The OA audition process is intense.
…but many of the students who apply seem to possess OA potential.
Our small class sizes and our practice of grouping students with complementary skill levels and personalities require us to cut otherwise viable candidates.
So how do you know if you have OA potential?
How do you know if you should apply again?
If your audition process is passionate, positive and professional, then you should definitely try again.
To help you understand what I mean by “passionate, positive and professional” I have started collecting all known audition dealbreakers in the post below:
Failure To Take The Letter Of Intent Seriously:
The letter of intent is the most important aspect of your audition.
Unless you want to work alone all the time, warmth, empathy, communication and intelligence are more important than artistic skill.
OA is the closest, most engaged art community I’ve ever encountered online. We are looking for artists who will be a cultural fit.
If English is not your first language, do not worry. Simply explain that to us in your letter. Google Translate is helpful.
Negativity:
During a recent audition process, someone said something to the effect of: “If anyone criticizes my work, we are going to have a problem.”
Instant dealbreaker.
…and not just for OA. It will be nearly impossible for this person to ever have a successful creative career.
…unless they have a major attitude adjustment.
Resistance To Critique:
Picture this: You are a busy mom who lives in American Suburbia. You’re too busy to find time to clean the floors and wash the dishes, so you hire a house cleaner.
You just need the house cleaner to stay out of your way and make the house look nice so you can be proud of it. When the house cleaner arrives, they begin remodeling your home.
They put all your furniture in storage, rip up the carpet, and knock down all of the non-load-bearing walls. This would come as quite a shock, right?
Well, in an OA course, you aren’t hiring a house cleaner. You’re hiring a home remodeler. You’ll have to go somewhere else to find submissive house cleaners whose job it is to make you look like you have everything figured out.
The fact is, you need a home remodeler. Why else would you endure this rigorous audition process?
…if you weren’t deeply aware that watching free tutorials and working with enablers (or worse, trolls) is not the transformative influence required in order to succeed at one of the most difficult professions imaginable?
The instructors are here to push you beyond what you are able to achieve sitting alone at home in your pj’s watching free tutorials on YouTube.
No, we cannot guarantee that you will become a successful creative professional with a sustainable career.
…but we can show you how to avoid the habits and mindsets that will guarantee failure.
That said, OA students and teachers live by the mantra “Gentle and Fearless.” We don’t act like buttheads during a critique, but we aren’t afraid to speak directly.
On the receiving side, you come prepared to listen and trust in order to grow as quickly and efficiently as possible.