Composing Pictures Chapter 9

It's pretty incredible the response that my public appeal has generated over at Cartoon Brew. Over a hundred people have voiced their opinions on the matter. Now the post serves as not only a resource on the topic of saving for school, but also on the nature of the industry, work ethic, differences between schools, and methods of going it alone without schools. There's a wealth of information in people's personal stories as they recount their journeys towards industry jobs. There's also a lot of ridiculous comments from what sounds like bitter and angry people.

I have received a lot of e-mails that basically break down into two camps. Those that think I should go to CalArts, and those that think I should go to Sheridan. Sheridan is not an option for me, and I won't go into why. I taught myself a heck of a lot over the last year, and my hard work has paid off in the form of an acceptance letter. So I know beyond a doubt that I am capable of working my way up the long, hard, and cheap way. I have the confidence in myself, and the resources on the internet are plentiful. But I won't entertain that idea until I have exhausted every effort to take hold of this opportunity. I have been to CalArts, and I know I can become a better artist, faster, and meet a ton of people in just one year there.

My plan, since I started thinking about CalArts, is to try my best to get there and make the absolute most of it if I do. I'll take it year by year. If I can't make this happen, if I can't raise the funds in time, I will have to defer for a year. During that year I will undoubtedly teach myself a lot. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to go the following year.

Click the link below, and take a look at the buzz this has generated. I guarantee you'll learn something:
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/student/send-a-canadian-to-calarts.html#comments

Here's the next chapter of Composing Pictures: