(by Bobby Brill)

In this episode of Creative Mind, we sat down with the director of the School of Illustration to talk about how to work as an artist; how to build your business.

When Chuck Pyle arrived at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University in 1972, he was an 18-year-old with big plans: Take a few classes at the Academy, then head off to New York, become a famous political cartoonist–and bring down Nixon.

Chuck Pyle is an internationally sought-after artist, working with clients from New York to Tokyo. His clients include Microsoft, Pacific Bell, Safeway, Avis, Ask Jeeves, Sun Microsystems,~B Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, McCall’s, Penguin, Bantam, Book of the Month Club, Houghton Mifflin, Seattle Opera, Nisshin Foods, and the Chicago Museum of Science and Technology.

Mr. Pyle received the 2015 Distinguished Educator in the Arts award from the Society of Illustrators. Today, more than 40 years later, he is Director of the Academy’s School of Illustration (a post he’s held since 2003) and one of the university’s most beloved instructors. He continues to guide and inspire thousands of students and is revered for his patience, generosity and refusal to adhere to a one-size-fits-all method of teaching.

Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is one of the largest private accredited art and design schools in the nation. Located in San Francisco, the epicenter of culture and technology, Academy of Art University offers more than 135 accredited degree programs spanning 40 areas of study, including entertainment arts, advertising, fashion, architecture, game development, music, communication, photography and more.

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Academy of Art University is now accepting applications for fall, which will be offered online and virtually on-site. Request for more information on our online education program for the School of Illustration and the rest of our art and design programs through our admissions representatives. Don’t miss a beat earning your art and design degree.

Image courtesy of Eugenio Castro.