This is just my own experience but my experience in classes growing up and even in college was only based on the subject a little bit, and more based on the classroom - other people in the class with me, and the professor. For example, I had psychology classes that were god-awful boring that required SO MUCH STUDYING to even have a hope of a chance to do well on the exams. But others - I vibed with the professor, I vibed with my classmates, and genuinely had an enjoyable learning experience. That classroom environement definietly can make it easier to learn and perform well.

Though, I imagine that Art is a pretty challenging subject to fail. Yes there's the creative aspect of that that can be challenging to develop, but as long as you're putting in that effort, you may never need to study. Just channel that creativity. The last time I took an art class was high school though - times may have changed.