I decided to catch up with peers and friends from my graduating class of 2000; fellow illustrators and designers of Paier College of Art.
Why?
I want to reveal to the public what becomes of those who complete art schools / art colleges, those who go on in life to have successful careers working as creatives. I am fascinated as to how many of us have found our way; our initial career goal morphing into something completely different (as life would have it) yet still within the realm of ‘art’ or creative services in some capacity.
Important note: Each of my former classmates interviewed set out to be commercial artists rather than fine artists; the emphasis of our studies: Illustration or Graphic Design. This is an important differentiator as I had explained in a previous post . . . our intent was to solve business and creative problems for others – not ourselves.
A fine artist sets out to produce a body of work that suits the problem or challenge they themselves were inspired to resolve. It’s a bit like taking a shot in the dark in hopes of obtaining a following, an audience, or fans who support and purchase such work. It’s much more personal, vulnerable and risk taking. The artist exposes himself / herself through their work and is most likely attached to it.
The class of 2000 was certainly a dedicated bunch who took their career in art very seriously. Sorry, no frat or sorority parties; we were too busy pulling all-nighters drawing, painting and churning out projects for next-day 4 hour critiques (after which, we celebrated our hard work in our own ways). We knew fully well this was an extremely competitive field to make it in and, as such, we were fierce competitors. Talent was the bare minimum requirement!
A tribute from one of our former professors:
I’m honored to have the opportunity to write to you. I know 20 years have passed, but it feels just like yesterday. I remember you all very well, and miss you. It’s always great to hear from you all.
You were such a hardworking group, and I remember all of your work very well. I remember our critiques and discussions – they were all at such a high level because you all worked so hard; you were so committed to your art. I’m so glad you are doing well in the field of art and that lots of you are involved in educating the new generation of artists.
You are all welcome to stop by the “new Paier,” where there are lots of big changes happening!
My best wishes to you and don’t be strangers.
Vladimir Shpitalnik, Professor of Illustration
I have posed Q & A interview style questions with a select few people to keep this relatively brief. The niche pockets of creative employment are interesting and impressive to say the least, and they keep my former classmates and I well fed.
Q & A with the class of 2000 in 2020:
Name and Major at Art School:
Joseph Dinunzio, BFA in Illustration
Website: instagram.com/thesaltyslug
Q: How do you ‘eat’ (what is your creative job that pays your bills)? Where has life taken you; summarize your creative career:
A: I’m currently an Art Director for LEGO®. I was hired over 10 years ago to oversee the design of their US LEGO® Club magazine. It’s a free subscription for fans mag. I worked on that project along with others for about 7 years before switching over to create app content for the LEGO® Life App. The type of content that I’m responsible for is animations, live-action vids, memes, gifs, and marketing materials.
Q: Think back to your art school days . . . how did it prepare you? What specific lessons apply to what you do today?
A: The three most important things I took away from art school was making deadlines, how to collaborate with others, and how to handle criticism. These are three very crucial skills needed to be successful in the creative world.
Q: What would you say to anyone planning to go to art school?
A: Do it for the structure and to help seed a proper creative work ethic. Also if you learn just one thing while there it is worth it, because that one thing might be what you need to succeed in a creative career.
Q: How does art or design enrich your life today, in the year 2020?
A: My wife and I are both professional artists and our lives are intertwined and enriched by art. Outside of work we both pursue artistic endeavors whether they be gallery shows, conventions, or self-publishing art books. I personally will continue to make art till the day I die . . . it’s who I am.
Name and Major at Art School:
William Harper Jr (Bill), Graphic Design
Website: harperphotograph.com Email: bill@harperphotograph.com
Q: How do you ‘eat’ (what is your creative job that pays your bills)? Where has life taken you; summarize your creative career:
A: I am Senior Graphic Designer & Lead Photographer at Harper Photography and I freelance for Inside CT Sports where I shoot UCONN Basketball & Football, CT OPEN, WNBA, NBA, PGA, NHL, AHL, ESPN X-games and more. I’ve done that for 10 years now and it’s been some of my favorite moments.
Q: Think back to your art school days . . . how did it prepare you? What specific lessons apply to what you do today?
A: Paier was the best school. I made so many good friends, the teachers were great. I got to go to school everyday and do what I loved to do, have fun and be creative. I am so thankful for those memories. If anything, I learned that being weird and creative was cool and you could make a living out of it.
Q: What would you say to anyone planning to go to art school?
A: GO. Simple as that. You won’t regret it.
Q: How does art or design enrich your life today, in the year 2020?
A: Art / design is everywhere. I love looking at other people’s designs, photos, paintings, murals, etc. It can turn a bad day into a good day. A good day into an even better one. It helps me express and say things that I might not be able to put into words. And now that I have kids, it’s so great to see them create their own work and how happy and excited they get. I love art. It gives me hope.
Name and Major at Art School:
Nina Alexandra Paulsen, BFA in Illustration
Email: npaulsen@yahoo.com
Q: How do you ‘eat’ (what is your creative job that pays your bills)? Where has life taken you; summarize your creative career:
A: Concept and Marketing Manager at Tchibo.
As a Concept and Marketing Manager at Tchibo (a large German retailer and coffee company with over 11,850 employees worldwide, of which 7,700 in Germany and a yearly revenue of €3.15 billion), I am responsible for creating lifestyle concepts and collections for the weekly offers. A very complex and creative job where I need to make sure that my original idea of a concept is on trend, all products are playing into the idea of the concept as well as the design of the overall concept until the collection is finally launched and all points of sale (online and offline) carry the message of the concept clearly to the end consumer.
I started my career as a freelance illustrator when I moved back to Germany after my studies in the US. Although it was a lot of fun, I wanted to see how it is to work in a company, so I found a job as a product designer of soft toys and kids gift collections in another part of Germany at NICI.
