Careers: Arts/Teaching Art.

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Expert: - 2/19/2008


Question
I have a couple simple questions i would like to ask you, for my future career.

1. What inspired you to become an art teacher?
2. How did you know that you wanted to be an art teacher?
3. Is it required to be naturally artistic to become an art teacher?
4. What education did you go through to become what you are?
5. Was all the steps taken to become an art teacher worth it?

                           Thank you,
                                  Kelsey

Answer
Hello Kelsey,

I thought I would clarify that I work as a freelance artist and not as an art teacher, but I will still answer your questions as best as I can from my perspective.

1. What inspired you to become an art teacher?
I also am a private tutor (in general non-art subjects) and I always incorporate my love of art into my instruction with students. As to maybe what inspired me to go work as an artist, that I don't know. I have always adored art from the get-go, and it always felt like what I was supposed to do, so I did it. Simple as that. Art is a part of me in the same way that my arms and legs are. Even if I don't work as an art teacher, I still love to spread my joy and knowledge of art by any means that I can. I talk about color and composition to any who will listen, and even through this website, I try to share what I know.

2. How did you know that you wanted to be an art teacher?
I think my answer above answered this question as well. I will say I have thought about working specifically as an art teacher, but probably would only do so at the college level where I can really jump into the serious and philosophical aspects of art as well.

3. Is it required to be naturally artistic to become an art teacher?
Yes, I believe so. You can't truly teach something that you can't do yourself. Just like I wouldn't expect someone who has never flown a plane to teach others to be pilots.

4. What education did you go through to become what you are?
I personally received my education at the Savannah College of Art and Design where I received a bachelors in Illustration and a bachelors in Computer Art. I would be qualified to teach K-12, but would need to obtain a teaching certificate. To teach at a college level, I would need to acquire a Master's Degree. If you want to go specifically into Art Education, you can actually specialize your degree for that in college.

5. Was all the steps taken to become an art teacher worth it?
This question definitely doesn't apply to me, but I will say that working in the art arena is never an easy one, no matter what you do, but since my love for it is so strong, then everything I do for it will always be worth it.

Thank you. I do hope this helps even though I am not exactly the "art teacher" you were looking for.

Best of luck!!
Sincerely,
Gianina

Careers: Arts

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Gianina L.

Expertise

I can answer questions concerning most traditional mediums such as acrylics, watercolor, colored pencils, collage/cut paper, graphite, charcoal, and pen and ink. I also have strong, advanced knowledge of Photoshop, Powerpoint and Publisher; and beginner to immediate level knowledge in Illustrator, Freehand, After Effects, and Flash. In addition, I can cover miscellaneous subjects such as portfolio preparation, applying to art schools, art school study skills, color theory, basic design and drawing principles, basic animation techniques, working on personal art styles and exploring new artistic techniques. Topics such as the detailed legal aspects of art, web programming and Flash action scripting do not fall under my area of expertise.

Experience

Experience in the Area
I graduated summa cum laude with a double BFA in Illustration and Computer Art (specializing in 2-dimensional animation) from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where as a student, I happily tutored fellow peers in all aspects of art and created numerous illustrations for the school newspaper. For the past several years, I have been illustrating seminar books, designing numerous graphics, and creating short animation sequences for use in video. In addition, I work as a private tutor and am co-director / co-owner of a company that focuses on and promotes the local music industry. I assist with all the day-to-day operations of this company as well as manage all art direction and design.

Education/Credentials
Savannah College of Art and Design
BFA Computer Art, Illustration
Summa Cum Laude
Dean's List, GPA 4.0

Awards and Honors
Induction into Alpha Pi Beta honor society for art and design, 2002
Outstanding Achievement in Computer Art, 2002
Outstanding Student for the academic year 2001-2002
Awarded "Most Dependable" for District, the student newspaper, 2002
Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities, May 2001
Better Business Bureau Honesty in Advertising Essay Competition, Merit Award, November 1998
Mary Renee Whelan Scholarship, Savannah College of Art and Design

Exhibitions and Festivals:
Embodiement; Myths in Animal Form, www.postpicasso.com, December 10 - January 10, 2005
SCAD Alumni Show, Stardust Café, Orlando, FL; December 2004
Finalist, International Juried Online Symbolist Art Show, www.dracoblu.com, May 2004 - April 2005
Finalist, International Juried Online Symbolist Art Show, www.dracoblu.com, May 2003 - April 2004
Senior Showcase, SCAD Pei Ling Chan Gallery, Savannah, GA; May 2002
2D or not 2D, SCAD Trustees Theatre, Savannah, GA; April 2002
Small Works, SCAD Exhibit A Gallery, Savannah, GA; November 7 - December 31, 2001; art was purchased
Magnanimata Animation Festival, May 1999

Publications
Quoted briefly in Animation World Magazine, "Predicting the Future of Futurama" (April 1999) and "Ed, Edd, n Eddy: A Unique Approach" (June 1999)

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