Affordability and Accessibility
Turned off by the cost and commitment of traditional education, some creative students are searching for an alternative. The right combination of technology and industry expertise can be the answer.
When considering how to prepare the next generation of creative leaders, it’s helpful to look to the past, to the early days of advertising portfolio schools. The Creative Circus – a legendary portfolio school where I taught for 13 years – was founded in 1995. Back then, Amazon was just getting started as an online bookseller, DVDs were invented and Windows 95 was released. Die Hard with a Vengeance and Toy Story led the box office, while ER and Seinfeld entertained us at home. Netscape Navigator brought the World Wide Web to millions of people and fought a “browser war” with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
Thirty years later, DVDs gather dust and we access films and shows instantly on Amazon, now one of the world’s most recognizable brands. I don’t have to tell you what became of Netscape, but much of our professional and personal lives are spent online. Our media and information experiences have changed dramatically – and so have creative students’ ideas about education.
As costs have risen, so has skepticism among students nationwide. Some are wary of committing to traditional four-year programs – especially that offer only a handful of creative classes and leave them without a complete portfolio. Many students are unable to shoulder the financial burden. I still think of a student in Atlanta who lived in his car because he couldn’t afford the cost of living while attending portfolio school. Not everyone can relocate, quit a job to try something new, or leave family behind to pursue a creative dream.
For all the change in recent decades, that dream to share a unique creative vision with the world remains unchanged among today’s students. The opportunity to be a part of something new, inventive and exciting. They deserve a quality portfolio program with flexibility, one that unlocks access for those in different places – around the country and in life. Advertising, marketing and design are powerful, influential tools in today’s world, which make including all creative students so imperative.
Years ago, the Creative Circus succeeded in attracting brilliant, innovative students, evolving into a community of alumni and industry leaders in advertising and design. But a combination of rising costs and changing landscape prompted the Circus to close. I believe it’s essential for the program – and those like it – to evolve into a new approach that combines quality curriculum, flexibility and access.
Taking on this new approach, the Creative Circus has been reimagined beyond the bounds of traditional advertising or marketing programs, with online classes in Art Direction, Copywriting and Design, with touchpoints of AI, creative design, social media and more. This adaptable, affordable program is in keeping with the scrappy, spirited culture that earned the Circus such a following among students and employers. With rigorous coursework tailored to fit students’ needs, the new program will feature instruction and portfolio development by knowledgeable, experienced industry leaders – many of them Circus alumni.
So as we think back to 1995 and all the lessons learned since, I believe we have an opportunity to meet creative students where they are – and tap into the potential that can bring new life and energy into advertising, marketing and creative fields.