I‘ll try to explain. Ever since I was little, I was an artsy person: I drew a lot, and got actually really good at it (I mean it, “academic art” type of good), finished one art school, then another and then got into the university that I am currently in. The thing is that studying here for more than a year got me thinking if I really want to pursue this career: I feel like wasting time, I live abroad and am sometimes homesick (my granny now lives alone), my dad keeps on telling me that he has no hopes for me (props to him for helping me financially tho), I started popping pills from time to time etc… Meanwhile, this summer two of my closest friends got me into fashion design (one of them is currently studying to become a fashion designer): we did some clothes together, I sketched a bit for both of them/with them and actually enjoyed it a lot. And they‘re some actually talented guys; they know their way around a bit and are inspired by trap and punk culture. It just feels different. And I do realize that it might be a passion of mine only for a few months or so, but still… I also care about the way I look a lot more now than I did a few years back. I do not care about sculpting nearly as much. The question is: should I leave sculpting and try to get into fashion design; or should I finish studying here for another two years and see what‘s next?
P.S. My dad will, most likely, get mad at me for leaving sculpting. On the other hand, I might stay in the same university and study for a fashion designer or come home and do the same thing. Hmm… I‘m not sure.
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As someone in his 40s who struggles to pay bills, all I can say is that sculpting is a horrible career path for someone who’s not into it.
A career needs at least (ideally both) passion and earning potential. If you aren’t into the sculpting, drop out of whatever expensive program you’re taking immediately.
Given a choice between the two, I recommend passion over money. Mostly because in my own experience, I can’t keep a job when there’s no passion, so it doesn’t matter how much money it is.
Some people are stronger than me though, and can just power through a job without passion. If you have that ability, that discipline, then it’s okay to seek money.
For me it just doesn’t work. I don’t have enough dopamine to get out of bed every day and actually keep the high paying job if it’s wrong.
That being said, passion itself is on the same spectrum as goodness. I can do a job I don’t really care much about, so long as the boss doesn’t require me to lie or hurt people while doing it. Like, I can flip burgers as long as it’s a fair situation.
I’m kind of an outlier. Take my advice with a grain of salt.
But my basic advice is that unless there’s some sculpture career pipeline I’m not aware of that’s gonna lead to big bucks, if you ain’t into sculpting you gotta fucking stop yesterday. Especially if you’re paying lots of money to pursue it.
Pursuing sculpting when you dont like sculpting seems like a bad idea. Is there even a lot of jobs in sculpting?
As a completely unqualified observer, I would say you should pursue the thing you like over wasting two years of your life doing something you don’t care about.
Kinda sounds like you know what you want to do tbh lol
From one artist to another: if you don’t absolutely love what you’re doing and know 100% what you’re going to do with your degree, get out now.
If you like fashion design, learn how to do it as a hobby first, and get a degree in something with actual opportunities. If you get really good at fashion design, you can build a portfolio and pivot to that, but as someone who struggled with an art degree, it can set you back for years if you don’t have a reliable plan.
And if you have a reliable degree and later find that you don’t want to do fashion anymore, you’ll still have that reliable fallback as you move onto other hobbies.
I completely agree with everyone who’s told you to do what you love. I do have a question for you to consider, though: is sculpting really the problem, or is it the academic environment (with all the rules, pressure, judgement etc. that you’re dealing with). Classes can suck the joy out of anything.
I don’t want to discourage you from changing your path; I just want you to be sure that you’re being honest with yourself.
I absolutely agree with you, I hated school and sucked at it, all the skills I have are self taught. I worked in computer repair, but going nto electronic rework or potentially woodworking.
Do you have enough art classes to have completed a minor so that time doesn’t seem wasted? Maybe you also have enough classes that you could shift to a fashion business degree? Then you could remain creative but also have enough business background that you could get a job in the fashion industry if design doesn’t work out?
Old guy here. My advice: find something you really like and do that. Doing something you like multiplies by 10 the chance you’ll get good at it. You’ll have to try out a few things, which might give you the impression you are wasting your time; but it’s better to lose 3-4 years finding your way than burning up at 35 because you hate what you do.
Couple things…why would your dad be mad at you for not finishing a sculpting degree? Is it because he’d feel like he’d wasted money on your completed schooling or because he really wants you to he a sculptor? If the former, pouring more money into this degree would be the wrong course for him too.
Remember you’re studying in order to be employed after graduation. What do you think you want to do for work? Are there realistic and achievable jobs in that field?
I think you can try both at the same time actually.
You got an awesome taste from your friends on what clothing design can be. Do you have a theater in your school, or a local professional one? You can try costume design for more of the “this is what it’s like as work” idea. I’m not going to lie, you might even find work as a sculptor in theater, but your background in sculpting will definitely feed your experience as a costume designer or even just in costume construction. So you could spend two years in consume construction as a hobby and decide that’s what you really do, then move into a master program with fashion design.
As someone not involved in the arts as a profession, I see more stuff about fashion vs sculpting, so my first thought is you’ll have more opportunities career-wise, especially if you get involved with the right networks and contacts early on. Take this advice with a tiny grain of salt though.
Hello. I studied fine arts two years, then illustration for three at uni, then did 3d design and animation for some other three years.
Let me tell you, making a living as an artist is incredibly, very very extremely difficult and even harder - at least three times harder - than what you imagine.
I’m currently struggling with a plebe job in retail. And I do have some solid artistic skills. I was usually among the top of my class, anywhere.
My advice to you is, drop sculpture and pick something else. I would not recommend fashion design unless you feel it’s a super strong calling- remember you can learn these things at your own pace if they turn out to be something you still have an interest in.
Just pick something that gives you a “job title”, anything. Anything non artistic is much more likely to be useful to you if you don’t have a strong need or conviction to express yourself artistically. This shouldn’t even be a question; an artist knows what they are and flies straight into the flame. It’s crazy. If you don’t feel the calling, please do something useful for your future.
