Survival in Chicago

>>18671812
My advice is don't go to art school

>>18671827
Yeah I get that a lot. Quite honestly it was the reason I joined. Art seems to be the only thing I'm good at that I want to pursue. But dammit I truly despise the art school environment. Perhaps my main motivation is to be close to my Mom and to get out of my plateau.

I'm still in the application process right now. but if it falls through, I may just take a contractor job and move back to Japan. In fact, I should just do that simultaneously.

But I'd still be worried about my mom. And international flights are not cheap.

>>18671849
If you love art you will avoid art school. Save your money and self teach and study. If you do wind up going, say hi to the playwrights there for me....

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>>18671879
You know what, I think I just had an idea. I already paid for a trip to check out the school, give it a fair chance and all. Here's what I am thinking if it doesn't bode well. Maybe I should take online classes part time and apply for a contractor or GS gig to move back to Japan. I can pick and choose which classes I would need, avoid the art school bullshit, and move back to the place I love.

And avoid Chiraq altogether.

>>18671849

Post your art for starters, if you can't show an anonymous message board then you'll struggle with college

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>>18672016

Well here we go. This is a redraw I did pretty recently.

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>>18672016

Here's a WIP of a much more ambitious painting I'm attempting.

>>18672046

Pretty good honestly, and a few years art school would refine it a lot.

Meh go for it OP, just don't go to a shit school if you can help it at all.

Ex military and just finished 4 years of college doing comp sci. Civilians are fucking idiots and the administration is an unorganized cluster fuck quite often in colleges

Lecturers are also worms

However chances are you'll meet some interesting people and doing art you'll meet girls too. Just apply yourself and don't quit

>>18672088
I guess I should have specified that I'm female. :'B And I have my doubts that I'll find a male in art school that I find attractive. And I looked up the statistics for the school that I'm applying for. Nearly 60% female and majority under 24. Far from the men in their 40's that I'm in to.

As far as the civilian sector goes (government), it really does seem like playing Russian roulette.

And I really do appreciate the vote of confidence anon.

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I do have to ask, in case my original intent does come to fruition, what would I need to know about Chicago?

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Boosting with more art

Trying one more time. Might start a draw thread somewhere.

It depends. What kind of people do you want to surround yourself with? What will your budget be? How long are you prepared to commute to school? These will largely determine where you should choose to live.

On the north side, the lincoln park/lakeview/wrigleyville/edgewater/andersonville areas are all close to the lake and full of white yuppies.

There are parts of the south side that are dangerous and impoverished, but not all of it is. It's also much cheaper to live there, probably because of the fear mongering that constantly goes on.

The northwest side Logan square/wicker park/bucktown areas are the trendy hipster yuppie neighborhoods.

Don't live downtown in the loop. It's overpriced and the nightlife is shitty.

Also, Chicago is a highly segregated city, just fyi

>>18672641
Here's what I got;

>budget ~$2000 a month (post 9/11
>Don't care about night life
>dark skinned (mixed), but normally get picked on by blacks for not acting black enough
>would rather avoid gay neighborhoods, not my thing
>qualify for free transport due to veteran status
>would like to keep commute to an hour or less

>>18672670

I think Lakeview or Lincoln Park would be the neighborhoods where you would feel the most comfortable. They are very accessible to most of the city and probably have the highest concentration of close-minded conservative types.

With that being said, if you have a problem being around queer people, you are going to absolutely hate going to art school. Just saying.

>>18672691
I have no problems working with gay coworkers (Navy man), some of my old bffs were gay. I just don't want to go home to it.

>>18671812

1. Don't go to Chicago, it's a dying city and it's rotting from the inside out. The violence that used to be just contained in the "south side" is everywhere now. I lived there for 8 years, trust me anon. I imagine getting out of the military you see yourself as tough enough to handle it, so consider that the city and the state are stretched way beyond their limits, budget wise. So they screw the citizens over royally to try to catch up. High taxes on income, even living in the city you pay way more on every day things. Heck you can't even have a car without the "city sticker" and parking has become such a premium now. Also the "tickets" are unavoidable, they are essentially a major tax as well. You will get them and they are ridiculously high.

2. Obviously if you're going to use your GI bill to pay for "art school" you are not concerned about money, so not sure if #1 is going to sink in until later. On the subject of art school, this is a very bad choice as well because you will not be able to transfer any of your credits if you come to your senses in a year, that money will be gone. Recommend you reevaluate and select a state school with a good art program, but take your Gen-Ed classes for a year before you even think about any art major courses. Select a state school not in a major urban area.

My 2c given from the perspective of someone who has made all those mistakes.

>>18672726
1. Man I know Chicago is a rotting shithole of a city, but that sounds a lot worse than I imagined. I may have to tell my mom that living in Chicago may not be worth it.

2. The more and more I think about it, the more my idea of getting a contractor job and doing online courses seems to be more tempting. I just have to get my ass into gear and keep myself disciplined.

I'll look into some state school programs to to widen my options. If you or anyone else has any suggestions, by all means.

OP here, I think right now I have to sleep on it. Chicago certainly was never my first choice and I chose it simply to be close to my mother. Plus I don't think I have the patience to put up with the art school bullcrap.

I'm leaning toward getting a contractor or govie job and taking online courses part time. Perhaps paying out of pocket for a class or two until I know for certain that this is what I really want to spend my GI Bill on. It seems to the most prudent idea and less stressful option.

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Thank you guys for talking me out of a potentially damaging decision!

>>18672670
Ok, lets hit this point by point by a lifelong resident.

>budget ~$2000/mo
Thats going to open a lot up for you in terms of your rent. I'd recommend visiting the city and deciding what train line you want to live along. You really only have three realistic choices: red, brown, or blue. Red line is going to hug the lakefront, it goes through some truly bad neighborhoods (expensive horseshoe like Lincoln Park, dangerous bullshit like Uptown), but theres a lot of good stuff. If you're a foodie, way north in Rogers Park is going to give you access to more ethnic food than New York. Brown Line is going to run you through a lot of white, quiet, middle and upper middle class neighborhoods. Blue Line will take you through the art districts like Logan Square (avoid Humboldt Park at all costs) and then go on to the very white, quiet, safe Northwest Side neighborhoods like Old Irving, Gladstone Park, Jeff Park, Portage Park. The Northwest Side might be the only place where anyone will ever give a shit that you're a veteran.

>Don't care about night life
Then there is literally no reason to live in Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Boystown, or Wrigley. You're better off anyway.
>dark skinned (mixed), but normally get picked on by blacks for not acting black enough
Whatever, as long as you're out of the ghetto nobody will care. Rogers Park could work for you if you want a more diverse experience. Avoid Sauganash/Edgebrook, though. You will not be welcome.
>would rather avoid gay neighborhoods, not my thing
Understaffing and the police slowdown mean Boystown has gotten dangerous thanks to crime tourism, anyway. Don't discount Andersonville, though. Especially if you're a beer drinker.
>qualify for free transport due to veteran status
Hahahahahahahahaha. Maybe if you're disabled CTA will give you a reduced fare. Maybe.

Get used to this city picking your pockets.