My Experience Studying Fine Arts At KCC

Hey, everyone, Lance Danger here once again, and I'd like to write briefly about going back to school to learn my craft better. It was back in 2014, when I decided to go to SVA, it was decided that the only way really to get there was going through KCC first in order to have the credits necessary and the grades necessary since my high school messed up my transcripts a bit.
I had to take a test to get in, which was a bit nerve wracking since I hadn't taken a test in forever. And I also had to write an essay on the spot as part of the test. Thankfully, I passed with flying colors, and this new adventure began.  
I majored in an associates degree in fine arts. I took as many classes relevant to compliment the art classes. I started with figure art and painting.
The figure drawing class was the first time I ever drew with models and forcing myself to draw objects I had never done or wasn't too bothered with trying. And it was amazing. To be in a room with other artists, drawing the same thing at the same time and yet seeing so many different styles and interpretations was really inspiring to me.
With the painting class, it was more difficult because my experience with painting was, in a word, lacking.
But the professors were top notch and really knew their thing. I was doing great. Until I fractured my right hand close to finals!
So, I had to do art AND paintings finals with a fractured hand. So, I used mainly my left hand because I did not want to quit, I couldn't, I had come too far to just give up. Sometimes I'd even still use my right hand through the cast. Sure, t did eventually slow down my healing, but I had a few weeks to heal after the semester ended and the special winter classes began. 
As a result, I got one of my paintings from my finals to be exhibited at the student exhibit at the campus museum, and I passed my classes with better grades than I would have thought considering, you know, having a fractured freaking hand.
Then for the second semester, I took the advanced drawing and painting classes along with sculpture. Sculpting was completely new to me, so that was interesting, and luckily enough, I got the hang of it pretty fast! I was in a good upswing in my drawing and painting classes....and towards finals again, I fractured a finger on my LEFT hand.
Again, I battled through the pain, and one of my sculptures was selected for the student exhibit as well! Hey, I'm an artist, it's natural to work through pain!
In my final semester I took modern art and social art, where one of the mock posters I made for the book "Just Mercy" was presented in a big screen and I spoke of the inspiration behind it during a panel at campus discussing the book and it's cultural impact. I had NEVER seen my art displayed on something so...large. Also, no broken bones at the end of my journey through KCC, so, yay!
I ended up graduating with honors and having had my art exhibited at an actual museum, which is MIND BLOWING to me. If you're young and wondering if you want to go to art school, definitely give community colleges a try at least to save up on money compared to starting from scratch at a big art school like Cal Arts, RISDI, or SVA.
I wouldn't trade my experiences at KCC for anything in the world, and I actually still in contact with some friends I made in my time there, talented artists in their own right.
And if you're reading this, this is my message to you:
Don't stop pursuing your dreams, your happiness. If it's something you're passionate about and you truly believe in, you have an obligation to yourself to share those talents and dreams to the world. Lose, draw, or win, it's better to try and let the chips fall where they may than not try at all.
-Alvaro 

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