Aahhh…San Diego…one of the most beautiful big cities in the western US. It not only teams with natural beauty, but also offers a generous share of tourist and sporting attractions, like the world famous San Diego Zoo nestled in totally awesome Balboa Park (kills two birds with one stone – nature and tourism). Then of course, there’s Sea World, Ocean Beach, and Coronado – so many distractions for a serious student. This may be one of the reasons San Diego art schools didn’t make it onto the list of top eight cities for art education; despite the fact that California is the number one state for art schools.How can the creative mind stay focused when the sun, surf, and inevitable social interactions associated with all that are ever beckoning? While the Ocean Beach neighborhood welcomes artists of all disciplines with open and non-judgmental arms, it’s also liberally populated with head shops. Art abounds, but the official piece of paper that an art education is supposed to result in is a bit more challenging to obtain.This isn’t for lack of capable facilities. Design Institute, an established art school in San Diego has been training students in interior design for over 30 years. In fact, their exclusive focus is an advantage to help counter the distraction factor of San Diego in general. When you walk through the doors of this modern facility with its knowledgeable professional staff, it’s hard to think of anything else but how you might some day kick Nate Burkus’ interior designer butt.There is, of course, the ever-present Art Institute in Mission Valley. It offers a much broader selection of endeavors within the field of art and it’s farther from the beach. Its curriculum includes culinary arts and hospitality and beverage management. I’m not quite sure how those fit into the category of art, but I suppose there is an art to putting up with the public. This skill used to be called politics. However that term has fallen from grace, sullied by the greed and corruption of its most accomplished practitioners. But I digress.If cyber space is your muse, then Platt College offers a whole array of media arts courses. It’s been around since 1980, when media art was just starting to go virtual. Their associate’s, bachelor’s and specialized diploma programs in the fast-paced curriculum choices of 3D animation, digital video production, game art and design, graphic design, multi-media and web design can send you out into the cut -throat world of the Southern California entertainment industry with confidence. That and the help of a career service department providing job prep and placement assistance. Plus – and I find this particularly appealing – there’s free parking to all students.Have I mentioned that University of Phoenix can be added to the list of San Diego art schools? Well, then, consider it mentioned.Well, I’m sure there are other really neat art schools in San Diego, but it’s an awesome day, so I think I’ll just head down to the beach and watch the surfers while sea gulls try to steal the supply of munchies I plan to pick up at the 7/11. I’m feeling particularly artistic today, so I think I’ll draw pictures in the sand.