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Preparing for an Art Career
Business, industry, and schools need the imagination of creatives. Artists can nowadays consider themselves to be an essential part of society, commerce and culture just as they have historically. Men and women designers and artists have had careers creating images, inventing objects, and solving problems to make lives better. The usefulness of artists in society is expressed often through practical solutions found in imagination and practice. A career in the arts may be an avenue to express idealism while simultaneously flourishing in a chosen profession. The path forward may include "preparing for an art career."
Artists are all around us ...
Art is all around us - whatever is not in its natural state has been influenced by an artist or artistic thought: buildings, books, clothes, furniture, planes, movies, computer graphics, tools, toys, road signs, etc. Artists make art.
Artists are ...
- creative problem solvers,
- design-conscious,
- prone to experimentation,
- self-disciplined,
- visually aware,
- apt to listen to criticism,
- apt to talk about art.
Does this describe you? A career in art may be for you.
Fine-Art and Design Careers
Artists are skilled professionals, even though fine arts individuals are often depicted as solitary figures struggling for recognition and compensation. No longer are artists bound for a marginal existence with their own individual vision expressed in a collection of works accumulating in their studios. More opportunities for fine artists to thrive come from having a formal education and from the availability of networks of galleries, dealers, shows and fairs to get their work before the pubic. Nevertheless, "fine arts," such as painting, sculpture and ceramics, for example, have been considered distinct from "commercial art."
"Commercial art" for magazines, TV shows, movies, clothing, and advertising is now simply called "design." These artists work for publishers, film makers, advertisers, and factories. These designers work as free-lancers, in multi-person studios, or for large corporations. A few broad categories of design types follow below:
- Environmental Design - this includes architecture, landscape, interior design, display design.
- Graphic Design - this includes packaging, publication, digital design, signage, billboards, technical and medical illustration, photography.
- Product and Industrial Design - this includes toys, tools, ergonomics, computer-assisted design.
- Fashion Design - this includes clothes, accessories, costume design, illustration, photography.
- Entertainment Design - this includes film, TV, multimedia, animation, digital design, virtual reality, theme parks, theater, stage design.
Whether seeking a path in the fine arts or in design, the basic training remains the same. Studio experience and having delved into art history will equip the artist with practice and the intuition to reach creative solutions for their projects.
Computer Savvy?
Computers became popular last century - they're here to stay. Knowing how to navigate computer programs and Web information is part of current daily life. Computer technology also defines where and how art is done. Technology drives design and has become indispensable.
The modern artist must be familiar with the following ideas:
- 3-D visualization
- AI
- audio manipulation
- computer literacy
- digital animation
- interactivity
- open-mindedness
- rapid changes in computer technology
- remote work
- acquiring software experience
- variety of software programs for specific needs
- video creation
Marketable skills for working with computers in an art career are obtainable in art schools. Getting a good foundation will help the artist meet the rapidly changing needs of the design industry. In an art career the artist must remain flexible, based on the fundamental skills in drawing and understanding of visual images. Learning and earning will put the aspiring artist in good stead as computers cannot replace graphic designers.
Art Careers & the Economy
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Artist designs are fundamental to creating attractive products for many industries. We depend on artists and designers for style, functionality, efficiency and beauty. Although design may be taken for granted, artists are needed to help our society function.
In Los Angeles, for example, ...
- hundreds of toy manufacturers provide jobs to the public and yield billions of dollars in sales.
- clothing sales go into the billions of dollars.
- the film industry collects millions from moviegoers.
These industries rely on artists, graphic designers and art directors.
Across the country designers make a plethora of products and stimulate the economy of many other facets of the art world: art education, museum personnel, interior designers, landscape architects, photographers, graphic designers, fashion illustrators, multimedia artists, animators, police artists, and art therapists.
Portfolios & Résumés
- portfolio - n. - a hinged cover of flexible case for carrying loose papers or pictures.
- résumé - n. - a short account of one's career and qualifications prepared typically by an applicant for a position.
Your education background and your art experiences in a portfolio is the artist's principal résumé.
Submitting a portfolio may be required to enter art school. For career positions a portfolio is certainly de rigueur. Including your best work, also consider these aspects of a portfolio:
- classwork,
- independent work,
- neatness and labeling,
- a variety of media,
- simple presentation,
- include 10 to 20 pieces,
- an artist statement.
An artist's ability may be preponderantly illustrated through the portfolio. But the written résumé might be the first contact with a prospective employer or client. Some of the basic information that should be included in a résumé is ...
- personal information
- educational background
- work experience
- artist and professional associations
- career goals
Help preparing a résumé should not be hard to find - see free resume builder.
Art Colleges and Universities
Post secondary art education should ideally be planned out before graduating high school, even if a student takes a break between high school and college.
The steps to a complete art education will vary according to a student's timing, finances, and goals. Some of the steps are ...
- applying to post-secondary schools,
- AA - Associate of Arts degree, a two-year undergraduate degree,
- BFA - Bachelor of Fine Arts, a four year degree,
- MFA - Master of Fine Arts, a graduate degree, the highest level degree offered in fine arts.
Choosing a college or art school calls on several factors for consideration:
- Curriculum - does the school offer a program for your goals?
- Location - usually art schools are found on big cities, where jobs are available.
- Size - larger schools will have more variety of programs, but may be more rigid.
- Faculty and Alumni - are the faculty also working professionally outside their teaching duties, keeping current?
- Campus - is a campus social life a factor? Do you prefer a smaller, office like setting?
- Accreditation and Reputation - is the school well-considered in the art world? Accreditation is a must.
Will you be proud to answer the question, over the life of your career, "What school did you attend?" Make the schools choice for the long term benefits.
Entering the Job Market
Along the way through the travails of art education, keep in mind that competition for good design career position will be tough. Think ahead of what galleries, museums, or firms would be the right direction. While still a student, collecting names and, addresses and phone numbers of professionals who can hire is recommended for building a network. Think ahead about job prospects:
- initial contact
- resumé and portfolio
- interviews
See ...
The Arty Teacher for more about art careers.
See ...
Careers in Art ~ Brommer, Gerald; Gatto, Joseph A. Davis Publications, Inc. Worcester, Massachusetts. 1999.