Jobs You Can Get With An Art Degree: 8 Ways To Follow Your Passion

Do you wonder what jobs you can get with your art degree?

It’s a question that’s boggled the minds of art students worldwide. How do I know what to do after my art degree? For art students in particular, the question of what jobs you can get with an art degree can be a bit of a daunting one. Creative industries are very competitive. Few students go on to become professional artists – but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Even if pursuing the dream of becoming a full-time artist isn’t for you, that doesn’t mean that you can’t utilize your art degree in other ways.

There’s a huge array of jobs in creative fields that may be suitable for you. It all depends on how you apply the skills you’ve acquired through your degree and where your interests lie. Contrary to popular belief, studying Visual Art (or any art-related degree for that matter) doesn’t simply teach you how to apply paint to a canvas or sketch a figure. The theoretical side of your degree enables you to apply a plethora of skills to your practice. If you put your work into the correct context, you’ve gained analytical, observational, reasoning and research skills.

There are plenty of jobs that require an artistic flair and attention to detail. These are often well suited to graduates with an art degree. Here are just a few of the possible career paths you can explore and thrive in while using your new skills.

1. Curator/Exhibitions Assistant

There are plenty of jobs in the creative arts sector that allow you to work in a thriving, cultural environment. Roles such as a gallery curator or exhibition assistant. Even an administrative assistant or gallery assistant gives you first-hand experience in the arts industry. It also provides the ability to understand the exhibition creation and hanging process.

2. Illustrator

If you prefer to create visual content for a career, working as an in-house or freelance illustrator could be the perfect job. Using drawing skills, you’ll create work to brief and illustrative designs for books, campaigns, advertisements, and films while still maintaining creative freedom.

3. Graphic Designer

Just like illustrators, graphic designers can work for a company or freelance and make creative briefs for advertisements or campaigns. You’ll spend time understanding a brand and designing anything from logos to websites, according to individual client needs.

4. Art Teacher or Art Therapist

Working as an art teacher or art therapist offers a more educationally and socially focused career; one that can give an alternative outlook to the arts industry. You’ll use your practical skills to work alongside others and guide them wherever necessary.

5. Photographer

Many artists choose to experiment with photography, even while studying. Some of them create fine art photographic prints to be sold in exhibitions. Although this is slightly more difficult to do full-time, there are plenty of commercial photographer jobs. These roles can lead to even more creative opportunities that include art direction. Wedding, sports, fashion or music photographs can earn well and build up a reputable client base with a killer portfolio.

6. Jobs in Advertising and Marketing

Certain marketing jobs require creative thinkers with analytical skills. Visual skills are imperative in designing campaigns and digital content. You need to make sure its both on-brand and captivating. This allows you to use your artistic flair to reach an audience.

7. Full-Time Artist

If you’re truly dedicated to making a career as an artist then there’s no reason not to pursue it. Most professional artists are self-employed or have a residency placement. They tend to focus on a particular brief or line of work. It is important to be self-motivated. Make sure you have a thorough understanding of your materials and techniques to effectively embark on the pathway to being an artist. Make sure you have a strong portfolio. It should showcase a range of talent and skills that open yourself to a broad range of opportunities. It can take a long time to establish yourself as an artist. Ensure you keep developing your work and your unique style.

8. Contrado Creative

If you’re wondering what jobs you can get with an art degree, but prefer not to live and breathe art every single moment of the day, there are solutions for you too. In fact, becoming a Contrado Creative is ideal both for those who want to focus solely on art as well as those who want to divide their time.

How, you might ask? Well, you design your art and upload it to the Contrado user-friendly design interface. Choose the product that you would like to put your piece on, and add it to your collection. With your very own storefront, Contrado will print and handmake the products when your customers place an order. We’ll even ship it out for you. You’ll earn a minimum 20% commission on everything that is sold as well as maintain the copyright for the art. That leaves you much more time to focus on creating great art. Or to focus on something else entirely – the choice is completely yours.