Ask Samantha #17: My Thoughts on B-School

Q. I came across your site as I was searching for information about artists who have gone to B-School. I'm wondering if you can tell how it was for you? Did it help with showing and selling your art? Reaching new clients and collectors?

A. Thank you for contacting me. My trip to Paris was wonderful. Thank you for the well wishes. It was exactly what I needed to get some perspective.

I especially want to thank you for reading and following my blog. I am touched and I can't begin to tell you how much this means to me. I often wonder if exposing my "dirty laundry" for the world to see is a wise decision. Messages like yours encourage me to push through the fear and anxiety and write from the heart regardless of what other people might think.

Now to answer your question regarding my opinion of whether I think B-School was a good investment:

First of all, it wouldn't be fair to give you my opinion of B-School if I did not include my reasons and motivations for signing up in the first place. I signed up for B-School at a time I felt desperate for more financial security. I think this is important to mention because I recently realized that making fear-based decisions seldom turn out to be good investments.

At the time, I had neither the time, the funds or the heart to dedicate to B-School. What my heart wanted to do was spend the money on my first trip to Paris. Instead, the fear that I was making an unwise and frivolous investment by going to Paris had me sign up to do B-School instead. I wish I had listened to my heart and gone to Paris. Your heart will never lead you astray.

Needless to say, I never finished B-School. I probably only completed 25% - 30% of the course. I started out strong and I even went as far as meeting with another B-School student several times in hopes of keeping me motivated and accountable. However, I soon found myself overwhelmed and falling behind. Eventually, I gave up trying to catch up.

Should you choose to do the course, I would advise you to put aside 3 - 5 hours per week to dedicate to the readings and exercises. The course, although extremely well-organized and user friendly, moved at an extremely fast pace. Much faster than I anticipated or was comfortable with. 

Would I recommend B-School? Absolutely. If you have the heart, the financial means and the time to complete the course work, why not?! Knowledge is never a waste of time in my books.

That said, do I think that B-School will serve as some sort of magic bullet or as an insurance policy for your success? Not even close.

In my experience, I found that working with a mentor, reading and emulating my "art heroes" have been far more important in ensuring my success. 

I would encourage you to dedicate some time in meeting with a professional artist you admire. Ask them questions. Listen to them. Emulate them. All of these things you can do without having to spend $2,500.00 B-School fee.

There you have it! I know it's a bit long winded but I hope it's helped to bring you more clarity.