Top 5 Countries for International Students to Study Arts & Design?

Art simply put is a means of expressing oneself it regards to emotions. Arts as a course of study is very wide and encompasses different aspects such as; creative arts, fashion designing, fine arts, theatre arts and many more.

From time immemorial, art has been used as a tool to express many ideas, feelings and even in studies. Although art courses were not always seen in high regard when compared to other courses but with advancements in technology and changes in time, more attention has now been given to art courses.

Creative art and design as a field of study have varying courses underlying the field and some of them are; photography, videography, performing arts, film, visual arts, fashion design, interior design, multimedia design, and many more. There are many well-known professionals in the creative field and they have made it quite easy and interesting for many aspiring creators.

Top 5 Destinations for Nigerian Students to Study Creative Arts and Design

As a young art student, in search of a country abroad to study and achieve your dreams in art and design? There are many top countries all around the world that offers first-class courses in creative arts and also offers art tours, graffiti and other art cultures which would boost the student’s learning. Below are the top 5 study destinations which aspiring art students can decide to study.

1. Germany: one of the prominent western country of the world, germany stands out and makes the too list of one oft he too countries to study creative arts and design. A city in Germany Berlin, was named as a ‘city of design’s by UNESCO. Germany houses many thriving art cultures and artistic sites one of which is the Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art in Berlin. The universities in the country also offers varying courses and degrees in creative arts and design. Germany is known to be peaceful and welcoming to foreign students. Although dutch is the official language of communication, hence students are advised to take up a course in language to brush up their skills and to be able to study effectively in the country. The cost of living here is averagely affordable for nigerians as they are allowed to work and study and also enjoy some of the student discounts as well as Scholarships.
2. Argentina: is known for its abudance in street arts and painting. A particular part of the country, Buenos Aires is known to be a welcoming canvas for street art and wall painting. Famous artists such as Blu, Martin Ron, and Finatan Magee have left their mark on the streets of Buenos Aires and the street art was one time sponsored by organization of Buenos Aires street art. Studying and living in Argentina can be said to be affordable depending on the location of the institution. Also, students can get Scholarships and other financial funds to assist them in the course of their study.
3. Ireland: Dublin, a city im Ireland is a center of growing arts and arts organizations. There are many art centers and cultural hotspots that are in Ireland where students studying creative arts and design can take a tour off school. Ireland is quite expensive to live and study, but international students are permitted to work for about 20 hours each week to support their livinf expenses. Accomodation is somewhat expensive but there are varying housing plans and also shared apartments that students can make use of in order to cut cost.
4.  Spain: Granada is one of the hotspots in Spain for students studying creative arts and design. The city is a surrealist street of art and varying cultural traditions. The most famous street in Granada is Raul Ruiz which is also known as El Niño de las Pinturas. Again, Spain is known to be a land filled with poetry and fantansic images, a prominent one been the El Niño’s portrait of the famed 1980s guitarist. Spain is a multicultural country and many foreigners are found in the country from different parts of the world. Art lovers and students would surely have a very great time in the country and living expenses are also moderate depending on the location the students wishes to live in. There are also subsidized transportation fare which allow students to enjoy discounts.
5. England: London is a prominent city in England and it is known to offer varying courses in arts for bothe international and English based artists. Banksy is one of the well known names in England which has been prominent for over 10 year in street painting. There are also many conventional art centers where art students can learn and also have fun. London is a very colorful city which embraces people of different race and country, hence nigerian students going in for the first time would not be surprised to find nigerian student associations where they can belong and feel welcomed. These type of associations also assist students in getting suitable housing and all other needs.

Needed Requirements for Studying Creative Arts and Design

When applying for a course in creative arts and design, one may be asked to put together a portfolio of previous work experience in order to showcase one’s skills and experience. Since creative arts is wide and has a lot of aspects which include; drawing, painting, crafts and so on, the student might be asked to pick an area of specialization for effective learning. In some institutions, creative art courses may take about 3 to 4 years of study before graduation for undergraduate courses.

Lastly,  it is important to check the personal requirements of each institution before applying, because there may be varying criteria that would be required.

What Can You do With a Creative Art and Design Degree

Even before graduation, many students would have started having thoughts about what to do and what kind of job to take up after graduation. Fortunately, in creative arts and design, there are no limitations to the kind of job which one can do, there are always available opportunities for graduate students of art studies. Some of the career options are outlined below:

• Graphic design: this job entails working with computer-based tools in creating designs that can be used for games, smartphone set up and so on. Many graphic designers are making a lot of money since they are not so much and are well required in many technology firms and gaming companies.

• Photography: a photographer is a creator who deals in making real-life objects take a different outlook by designing and making use of the different types of photography tools, the camera which is of utmost importance. There are many areas in photography such as still life and graduates of creative arts who wish to make use of photography as a future career can decide to take up any of the areas of photography as a field of specialization.

• Theatre arts: in theatre arts, graduates can get jobs as an actor, narrator, director and other acting careers. Careers in theatre arts are varying and have a lot of exposure, students who want to major in this field would have to focus on it right from the university as a specialization and after the degree, the students would have to take up other acting courses to brush up their skills.

• Fashion design: this aspect deals with clothing and accessories. Many fashion designers are well known for their jobs and also they help people to stay trendy by making clothes suitable for each season and occasion. Fashion designing also has many parts to it while some focus on sewing another part focuses on styling. In all, fashion design is a very modest job and creative art students are well sought in this career field since creativity is key here.

• Sculpture: this aspect of creative art deals with crafting and moulding different artworks making use of clay or other substance. Sculpturing artworks are usually sold in exhibitions, exposed in museums and other art centres. In this field, creativity is also very important and it can be said to be the benchmark of brilliant works.

• Web design: web designers deal with designing websites and they are very versatile and skilled in their jobs. Web designing is a lot of work and one needs to be diligent and very creative. Creative art students usually flock to this job because of the ease in getting the job and one can work in whichever place one wishes to.

• Animator: animators work in gaming companies, as cartoon characters, documentary assistance and any other place where the voice is needed. Animators are usually behind a character and they just make use of their voice to work which makes the job fun.

• Interior design: interior designing deals with home decor, office furniture set up and any other thing that deals with beautifying places. Creativity is also a very important skill in this career and graduates of creative arts can get a very good job as an interior designer in any form or private business.

Finally, pursuing a degree in creative art and design allows the student to hone his or her skills to think deep and also out of the box when faced with any situation. This type of creative skill is what many employees of labour lookout for and creative art students are able to work in any chosen field of theirs. Creative art also offers many courses which students can take up and acquire lots of transferable skills which include problem-solving.