leahbobet ([personal profile] leahbobet) wrote2010-02-12 01:14 pm

Hitting up the LJ Hivemind

Does anyone have any data/experiences on the value, drawbacks, whatever of doing an MFA?

Management thanks you in advance. *g*

[identity profile] gryphynshadow.livejournal.com 2010-02-12 06:20 pm (UTC)(link)
I know anecdotally that the folks who have tried for, or gotten a MFA have suffered from a massive drop in creative output.

A poet friend of mine stopped going to school, and stopped writing, because his MFA process was killing him. He said that poet was a verb, that poet is something you do... and then he didn't write any poetry for three years. They recruited him because of his poetry; told him he was awesome and amazing (very true), then, once he was taking classes, all they could say was how bad he was. It demoralized him, broke him...

He's been away from school now for around a year, and has finally started to write again. He's working up to getting on stage to slam.

I'd say, if you were going into marketing, or advertising, or business, a MFA would be a cool set of letters to tack onto your name. If you want to be creative, think outside the box, push the boundaries of conventional storytelling... don't get an MFA.

MFA = creativity killer.

but, this is all anecdotal. so...

[identity profile] gryphynshadow.livejournal.com 2010-02-12 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
and that was SO not the icon I meant to choose.

O.O

sorry...

[identity profile] leahbobet.livejournal.com 2010-02-12 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
...I thought it was supposed to be like, awesomely thematic.

"Do an MFA and get spanked by academia!"

[identity profile] upstart-crow.livejournal.com 2010-02-12 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Man, my BA writing classes were dreadful and demoralizing enough. The few I took completely broke me and contributed to the severe depression I was already battling throughout my early 20s. I can't even imagine how an MFA would be. :/

[identity profile] leahbobet.livejournal.com 2010-02-12 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Do you think it would be different if you were in a place where you were, well, surer of your craft?