This article discusses phenomenological research that sought to discover and better understand the motivating factors involved in the decision to seek a bachelor’s degree in studio art and how those factors related to and helped define the participants’ idea of personal and professional success. Twelve volunteers participated in face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Results indicated that the participants’ passion for art and the psychic rewards received from making art were the most prominent motivating factors in the pursuit of their degree. Results also suggested that the studio art degree was ill-prepared to financially compete with other disciplines, which led to a poor public perception of the degree that adversely affected the level of moral and financial support received by the participants.

Keywords: success, studio art, art education, psychic rewards, passion for art, motivation