National Portfolio Day

At the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, on November 7th...

"National Portfolio Day consists of representatives from regionally accredited colleges and universities, which are members of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design."

Sometimes criticism from a stranger carries more weight than the everyday counsel. Like all good advice - it should be taken with a grain of salt. We waited in line for Mass
Art and RISD, and as you can see - it was a long wait. The schools have two different vibes:

MassArt - offered me no critique, rather a brief commentary and talked to me about college admissions/preparation. (I graduate in 2012). I'm attracted to MassArt because of its looser style, affordability, and sort of group mentality.

R.I.S.D. - offered a refreshing, thorough critique that was exactly what I needed to hear. My reviewer brought up some solid points:

• Slow Down ("Don't drink coffee" -Not sure if that was literal)
• Show mastery of color through simplicity - "less is more"
• More observation and work from life
• etc.

I was vaguely aware of all this, but seeing a seasoned professional use examples from my work is very helpful. However - I can think of even better ways to spend $208,420. Hows that for a grain of salt? I also took note of MassArt hiking up its costs: roughly $40,000. What's up?