A Fine-Arts Degree May Be a Better Choice Than You Think

For graduates, job prospects and satisfaction are surprisingly high

By DANIEL GRANT, The Wall Street Journal
Nov. 10, 2013 4:18 p.m. ET

Think that art school dooms graduates to a life of unemployment? The numbers paint a very different picture.
"Artists can have good careers, earning a middle-class income," says Anthony Carnevale, director of Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce. "And, just as important and maybe more, artists
tend to be happy with their choices and lives."

Not Exactly Starving

A 2011 report from the center found that the unemployment rate in the first two years for those graduating with
bachelor of fine arts degree is 7.8%, dropping to 4.5% for those out of school longer. The median income is
$42,000.
"Artists' income is comparable to other liberal-arts majors," he says. "They do a little better than psychology
majors, since counseling and social work is a very low-wage occupation."
For artists who go on to graduate degrees, the most common of which is the master's of fine arts, the unemployment rate for recent graduates drops to just under 5%, and their median yearly income increases to roughly
$50,000.
Other studies have also found relatively high levels of employment and satisfaction. The Curb Center for Art,
Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University conducted a survey of 13,000 graduates of visual and performing college-arts programs between 1990 and 2009; 2,817 were in the fine arts.
Among the findings: Almost 83% worked the majority of their time in some arts occupation, such as art teaching or in a nonprofit arts organization.
"Arts graduates are resilient and resourceful," says Curb Center Associate Director Steven J. Tepper. Sixty percent of the fine-arts graduates in the survey work more than one job, he says, "but they are happy with what
they put together."

A Rosy Picture
Bruno S. Frey, research director of the Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts at the University of Zurich, echoes that finding.

He says he has done "happiness research for some time" and found that "artists generally are happier than the
rest of the population."
Of all arts professions, fine artists, writers and composers were found to be the happiest, because "the profession they have chosen gives them autonomy, and that makes them happy," he says. "Actors and musicians, on
the other hand, are less happy, because they are disciplined by various rules and have less autonomy."

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150+ ART CAREERS - THE ULTIMATE LIST
This article was written by Amiria Robinson. Amiria has been a teacher of Art & Design and a Curriculum Co-ordinator for seven years, responsible for the course design and assessment of Art and
Design work in two high-achieving Auckland schools. Amiria has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies,
Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching.

Where can studying Art or Design take you? What kinds of careers exist for those who
study creative subjects at high school? This article contains a list of over 150+ awesome
careers, with 25 individuals showcased in detail.
While you might have heard that becoming an architect, fine artist, sculptor or gallery assistant is an option for
those who study Art or Design, there are many other careers available for those who are able to envision, design
and create beautiful things. This article highlights a selection of these and illustrates the range of exciting artrelated careers that are possible.

A GROWING LIST OF ART CAREERS

Whether you love photography, graphic design, painting or any other art-related speciality, career options are
limited only by your imagination. Art education propels people towards creative and unexpected destinations
many of which have not even been discovered yet. As noted in Need a Job? Invent It, in the New York Times:

...knowledge is available on every Internet-connected device, what you know matters far less than what you can
do with what you know. The capacity to innovate the ability to solve problems creatively or bring new possibilities to life and skills like critical thinking, communication and collaboration are far more important than
academic knowledge.
It is hoped that the 25 hand-picked, creative, inspirational people below will awaken your imagination and remind you that the world needs (and appreciates) those with artistic skill.

DIGITAL PORTRAIT ARTIST CLIFF ROTH

Cliff Roth paints digital portraits using the Google+ Hangouts on Air feature, creating the works live on video
the equivalent of a modern day street caricature artist. His subjects include a number of famous people, including Guy Kawasaki. While it is free to attend one of Cliff's Hangouts and potentially be painted, $40 guarantees you will get one. The portraits are completed in 10 - 60 minutes using Adobe Photoshop CS5 and a Wacom
Cintiq 21UX (digital pen and screen).
Cliff studied Art, Photography and 3D Design (Sculpture) at Hopatcong High School, taking as many classes as
he could, followed by introductory courses at Country College of Morris. He also completed The Art of Caricature, an online course by Jason Seiler.
Live speed-painting has allowed Cliff to amass a huge Google+ following, with almost 300,000 in his circles. It
has also boosted the number of paid commissions he gets (for more detailed, fully rendered digital paintings, as
in the examples below).

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Detailed digital caricatures of Tim Jones and Noam Chomsky by Cliff Roth

MOVIE SET / COSTUME / SPECIAL EFFECTS DESIGNER SIR

RICHARD TAYLOR
Sir Richard Taylor is the co-founder of the Weta Workshop, a New Zealand company that provides digital and
physical special effects for film and television, producing costumes, props, make-up effects, prosthetics, models, miniatures, vehicles, armour and weaponry. Weta Workshop has won five Oscars, four BAFTAs and many
other awards for their work on a range of well known film and television projects, including Peter Jacksons The
Lord of the Rings. Sir Richard Taylor studied at the Wellington School of Design and attended the Dick Smith
makeup training programme. Some of the work completed by Weta Workshop can be seen in the video below.

