Episode 71: First Gen Creatives

College Process

Nov 27

Written By HTC

In this episode, Cody sits down with two first gens to talk about their experiences at Art-specific Colleges and in creative industries.

For First Gen students with artistic or creative skills, abilities, and aspirations may choose to attend art colleges and universities. These colleges specialize in the arts and may offer majors in certain areas such as animation, art history, fashion, graphic design, film production, interior design as well as the performing arts. These institutions also allow students to have a well-rounded academic experience among various creative disciplines and may also be able to connect students to various internships or career experiences. Art colleges also create a community of creative individuals who are bonded by their artistic spirit.

In this episode you will hear from:

Cheyenne, a current college student at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. Cheyenne grew up attending a small school and did not even realize that art-specific colleges existed. She has always enjoyed being creative in her art classes at school and now is studying advertising design. She is also apart of the new First Year Experience program specifically for First Generation students at CCS.

Richy, a college graduate who attended the Art Institute of Houston, is a recent author and artist in the entertainment industry. Richy was considering attending colleges for art but when he found out there were art-specific colleges, he decided to attend that instead. He stresses the importance of following your dreams and passion and while you can make money in the art industry, if you’re doing it for the money you may not last long. He has been an artist his entire life and Richy is the creator of How To College: First Gen’s logo!

Thanks again to today’s guests - Cheyenne and Richy, for sharing their stories and experiences with our audience. And thank you for tuning in to How to College for first-gens! As you may have learned from today’s episode, art-specific colleges can offer so many benefits to those first gens hoping to work in the artistic industries. One of the biggest benefits of attending an art college is the sense of a creative community with art as the central focus. Students who attend art colleges may also get some unique benefits such as internships with various companies, networking or connection to arts in the field, and even being taught by members of the entertainment industry. Art colleges differ from standard universities in some ways, and among the biggest is the presence of a portfolio in the admissions process. It is recommended that you put a lot of effort into the portfolio and to seek constructive feedback to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward, as art college programs can be competitive.

Below are some resources as well: