Where Art Schools Fail: Why Passionate Creatives Must Learn the Business Side

art by Howard Simpson

 I've been drawing since I was 2 years old, according to my mom. I made a conscious decision to keep drawing because I like telling stories and reading comic books. I committed myself to it in the fifth grade when I saw the positive response it got from other people.

I did not start drawing to make money. I didn't start drawing to have a career or support a family. Drawing is like breathing to me. I would die without it.

Most people have jobs to pay the bills. I have a career, not a job. I draw whether I am paid or not. Getting paid is icing on the cake. I never understand the question "How do you stay motivated?" because I have never needed motivation. This is a passion that burns deep down inside me and has never gone away.

Which is precisely why the business side matters so much.

When you love something this deeply, you owe it to yourself to protect it with structure. With math. With clear limits around what your work is worth. Because the alternative is letting clients set your value for you. And they will almost always set it lower than you deserve, not because they are bad people (well, some of them are) but because you let them.

Here's where I feel schools fail art students. Basic business courses are not a requirement as part of the curriculum and they should be.

The art is sacred. The business protects the art.

Just create.™