--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never studied sculpture, engineering or…" description: "\"I never studied sculpture, engineering or architecture. In fact, after college I applied to seven art schools and was rejected by all seven.\" — Janet E..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/janet-echelman-26618_architecture_i-never-studied-sculpture-engineering-or_2853470.jpg" --- # I never studied sculpture, engineering or architecture. In… ![“I never studied sculpture, engineering or architecture. In fact, after college I applied to seven art schools and was rejected by all seven.” quote by Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/janet-echelman-26618_architecture_i-never-studied-sculpture-engineering-or_2853470.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/janet-echelman-26618_architecture_i-never-studied-sculpture-engineering-or_2853470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/janet-echelman-26618_architecture_i-never-studied-sculpture-engineering-or_2853470.jpg) > “I never studied sculpture, engineering or architecture. In fact, after college I applied to seven art schools and was rejected by all seven.” [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She emphasizes that formal education isn’t the only path to creative success; perseverance and self‑directed learning matter more. **In simple terms:** Success can come without formal training. Key Takeaway Trust your vision, keep creating despite rejection. Themes creativity perseverance education self‑belief Mood determined inspirational Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - applying to art schools - seeking mentorship - building a portfolio - overcoming rejection Key Concepts artistic development non‑linear career paths Questions to Reflect On - How can you supplement self‑learning with practical skills? - What does rejection teach you about resilience? A Different Perspective Formal training can provide technical skills that self‑learning may lack. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Sculpture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculpture/) ## Related quotes > [When I took the SAT, I didn't get accepted into a single white school that I applied to. Now I've got honorary degrees from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-young/when-i-took-the-sat-i-didn-t-get-accepted-into-a-single-white-school/) [Andrew Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-young/) > [Art schools are partly the villain here. (Never mind that I teach in them.) This generation of artists is the first to have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/art-schools-are-partly-the-villain-here-never-mind-that-i-teach-in/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Irresponsibility is part of the pleasure of all art; it is the part the schools cannot recognize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/irresponsibility-is-part-of-the-pleasure-of-all-art-it-is-the-part/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But why? Why do you care about our class’s history?" "I just do. Besides, I need something to put on my art-school applications besides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-standiford/but-why-why-do-you-care-about-our-class-s-history-i-just-do-besides-i/) [Natalie Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-standiford/) > [“The art schools... you get young kids doing the most vile and meaningless crap. I think the believe every bit of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-baskin/the-art-schools-you-get-young-kids-doing-the-most-vile-and/) [Leonard Baskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-baskin/) > [I got out of this school and went to Camberwell College of Arts, a terribly prestigious thing to do. I was there to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rees/i-got-out-of-this-school-and-went-to-camberwell-college-of-arts-a/) [Roger Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rees/) > [I have wanted to be a fine artist painter, and I reached the point in art schools were I'd like to understand more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/i-have-wanted-to-be-a-fine-artist-painter-and-i-reached-the-point-in/) [John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/) > [One of the big failings of art schools is that students aren't given any teaching on how to survive as a one-person business, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-pearson-wright/one-of-the-big-failings-of-art-schools-is-that-students-aren-t-given/) [Stuart Pearson Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-pearson-wright/) > [In contemporary art culture, where good looks and clever strategic planning of art careers have become a feature, professional practice may be taught in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/in-contemporary-art-culture-where-good-looks-and-clever-strategic/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Because most of my career in the classroom has been at art schools (beginning at Bennington in the 1970s), I am hyper-aware of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/because-most-of-my-career-in-the-classroom-has-been-at-art-schools/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [To support myself as a kid, I was a model at art schools around Boston.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-ricard/to-support-myself-as-a-kid-i-was-a-model-at-art-schools-around-boston/) [Rene Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-ricard/) > [In the period of '60s to the '90s, British art schools were small, and the number of student was small. The personal contact was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/in-the-period-of-60s-to-the-90s-british-art-schools-were-small-and/) [Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/) > [You cant be an artist without going to art school. Its impossible. Art schools like being plunged into a sheep dip that inoculates you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/you-cant-be-an-artist-without-going-to-art-school-its-impossible-art/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [I was shocked when I looked at art schools in France. There's only one left that does anatomy. Now they do video. They do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-doillon/i-was-shocked-when-i-looked-at-art-schools-in-france-there-s-only-one/) [Lou Doillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-doillon/) > [When I was a child I could do math and art, so I had left- and right-brain capabilities. But I've seen my children, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/when-i-was-a-child-i-could-do-math-and-art-so-i-had-left-and-right/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) ## More by Janet Echelman > [My whole career I've been interested by the distinction between an emotional and an intellectual response to an artwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/my-whole-career-i-ve-been-interested-by-the-distinction-between-an/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [When ideas are young and vulnerable, criticism can be lethal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/when-ideas-are-young-and-vulnerable-criticism-can-be-lethal/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [As a child, I always enjoyed building forts by stringing up bed sheets and clothes. I continue to be inspired by makeshift structures, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/as-a-child-i-always-enjoyed-building-forts-by-stringing-up-bed-sheets/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [My sculpture thrives in the context of the city, interacting with people in the course of their daily lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/my-sculpture-thrives-in-the-context-of-the-city-interacting-with/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [My monumental netted sculptural environments move through time, animated by an ever-changing 'wind choreography,' making invisible air currents suddenly visible to the human eye.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/my-monumental-netted-sculptural-environments-move-through-time/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [In Amsterdam, the river and canals have been central to city life for the last four centuries,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/in-amsterdam-the-river-and-canals-have-been-central-to-city-life-for/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [I recognize that it is through the engagement with my craft - by recognizing an idea and drawing it out, building physical models, collaborating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/i-recognize-that-it-is-through-the-engagement-with-my-craft-by/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [The spaces I want to be in are nurturing and soft and saturated with color. Our cities don't have enough of that, and as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/the-spaces-i-want-to-be-in-are-nurturing-and-soft-and-saturated-with/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [I believe people can have a profound experience by being surrounded by something beautiful - that's what I aim for. My sculpture is about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/i-believe-people-can-have-a-profound-experience-by-being-surrounded/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [In Portugal, my sculpture 'She Changes' refers to the town's fishing history, to the era of seafaring trade and discovery. The contemporary site is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/in-portugal-my-sculpture-she-changes-refers-to-the-town-s-fishing/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [You can't stumble upon something new and wonderful if you don't have time to stumble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/you-can-t-stumble-upon-something-new-and-wonderful-if-you-don-t-have/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [When developing an idea, I remind myself not to start with compromise. I envision the ideal manifestation of the idea, as if I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/when-developing-an-idea-i-remind-myself-not-to-start-with-compromise/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [It's good for art to make us think, to give us a shared experience that creates a dialogue, makes us talk to each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/it-s-good-for-art-to-make-us-think-to-give-us-a-shared-experience/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [I believe that public space should be intentional: it should be obvious that you belong,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/i-believe-that-public-space-should-be-intentional-it-should-be/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [Advances in technology have opened up possibilities in the cultural realm throughout history. I'm intrigued by developments in technology - as an artist it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/advances-in-technology-have-opened-up-possibilities-in-the-cultural/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) [Explore all 21 Janet Echelman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) ## More Architecture quotes > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. 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Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. 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