I was just wondering if anyone on this website knew of any interesting artistic careers that can help earn a living-- some honest input would be well appreciated.
i know people here who work for the mural arts program & make a decent living..but philly has more murals then any city in the world so its a lil different perhaps.. i guess it depends on how you define artistic carrer too, some carreers use artistic ability & all but limmet the actual artistic vission.. stuff like graphic design pays very well, but your limmeted in your artistic expression by what the clients want iguess the point is your carreer choice should be partialy based on what it means to be artistic to you
you drew that inyour sig? ya definately have the artistic ability, maybe find a mentor to guide u & start showing your work?
I just opened this thread to see what kind of options were available-- something to look into, I guess .I just need to find ways to put my talent to good use. .
well whats your talent? artistic is a braoad term, theres gotta be 50,000 or more feildsthat use some artistic tallent
I'm a visual artist; I'm in a program through my school right now for commercial arts, which is helping me build a decent portfolio to show to future colleges/businesses/whatever, in case I do decide to go that route. I've looked into books before on the topic, and I've found many things of interest; but! I'd like to have input from other artists or, well, anyone! on different things. because I've got a feeling there are more options provided than through different books-- while I'm taking my own time researching the topic, I thought it might be a nice idea to get some input from other people .. anythings fine.!
talk to the curator at your local art gallery. if you show a sincere interest, they might be able to give you some volunteer work at the gallery, or introduce you to a 'real' artist who would be interested in mentoring a kid one possible career path~art therapist
My son is a now-successful artist. He found out that he couldn't make a living putting his art on canvas, so now he puts in on ... skin. He still paints, and sells a piece now and then, but tattoos are his bread and butter and he does well with it. It's a thought ...
There's plenty of career paths for a talented artist, or even a not so talented artist who still has a lot of business sense. I've gone through a lot of different phases in trying to figure out my own path. I'm primarily a graphic designer, and whilst I have to worry about what a client wants, I make sure I still have time to enjoy other artistic pursuits. Like Gaston suggested, tattoo art is a great option if you can find someone willing to give you an apprenticeship. Is painting and drawing specifically your thing? Sculpture, pottery, photography and specialist crafts open up hundreds of more doors that you might have ability in. A career as an artist could take you from anywhere like 3d animation and comic books, to illustrating childrens books or doing creature effects for the movie industry.
Thanks for the help I'm in a commercial arts course right now working on a presentable portfolio.. I don't know if I want to mass produce my art though, yikes
Yeah, there's plenty of places you can go with an artistic interest! Coming from the background of "commercial arts" you might look into Visual Communications/Graphic Arts programs at colleges in your area. They are certainly among the more expesive college programs out there, but when you're finished you'll have a trade, a portfolio, and a definitive direction you're going! I personally went the more hippie route. My educational background is in VC, with a lot of emphasis on design, but my WORK these days is in creating unique art pieces to sell (I sell online at my website, hummblebee.com, and vend at concerts/music festivals as well)- everything from fashion to glass to wall art. I honestly probably make a tenth of what I would had I gone out and gotten a job at an ad firm or something. I scrape by, but I'm not tied down to any one thing! I can create what my heart desires and I relish waking up in the mornings!
Yeah but what will that do for my future as an artist? I'm not really looking for an art therapist as you say. is a mentor sort of my link to being noticed by people? because i like teaching myself, or do i still have the definition of mentor confused?
A mentor/"student" relationship varies from one to another. It's the kind of thing you would figure out from the start, what it is you need, and what it is they can offer. It doesn't have to be about artistic knowlege or support (though you might find in the future that impartial and experienced feedback can be a wonderful thing!). It could be more about finding someone who makes their living doing similar to what you'd like to do, and learning the ropes from them about how to go about it - what kinds of contacts to establish, etc. Someone in this position might even be able to introduce you to some of those connections. In order to "make a living" you need to find people willing to pay for your artistic talents. In order to do that, you need to get yourself and your art out there, make connections, get your art SEEN, get KNOWN (at least by some people, it doesn't hae to be the whole world!) and the rest will follow.
I see that a lot here, so much so that one tat shop is on Santa Fe Drive, the heart of the arts district, and the artist opens his shop on the art district-sponsored First Friday with his paintings on the wall. Says he sells work and gets more ink customers. He says he's happy with it as he can exercise his vision and eat too.
what's your fantasy career? I have a dear friend who trained in Graphic arts and now is making a handy living doing live painting at fests and concerts. It's a difficult arena to sell in, so he has an entire section of his body of work that lives on display. I'm in my second year at this, and I'm donating more than I sell (but the art is paying for itself) through auctions and other methods that generate name recognition. I do have a job for the basics, and we do have two artists in the household, and the kiddo is leaning that way for now, but the art is becoming its own thing. My friend has been at this more than 10 years. His wife manages the biz side without another gig. They have real estate that dribbles in some income, so I'm thinking that the biz adage of "muliple income streams" might be best for artists: originals, prints, cards (mass production: sell the same image again and again); but also different styles, like the writer who makes the rent in an ad agency or newspaper but works on the novel at home. Visual art will be finished before a novel, and a live performance painting before a chapter (hmmm wonder how I know this? )
Making living… You should have few different jobs… But remember!!! – true art is not something that can sell – not in your lifetime…
