Is Goldsmiths BA Fine Art Right for You?

When considering applying to study Fine Art or any applied arts course at university, it’s extremely important to consider your options and find out which one would work best for you. Goldsmiths Fine Art is a very unique course taught in a very unique way, so when interviewing applicants the tutors are looking for some very specific qualities that mean you could thrive on the course instead of just surviving! Here are five questions you can ask yourself before applying, to gauge whether you have those qualities.

Question 1- Are you able to be self motivated?

Unlike many other art courses, in Goldsmiths there are no set projects or prompts, and very few deadlines. You are able to come and go from your studio as you please and booking any workshops or APAs (art practice areas, such as printmaking, woodworking, textiles, etc) is completely up to you. Because of this, it is integral to the course that you are able to get up and get yourself into the studio and inspire yourself to make work. Most of your grades every year come from ‘Studio Practice’, which essentially is the measure of how much effort you are putting in.

However, it’s important to note that you will also not be penalised if you have art block, or for some reason you haven’t made work for a little while. There is a great support system in place, with you being surrounded by your fellow artists in the studio to help you, and you are assigned a personal tutor who you could have a chat with about what’s going on. Over half of Fine Art staff and students are neurodivergent, so also having your accommodations met will never be an issue if you are disabled in any way.

An exercise to try:

See if you can make art outside of your set projects from school. During a school holiday, or whenever you have free time, try making some art that you are interested in within yourself. It could be anything; a film, a painting, some photography, a Play-Doh sculpture… just think about what you like and what you enjoy making and have fun with it! This is one of the most important art skills you can learn.

Question 2- Are you able to keep organised?

There are lots of different aspects to the Fine Art course at Goldsmiths, such as critiques, seminars, and tutorials. Then you may want to add to this timetable by booking time at any of the numerous APAs on campus, or booking a tutorial with a visiting artist, or attending a guest lecture, for example. None of this will be put into a nice, neat timetable for you like you get at school- you are expected to keep track of it all yourself! Oftentimes your schedule will change from week to week, so you have to learn to keep track of all of your various appointments and activities you have to attend. Personally, I keep a very strict record of everything on my phone’s calendar app. Here is an example of a week in my life:

Of course, this is just what works for me. However, it is again important to keep in mind that there is support available to help you with this if you are struggling. The head tutor, Bernard Walsh, holds weekly drop-in sessions at his office where he often helps students with organising their timetable.

An exercise to try:

Next time you have a busy week with lots of obligations and appointments, sit down and try to schedule it all out on a calendar. Maybe even try just scheduling out one weekend, or even one day, as an exercise to see what method works best for you.

Question 3- Are you able to analyse artwork (Your own or other people’s) critically?

Alongside your studio practice, one of the largest parts of the course are activities such as tutorials, group critiques (crits), and convenors, all of which involve being able to talk critically about your own work and the work of your peers.

When analysing your own work, it’s important to be able to pick out what has worked well and what hasn’t, so you can improve and expand your practice as an artist. On the other hand, it’s also an important skill to be able to take on the feedback of your fellow artists, and pick out the critiques that are helpful to you.

When critiquing other artists work, it’s important to be able to pick out opinions that may be helpful to them and that they can use to improve their work. For example, saying  “I don’t like the colours you used.” is very unhelpful, whereas saying "Maybe you could try some different palettes to experiment with colour in your future works.” is a much more helpful critique.

An exercise to try:

Go to a gallery (virtually or in person) and find a piece of work you like and a piece you dislike. Look at each work for an extended period of time and make a list of critiques you have for the work. You can make the list in your head, on paper, or talk about it with a friend. However, imagine the artist is listening to what you’re saying, and you are telling them how they could improve or build upon the work. How could they expand on the themes they are exploring in their art? How could they make the work more cohesive? What might be the next step in their practice?

Question 4- Are you able to talk about your own work in an informed way?

This definitely links with the previous skill, in that it is important during tutorials, crits, and convenors. Also, during your second year, your final assessment is a ‘Viva Voce’, in which you have to talk about yourself and your practice for an entire 10 minutes!

It is always good to be conscious about what is inspiring you, where your ideas and references are coming from, what the next steps are in your work, and fundamentally why you are making art. This skill is always helpful to have as an artist, for example it is important when you are writing an artist statement, which is how many people will get their first impression of you.

An exercise to try:

Ask yourself the questions- Why do I make art? What inspires and informs the art I make? Sit down with a piece of paper and just start writing down in a ‘stream of consciousness’. Don’t worry about how legible it is, just keep writing whatever comes to your mind. After a few minutes, read over what you have written and see if you can take a few words and phrases from it and turn it into a short artists’ statement. If you are stuck, try going on some other artists’ websites, and read what they have written about themselves- take inspiration from it!

Question 5- Most importantly: Are you passionate about making art?

One of the biggest things the tutors look for when interviewing you as a new applicant is- How excited are you about the work that you are making/will make in the future? It’s no secret that being a ‘professional’ artist, and trying to make a living from it, takes a lot of time and hard work. If you want to do Fine Art here at Goldsmiths, this is something you need to recognise and be ready for, as well as being passionate enough about your artistry to be able to put that effort in. I have always said- I can’t see myself being anything other than an artist! If you also have this attitude, this is probably the perfect course for you.