07 | Life of a SAIC Painting Student - Portfolio Preparation and more with Devishi Seth

Devishi Seth | Student at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Devishi Seth graduated from The International School Bangalore and is now studying Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).

Arjun and Devishi discuss her transition from IB to a fine arts college, her adjustment process and her experience at college. They also talk about the importance of Art in these times and how to make the most of the lockdown.

Episode Takeaways

SAIC Experience

Though the college is in a small part of town, Devishi talks about the many helpful communities around campus. However, she didn’t expect that there would only be a small indian community and that most students make their friends through the residence halls.

Transition from IB

Devishi moved from a school in Gurgaon to TISB in Bangalore to pursue IB Art, where she expanded her knowledge on the subject, learnt how to create concepts and study artists, which helped her a lot in college.

Studies at SAIC

Devishi focused on painting, as well as her foundation courses on research and art history during her first year. As SAIC is interdisciplinary, you don’t need to pick a major (you can if you like) and have the freedom to explore different mediums. She also experimented with sculpture and hopes to branch out into fibre and ceramics in the future. She transferred her IB English HL credits to fulfill her college requirements, but enjoys her academic classes in social sciences and the humanities and even got to take a course on Philosophy and Carl Marx with a professor from UChicago. These classes help inspire her art as she draws inspiration from society and the environment.

A Wow Moment

Devishi truly enjoys being immersed in an environment where she is surrounded by artists and she says that she has learnt a lot from her teachers, most of whom are full time artists. SAIC is also linked to the Art Institute, and exploring the artwork is also a learning experience.

Advice for 2020 Students

“Make the most of this time. Do online courses, work on building your skills. Everything has a silver lining so don’t lose hope. Art can really affect how people will view this pandemic in the future.”

Peers in College

Peer reviews and feedback sessions are common at SAIC and this really helps students improve. A lot of her classmates are designing masks for the pandemic and sharing their work on social media.

Advice to Students Pursuing Art

“Think about your possibilities broadly. Do what you love, but also try and learn more practical skills to balance it out and have a back up plan. However, when it comes to Art, be as experimental as possible, think about the impact you want to create through your art and demonstrate your drive.”

Her 3 Strengths

wise, perceptive and determined.

A Lesson from a Failure

She regrets not reaching out and interacting with people and felt quite lonely, which affected her art as well. However, she managed to turn this around in her second semester.  

Her Time at Edbrand

She really enjoyed working on essays and meeting other students from all over the country. The essay writing process pushed her to think outside the box.