My OCAD Experience VS Sheridan Experience

This isn't a story about success so much as it is about hard work and dedication. Sheridan Animation is tough work and there's much to be said about what "hard work" and long hours mean. 

Fortunately, I had the experience of attending OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design) or what is now called OCADU (OCAD University). First and foremost, in referring to my experience at OCAD I will try to stay neutral and objective about my ideas and opinions. I attended OCAD enrolled in Illustration Design and I must admit, I wasn't impressed by the quality of work and degree of students which attended the school. There were long hours, loads of work, interesting instructors, and some basic foundational principles to be learned but where was the passion? I couldn't taste the glorious art I had been seeking all my life. Moreover, I did very well and attained high grades that year I attended OCAD. However, being at OCAD I began to question their approach to teaching 'art' and often felt they lacked a fundamental approach to fine art. I wanted to learn more or simply learn to focus more on anatomy for example. As I moved through foundation year I came to the realization that OCAD was not the place for me and amongst all the repetitive art assignments and "too-cool" art students there was no real job in the design business for me. I left OCAD because I was specifically disappointed with the education, entry standards, and instructors at OCAD. Moreover, I wasn't impressed by the other students but of course there are incredible artists that have left OCAD but only a handful of them are what one would call 'incredible' or 'amazing'. The bottom line is, OCAD wasn't giving me the best education nor did I feel inspired.

OCAD's courses functioned as one foundation year, then afterwards in second and third year, you began to learn the 'real stuff' as many put it. It's a four year degree either way and that equals time and money. Honestly, I didn't feel that I was learning a lot so much as repeating old art assignments that were akin to a 'run of the mill' art college. It was very basic and I was coming from an art high school so I did have more knowledge then an average first-year student.

Moving on--I've heard a lot more from my friends and colleagues that finished at OCAD and their personal education experience there. From what I understand is that many students in there design streams learn very similar material and when they move into the art/graphic design industry, they begin doing all the same work which is graphic design or simply, design. That much is true for the few people I know. But as we all know, you have to start out somewhere even if that means doing grunt work. Although, if I knew the types of entry level jobs I would receive after leaving OCAD's design streams then I wouldn't have even bothered applying. Too many graphic designers and illustration artists are not taken seriously these days and they are paid very little. Again, this is my opinion but I don't find that  creatively or financially satisfying. However, that doesn't mean OCAD is a bad place for you to get an education.

But ask yourself this question: What do you want to be when you grow up? What career is right for you? Honestly, it isn't a simple question to begin with but if you want an education, sure, attend OCAD. You are in charge of your education and your life. I reiterate, remember that one simple fact that at the end of the day, you'll be the one making all the tough decisions and doing all the work. Education and learning doesn't start and begin in one place. I say, if you're constantly learning and striving for more than you're constantly creating and growing. Keep in mind you must be very hard working to devote yourself to career in art. Having an idea of what you want to achieve is important, Furthermore, in defining what you want to have for career and life and obviously one can still be successful if they gained a degree from OCAD. 

Regardless, I believe OCAD did not give me much in terms of education. From the short time I spent there, I realized that Illustration Design was not the direction I wanted to go. At the time I was going there I had not yet realized my dream of going to Sheridan Animation and those opportunities of jobs after Sheridan Animation were not even in my peripherals. Eventually I had learned my friends who left OCAD were disappointed, to say the least. Again, a lot of people from OCAD do have jobs I'm sure, however, my point is that my friends/colleagues who left did not feel spiritually/creatively fulfilled. I'm glad I didn't spend more time there because I knew I had great potential in me, Sheridan Animation potential.

Animation 1

Animation 1 Class

One of my drawing utensils toolkit. This is pretty standard among many animation students in first year. It's nice to have because it keeps you organized, keeps the your things neat/tidy, and is easy to access.

A standard animation light table.

Motivation: What I've learned.

Motivation is tough. Especially when I found myself a year or two before I had even decided going to Sheridan let alone realizing my dream of animation and conceptual design. For me, personally, my (current) inspiration comes from comic books and artists such as Milo Manara, Jean Moebius Girard, among others. My motivation is steadfast, meaning I'm loyal to my dream and that means hardwork, doing art, must come from my desire to learn and become better. 

When I hear words like motivation and discipline I think of 'art pushups'. I call it 'art pushups' because pushups, for me, are very challenging in working out. But you need to keep at and maintain a certain exposure to it. In exercise, the more signals you send to your muscle the more change you will see. Similarly, in art I feel the more you practice, read about, be more aware of your learning you will see the change as well.

The point I'm trying to make is that it takes time, patience, and discipline. 

For individuals who are not in Sheridan and plan on getting in, the first thing I would suggest to them is simply work on the basics and that mean foundational art studies such as lifedrawing. Lifedrawing is important for so many reasons such as line quality, line variety, speed, skill, good instincts for drawing, and generally speaking it helps with drawing people. You need to put a lot into lifedrawing. At least once a week if you're a beginner and above that you must get professional help with this. Practice, practice, practice. Find an unhealthy balance of doing lifedrawing and thats a start. What do I mean by unhealthy? Sheridan students put a lot into lifedrawing and consider the fact that some students lifedraw 2-3 hours a day, sometimes 4-5 hours a week. So don't complain when you have to practice lifedrawing because you have to start learning and practicing immediately if you want to get in.

Back to "motivation". I remember I had it very rough when I didn't get in my first time into Sheridan. I felt down on my luck and people we're explaining to me just how tough Sheridan Animation was. Realize first the level you have to be at when entering Sheridan College--you already have to be quite good and very disciplined. That means, you must have a strong understanding of very basic levels of art, colour, design, and general knowledge of all these parts. This means constantly learning and soaking up all the knowledge that life gives you. Make it a positive learning experience.

However, it's a process. Remember the word--process. Process, means a series of operations, a series of actions, and by that it means learning in continual development.