To Educate or Not To Educate

I've had a few budding artists ask me whether educating your self is good or bad. I want to explain my views on this as thoroughly as possible.

When it comes to the arts, every one works differently. Some people need a little more time to learn, some don't. I believe people in the art & fashion business succeed through real passion and pure, raw talent. You could have all the degrees in the world, but if you cannot produce a succesful product, (or in our case, a flawless face); schooling doesn't matter.
When it comes to talent and passion, either you have it or you don't.

Bottom line: Knowledge is POWER.
I believe there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with educating yourself.
Education, whether self taught or taught through schooling, is a benefit. As long as you are doing SOME thing with your talents, it cannot be looked down upon and it has to be respected.

I personally wanted to make sure that I knew correct sanitation procedures, I wanted to learn all about the chemicals that go in makeup, I wanted to learn the business side of makeup from Pro Artists, I wanted to learn more about skin and every thing else that some makeup books don't teach artists that seriously want to persue a lifetime career. So I enrolled in a certficate program through MAC Approved makeup school: Make Up First LLC in Chicago, IL.

School definitely helped refine my skills, helped me learn how to work faster, and helped me become an overall better artist. Schooling did not teach me EVERY thing I know now, but just as your life unfolds and you find your self, experience is the real educator. Repetitive trial and error is what makes or breaks your career.

Again, this was what worked for me. The arts are very forgiving, so whether you have been schooled or not is not the big issue, what matters is what you can produce. As an artist, you have to know who you are and see if schooling would work for you as well.

Not only is it important that you know people in the industry, but you really, REALLY need to know your artistry history and you need to know what you're doing so you could be prepared for any and every situation.
In the fashion industry, Ignorance is NOT bliss.

That's my two cents :)