Art SchoolStereotypesIve Observed*

Art School Stereotypes I’ve observed*

Animation

N e r d s

Unhealthily obsessed with video games, anime, Disney, or some sick combination of the three

One of the most sleep-deprived majors, but also surprisingly chipper (there are exceptions)

Instantly recognizable by their triforce t-shirts or Pokemon Go snapbacks

In spite of everything, they have the highest population of straight-edge asexuals

If you weren’t straight edge and celibate before, then prepare to be, because you’re about to disown all bodily urges and dedicate your life to drawing cartoon animals

Illustration

Like Animation majors, but cooler and much better taste in fashion. A little less tech-savvy, though

Comic book nerds

Painting & Drawing

A friend of mine once said, “People who love animation go into animation. Then they realize it’s a ton of work and switch to illustration. Then they realize THAT’S a ton of work and switch into Painting & Drawing.”

Highest percentage of colorful hair and weird tattoos/piercings

grunge

Listen to music you’ve never heard of

Smoke a LOT, asthmatics beware

Ceramics

Kinda stereotypical stoners or high level artsy kids, but not that pretentious 

Somehow even more conceptual and indie than P&D

Behind the ceramics building, there’s a sculpture garden of all the sculptures of students past. Every night, the campus closes at 4AM. They say it’s for security, but I say it’s because the sculptures all come to life at that point. I mean, think about it. The whole “spooky midnight hour” is so cliche, I don’t know anyone who DOESN’T stay up till midnight at least once a week. But 4AM? That’s the true witching hour. The hour that belongs only to the living sculptures (and architecture majors I guess)

Glass

Frankly, the least hygienic major

All the males and most of the females have a rank odor after being sweatily hunched over the steaming hot forges for too long

Might be stoners, but the chill, easy-to-hang-out-with stoners

Probably the most like a real family. I always walk by the Glass Studio at night and feel the breeze of warm air from their fire, catch a riff of tasteful classic rock, and hear the echoes of genuine laughter from within. It must be nice to have a home.

Jewelry

I dunno, I’ve never met one. They put on some sick gallery shows, though.

Graphic Design

In spite of Graphic Design as an art not being super emotional or indie compared to, say, Painting, the GD majors are probably some of the most tortured souls I’ve met

I used to be best friends/date a GD major and watched before my eyes as she was crushed by the world around her from Freshman to Junior year. Honestly I’m not sure if she still goes here. We don’t talk anymore, it’s too painful. I miss her, or rather, I miss the person she used to be. The person she used to be before Graphic Design.

I’m now roommates with a poor little GD Freshman, and I worry about her every day. Not as a lover like with the last one, but as a parent. What will happen to her? How long will she last? Cheyenne, if you’re reading this, run away while you still can.

Gets excited about fonts and kerning.

I don’t really know what kerning is.

Photography

Outdoorsy and nature loving hippies

The chillest major, I envy them

Photography IS hard work, don’t get me wrong, but come ON! You travel to a beautiful mountain spring, snap a few pictures, and call it a day

Never need to pull all-nighters

Seriously, I deeply respect Photography as an art and all BUT

Film

Some of them are also outdoorsy and nature loving hippies, the rest are hipSTERS

“I don’t watch ‘movies.’ I watch Films.”

Apparently they have something of a drug problem, i.e., half the class comes in stoned

My friend Chris said one of the film teachers plays Porno he made in class, I’m not sure if he was messing with me or not

Architecture

Oh boy, Architecture

The coldest hearts of any major

The only nice Architecture majors are the first years. After that last final, something inside of them breaks. At that point they either crawl to a different major in submission, or become as sharp, straight, and lifeless as the buildings which they spend so much time designing

They literally do not sleep

Seriously, I was pulling an all-nighter last week (since the Architecture place is the only place open 24/7) and I swear to god there was an entire CLASSFULL of the Architects up and jamming from 10pm to 7am. I tried to sleep, but the Architecture majors just wouldn’t quit. Also, it was so cold there. So cold. Cold from the hearts of fifth-year Architects. I’m bringing my winter backpacking sleeping bag next time.

Industrial Design

Mostly foreign exchange students, especially Chinese, Indian, and Korean

I don’t speak Chinese, Indian, OR Korean so I can’t say much else

Vaguely like Architecture majors, only they appear to have a normal spectrum of human emotions 

Interactive Design

What is Interactive Design? Honestly I don’t really know. Like making Apps or some shmuck.

Tech

Graphic Designers who love themselves

Fashion

Mostly female

Obviously they’re very very VERY nicely dressed

Calm, confident, but also have fun sides

Textiles

Most of the textiles students I’ve met are just stop-motion loving Animators

I think the ones that aren’t are probably like grandmas that love knitting or something

Furniture

Honestly I didn’t know this was a major until like last semester

The only furniture major I’ve met was this Norwegian dude who looked like a greek god 

We were once assigned to do a group project together but then he blew me off to go surfing so I had to do it myself. Seriously? Surfing???? Like I’d be mad but that’s a cool reason to blow someone off. Hell, I’d blow people off surfing if I had the easy life of a non-animation-major

Writing

“We have a writing program?”

They’re cool though

Get really excited about books. I’ve read only about three or four books so I kind of just smile and nod while they talk

Seem genuinely interested in other people’s stories

Community Art

I’m not entirely sure what this is

Passionate about social justice and teamwork

Disclaimer: No offense to any of them (except architecture majors)

*At California College of the Arts during the years 2014-2016

I hope the day will come when I can watch it in Japan too…!

A redraw of my old Scott Pilgrim lineup

It was time for another vampire page…

Its gay time 💅 

time for adventure ⚔️☁️