There are two main approaches when it comes to learning a creative art; do you go to a school or do you choose to learn by yourself? Before we get further into the topic, it’s important to understand what it means to learn by yourself, also known as self-teaching. This doesn’t mean that everything has to be self-experienced and you’re free to look at resources on the internet such as guides and videos. What this is really comparing is if you should go to formal lessons or not.

So what are some of the main differences and benefits to consider?

Going to a creative arts school or taking formal lessons

Firstly, you might want to consider taking formal lessons because there are a plethora of options available these days. You can easily find an online program for the CG industry or you could go to a local college that offers lessons.

These are the most typical options available and they’re strong contenders to help you create a solid foundation to stand on. This is usually what you should choose if you’ve started from scratch because it teaches you all of the fundamentals that you need to know, but it also gives you more confidence to explore the arts.

So we’d suggest that if you have absolutely no knowledge about something but you know you want to learn more about it, then taking formal lessons for creative art is usually the best option. This is especially true if you currently don’t have access to certain materials or programs that you need to learn those topics. When you enroll in a course, there are usually options for you to gain access to typically expensive programs.

Why you might want to consider self-study

The other option would be to teach yourself a creative skill. This usually starts with you trying to mimic a piece of art or music that you really like, breaking it down, understanding how it was created, and then using it as inspiration for your own work. This is a lot more spontaneous and allows for some truly creative moments that can help you unleash your creativity without feeling restricted by rules and standards that have been pushed onto you. This is usually the case when your entire understanding of a creative skill has been imprinted on you by a lecturer or a teacher.

But with that said, it’s not easy learning something on your own. It takes a lot of discipline and you really need to love creating things. You’re going to end up with a lot of bad results at first, but stick with it and you’ll soon find your own voice or style within your creative confines.

There’s a lot to learn and experience when you take this kind of approach, and you’ll eventually want to take a more freeform approach to learning even after taking formal lessons. As such, this can be a great introduction to an art, but also a method of continued learning once you have graduated or received your degree.