Fine Art alumna Farnoush Aminimoghadam talks about being welcomed into the Academy and how it suited her as an older student:

Looking back at the time before I joined the academy compared to “now” I see how much my life has changed. Before I was accepted at the Academy, I had applied to the Wimbledon School of Art. To my biggest disappointment I was told my portfolio is not strong and I would struggle, so they did not accept me. I lost my confidence totally thinking I am not good enough to ever become an artist.

After a while I came across a part time sculpture course at Art Academy London and thought to try it out. I fell in love with making figurative sculpture and thought this is the way forward. After one year of doing part time sculpture courses I decided to do the Fine Art Diploma.

The big difference between Art Academy London and other universities or colleges to my experience is the age diversity and the way of teaching. The age diversity makes a huge difference in a way that for an older student you do not feel out of place or isolated. The limited number of the students has the advantage of getting to know nearly everybody which makes it a nice place to work. It also makes it possible to have more tutorial contacts. The tutors are all successful professional artists who are practising alongside their teaching careers. The way the program and lessons run are fantastic in a way you do not feel the pressure of the old school teaching. You are encouraged to find your own artistic approach in any sort of art form and not a fixed expectation of a certain type of art form or technique. You are guided to reach your full potentials and at the same time you learn the practical skills to be an artist.

The facilities have improved a lot since I joined the Academy in the last five years. They have set up a Metal and Wood workshop which is vital to your practice specially if you are a 3D artist. The digital studio is great and you have a support and guidance of one of the best tutors in there.

I enjoyed every moment of my time at the Academy. This does not mean it was not challenging and extremely hard. It required a lot of hard work, determination and devotion. They believed I had a potential and I proved them right by winning the Passion for Freedom award in 2018 whilst I was still studying.