hmmmyep

That's really baffling to me. Creative types typically don't learn similarly -- why on earth would the classes be so incredibly rigid? I mean, the attendance crap I get. They have to have some kind of plausible deniability in case someone fails -- but damn.

I'm in creative classes as well, but the things I create are, to a degree, more definite in nature. Our intro, intermediate AND advanced workshops are -- on a base level that shouldn't even need to be covered -- about mechanics. To me, that's like taking a painting workshop in a MFA school and starting from square one of color theory. Luckily, the gems of teachers still exist. It's my final semester and I'm getting a chance to take the Holy Grail of professors this semester -- it's a "new media" writing course (whatever that means; he's been keeping it a secret) and while it is a writing course, it's also a physical art course. My fellow creative writing classmates and I have no idea what to expect, but we know it'll be amazing. THOSE are the kinds of classes creative types should be exposed to; the kinds that assume you have the required knowledge to enroll, the necessary creativity to succeed, and the wherewithal to want to do more than fulfill a degree requirement credit slot.

Screw this system. Have you ever seen Sir Ken Robinson's TEDTalk on how schools are killing creativity? We're being eradicated. On purpose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

EDIT: DAT FISHpersontreebird. That's super neat. Thank you!

Can you expound upon why you feel the art school atmosphere was a hindrance to you? Do you feel like it holds back all students, or did you not find it to your progress, personally? How so?

And I'm down to see anything to do with creating a world existing in/from a/within a... tree in bloom that you can manage to dream up.

This is important. Satisfaction from slaying a pickpocket is far out shined by satisfaction from slaying a high priestess of Lolth or similar baddie. Every adventure needs a reason. Every hero needs a villian.