I mean, I enjoyed it. It’s a degree in a kind of art that is historically used to convey information and or sell something, so sometimes you get a little looked down upon by the “real” art majors, like people doing painting or sculpture or something. But I think the things that I learned about making art for commercial purposes but also making art that tells stories sit well with me and what I would like to do. It’s also a more secure choice for financial purposes than ‘I majored in oil portraiture,’ I think. I say this with the full disclosure that I’m not working in my field for my primary living, as much as I would prefer to be. Some of that is my fault, some of it is the economy’s, haha

Some people feel that majoring in a type of art that is inherently based on clients and advertising and things like that is selling out before you have even done the work, but I found that most people within my program were not interested in advertising at all and were far more interested in telling stories, which was where we all diverged heavily from our instructors. We all liked comics and animation and really didn’t care for perpetuating a brand image. Most of us were heavily interested in characters and worlds, so if that is something you find yourself drawn to especially, illustration is a good route.

If someone put all of the majors that my school offered in front of me again, and probably several that they didn’t offer, I would still take illustration.