I recently stopped seeing a girl who is a Fine Arts student at one of the universities where i live.

Looking back on the time, the level of bullshit i had to put up with was quite high. Arguements would occur over stuff that frankly i just couldn't give a shit about (A group of us were party to a heated debate on what the best Sonic Youth album is for instance).

My associate Chris Summerlin summed up the relationship thusly;



So, art students, do they live in an conceptual bubble, thinking about everything FAR too much and ultimately, losing their grip on reality and their consideration towards people who would rather live in the real world? Discuss!

I’ve had quite a bit to do with Fine Arts students as well, a large group of my friends at university were FAS.

And yes, a lot of them are immeasurably pretentious to the point of ridiculousness. Most of them were horribly conservative in their own way. Musically, yep Sonic Youth, Sedodoh, Bob Dylan etc. More often than not they came from rich families but tried to dress as in the most crap clothes they could find, old suits etc.

The ones that were actually doing the most interesting work were always the most “normal” looking ones and the most unpretentious.

The more some “expresses themselves” outwardly the more crap their work was/

One of my most disliked groups of people.

Crap.

For a moment I thought generously.

Then I remembered.

New Cross on a Saturday night. The Goldsmith's people.

HATE
HATE
HATE
HATE


Crap. Now I'm going to go and count to ten and not think about this anymore.

Yah. Yah.

Dan Clowes (of 'Eightball'/'Ghost World' fame) summed up this world with his hilarious comic strip 'Art School Confidential' -- if you can get your hands on it, it's really funny. Once I was at a party and the host asked everyone to go around the room and introduce themselves (or maybe I was drunk and mocking such a forced social ritual, can't actually remember now). Anyway, I stood up and said: 'Hi, my name is Joe (or some made up name), I go to the Art Institute and I play electric violin.' I just pulled this out of the air, making a stupid joke. The problem was, there actually was a girl sitting across from me in the room that went to the Art Institute and played electric violin. She was pissed, thinking I somehow knew this already and was making fun of her randomly. Hmph... what are the odds? Okay, I conclude this post with the words to a funny song by King Missile called 'Sensitive Artist':

I am a sensitive artist...

I am a sensitive artist.
Nobody understands me because I am so deep.
In my work I make allusions to books that nobody else has read,
Music that nobody else has heard,
And art that nobody else has seen.
I can't help it
Because I am so much more intelligent
And well-rounded
Than everyone who surrounds me.

I stopped watching tv when I was six months old
Because it was so boring and stupid
And started reading books
And going to recitals
And art galleries.
I don't go to recitals anymore
Because my hearing is too sensitive
And I don't go to art galleries anymore
Because there are people there
And I can't deal with people
Because they don't understand me.

I stay home
Reading books that are beneath me,
And working on my work,
Which no one understands

I am sensitive...
I am a sensitive artist...


Oh, not crap if they're nice and will talk to you in a down-to-earth way. If they're all above you and shit, fuck 'em.

This is beautiful.

a friend of mine does these elaborate air brush paintings, and plays in a very sludgy band, and has a pirate's beard. HE is the awesome ART student, has a great sense of humour about everything, and always lets me know when there will be an "exhibition" (read: free booze)

then, there are those who are so desperate for their work to be significant, they dedicate their lives to acting like its significant.

Also i've found most of the femaile art students i've met are terrified of their sexuality, and those that arn't i've had a great time with.

Edit. shush, Chapter Two, shush.

I have a couple of art-school trained friends, and I don't think it's fair that they should all be characterised as psuedish try-hards.

Sure, we've all met self-important pricks that think that they're going to be the next Matthew Barney, but in my experience there are more art students out there who just get on with the business of making shit derivative and not making a fuss about themselves.

I've had more objectionable experiences with English students.