Quickly I became more involved with creating overall concepts for a collection and not just designing one specific product in a collection. After two years I had the opportunity to work as head of design for that company in Hong Kong (P.R.C.) and spent the next few years working there.
For a while I worked for another kids toy company in the same position in Portugal and Hong Kong before I moved back to Germany.
Later I got another interesting offer to work for Swarovski in Austria as a trend and design consultant for real gemstones jewelry.
I had the opportunity to travel extensively, globally, to educate companies about new trends in the fine jewelry market and how to build and design collections for the European market.
That was a super interesting job, where I had the opportunity to learn a lot about the fascinating world of gemstones, such as diamonds, sapphires, rubies, etc.
When I got the offer from Tchibo to work for them in 2015, I was hesitant because I really loved my job at Swarovski, but it was too good of an opportunity for moving back to Germany – to the beautiful city of Hamburg and working for a giant retailer.
So this is where I am now.
Q: Think back to your art school days . . . how did it prepare you? What specific lessons apply to what you do today?
A: Paier and all their wonderful instructors gave me a great, solid foundation in all mediums of art, whether it was figure drawing, watercolor, or oil painting, etc.
When it comes to translating these skills to the professional world – I have always felt very confident to cater to the different needs of a client.
But, to be honest, art school does not prepare you for the corporate world, if anything does.
One is always sort of this exotic being, that chose a different educational path than most.
I have not really struggled with the “stigma” of being an artist, but I have the feeling that you have to prove to people 10 fold that you have common sense and are able to hold management jobs rather than people with a marketing or whatever degree.
On the other hand being the person who chose a different path makes you more unique and stand out a bit more than others – like it or not, in my case I like it.
Q: What would you say to anyone planning to go to art school?
A: It is great to follow your dream. But keep in mind that ideally later on in life your art school education should be able to get you a job that pays your bills.
I was always keen on earning enough to afford a comfortable lifestyle and also being creative – you have to look a lot harder to find your niche.
Q: How does art or design enrich your life today, in the year 2020?
A: I still enjoy painting a lot, and paint whenever I get the chance. Also in my job I take every opportunity to bring in my artistic skills. I could not imagine a life without art.
Name and Major at Art School:
Daniel J Stegos, BFA in Illustration
Website: stegosstudios.com
Q: How do you ‘eat’ (what is your creative job that pays your bills)? Where has life taken you; summarize your creative career:
A: As a freelance artist, I have illustrated and shown in galleries professionally throughout Connecticut. I’ve done illustrations for a company in Norwalk, working hand and hand with the Smithsonian, along with doing freelance spot illustrations in Connecticut and New York for about ten years. For the past 12 years I’ve been teaching art to all ages in Connecticut and in Georgia, and currently run the drawing / painting, photography, and animation programs at Saint Francis High School in Milton, Georgia.
Besides teaching, I run private lessons out of my studio, along with entering and displaying my work in art shows and galleries outside of Atlanta. I also continue to do commissions, which I always have been able to make extra money doing since graduating from Paier.
Q: Think back to your art school days . . . how did it prepare you? What specific lessons apply to what you do today?
A: Having wonderful professors! Being able to call on professors for help . . . for example, when I had gotten my first illustration job, I had a professor who was right there willing to help and give advice.
Paier focused on realism, which for me was wonderful, mostly because that was my style. However, as a teacher it was challenging to teach other aspects and idealism in art, especially to younger children. Today I use everything I learned to teach high school art.
One thing to consider is learning business and selling yourself, that would be one thing that was lacking when I was fresh out of college.
Q: What would you say to anyone planning to go to art school?
A: During your first three years learn, listen, think and grow as an artist. Then form a plan! Stick to a theme and to your strengths with your portfolio, but be prepared to say yes to any art job that comes along. The more experiences you can gain and learn, the better you’ll be as an artist.
Q: How does art or design enrich your life today, in the year 2020?
A: I am able to use my art experiences that I’ve gained in the last 20 years. Art is part of my everyday life. It’s how I communicate what I see mostly in nature, hobbies, and family life.
Name and Major at Art School:
Catarina Pech, BFA in Illustration
Website: https://catarinasart.carbonmade.com
Q: How do you ‘eat’ (what is your creative job that pays your bills)? Where has life taken you; summarize your creative career:
A: I have been an illustrator for firearms engraving for 17 years. I sketch and ink hunting scenes, scrollwork and commemoratives for firearm distributors.
Q: Think back to your art school days . . . how did it prepare you? What specific lessons apply to what you do today?
A: Art school helped hone my skills, but in the end I ended up in a job doing my weakest art form – ink. I learned as I went and sketching and inking for work kept me on my toes, so even when I would neglect painting watercolors (my true love) for long stretches, I never felt too rusty.
Q: What would you say to anyone planning to go to art school?
A: Draw constantly, be patient and focus. It is OK to be uncomfortable with a medium, keep at it anyway, don’t let your ego get in the way of improvement.
Q: How does art or design enrich your life today, in the year 2020?
A: I enjoy teaching children art on the side and that is very fulfilling; also I am able to bond with my teenage daughter who is very good in her own right. Life would be rather dull without some sort of creativity, and I make sure it extends past my day job with watercolors, gardening and a plethora of other creative ventures.
Congratulations is in order
I would like to congratulate and commend my former classmates on all their accomplishments and life achievements. I could not be prouder, and feel inspired upon reading these responses.
I would also like to congratulate the more recent class of 2020 on their resilience during these trying coronavirus times, and wish the recent art & design school grads the best of luck.
So . . . a toast to the Class of 2000, twenty years later . . . to all my peers, I say cheers!