WEB BASED CURATOR CHRISTOPHER JOBSON

Christopher Jobson finds, discovers and shares artwork via his website Colossal. Colossal has more than
350,000 Facebook followers, 76,000 Twitter followers and 33,000 Pinterest followers and has almost 5,000,000
monthly page views. Work that is featured on Colossal often turns into a viral internet sensation.
In an interview with the National Endowment for the Arts Christopher explains:

Colossal was born from a lack of creativity and inspiration in my own life. I had been working
for years as a web designer in a role that was personally unfulfilling and was unsure of what to
do about it. As a way to expose myself to new ideas in art and design, I started the blog as a
way to catalogue and share the interesting things I encountered around the web. Three years
later its still going and has completely taken over my life Christopher Jobson

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Christopher Jobson - creator of Colossal

GAME DESIGNER STEPHEN HARRIS

Stephen Harris co-founded the game company Ninja Kiwi with his brother Chris. Ninja Kiwis most popular
game, Bloons, involves monkeys popping balloons with a dart. After attending Western Springs College,
Stephen gained a degree in geophysics and, later, a Post Graduate Diploma in Game Development from
the Media Design School. It was here that he learnt programming, design and use of Adobe Photoshop and
was surrounded by others who lived and breathed game design.
Ninja Kiwi makes close to $10 million NZD in revenue a year and has about 40 employees. They earn money
by selling advertising on their website, virtual currency and smart phone apps.

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Character design sketches and a screenshot of Bloon Tower Defense 5 by Ninja Kiwi

FIREBOWL SCULPTOR JOHN T. UNGER

John T. Unger creates sculptural firebowls that are hand-cut from recycled industrial steel tanks using a plasma
torch. Providing light and warmth, the firebowls create a dramatic centre point in an outdoor environment.

Although I did attend the writing program at Interlochen Arts Academy in my senior year of
high school, I dropped out of college the first year to pursue my art. I got my education by buying books, tools and materials, by making work, by looking at art in galleries and museums and
by occasionally working for more established artists as a studio assistant. The upside of this
approach for me was that I had no loans to pay off, was able to focus solely on learning about
the art that resonated for me (which is quite a broad area), and my practice was hands-on and
built a body of work. So many of the friends I have who went to art school eventually abandoned their art to take jobs that would pay off their loans. John T. Unger
John reaches a worldwide audience using his own website and online network, and has so far shipped over a
thousand firebowls (typically selling for between $1,000 - $3,000 US each) to twelve different countries.

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Hand-cut Sculptural Firebowls: photography by John T. Unger

UPCYCLED FURNITURE DESIGNERS JASON AND ADAM PODLASKI

Jason and Adam Podlaski design unique, upcycled furniture made from broken skateboards for their
business Deckstool. The scraped marks on the skateboards become featured surface decoration, with every
piece of furniture one-of-a-kind. Deckstool have recycling programmes in place to collect broken boards and
produce furniture that combines modern construction techniques, fine craftsmanship and an artistic aesthetic.

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A sample of the dramatic upcycled furniture pieces available from Deckstool

MAGAZINE ART DIRECTOR, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, PHOTOGRAPHER ADRIENNE PITTS

Adrienne Pitts discovered a passion for photography at age 16, when Kristin School first introduced the subject.
Adrienne studied both Photography and Design in her senior high school years and, after a year-long student
exchange in Chile, completed a Bachelor of Design from Massey University, achieving First Class Honours.
Although majoring in photography, Adrienne ensured that all of her elective papers had a graphic design focus,
allowing her to get the best out of her four year degree.

I found my degree set me up for my career as I essentially did my own little double major. I
came out of University able to find work as both a designer and photographer and I still do
both. These are added strings to my bow, and the quality of education I received from lecturers
who were passionate and leaders in the field really made a huge difference to how I approached
finding work in the real world.

A degree in a creative field can be a funny thing. I think much of it can be learned in real life,
on the job, however internships and apprenticeships in things like photography and design
didnt really exist when I was at University in NZ, and I knew I wanted to get the best grounding
and education possible. Adrienne Pitts
Adrienne is currently an award-winning Art Director for the Jamie Oliver magazine in London.

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Beautiful photographs by Adrienne Pitts from a recent issue of the Jamie magazine

BRIAN WOOD GRAPHIC NOVELIST

Brian Wood studied Illustration at Parsons the New School for Design and is a now a hugely popular writer and
illustrator of graphic novels. After working nights and weekends for six years, Wood is works full time.

Having a career in comics is a lot like being in a band. You have to start small and play a lot of
free shows. But you have complete creative freedom. Brian Wood
Brian has won several Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards and his books have been translated into several languages. Some are currently being developed for the big screen.

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Brian Woods latest graphic novel, The Massive, is set in a post-war, post-crash, post-disaster world

T-SHIRT DESIGNER STEPHEN HARRIS

Stephen Harris sells T-Shirts and other products through his Redbubble store Zomboy. Redbubble is a website
that allows designers to take advantage of print-on-demand technology, with products printed and shipped as
they are ordered (all the artist needs to do is upload a design; anyone can sell online without any up-front investment and make profit from the first sale). In a field where there is tough competition, Zomboy is consistently in the Redbubble Top Seller category.
Stephen designed his first T-shirt when he was twelve years old, using permanent cotton markers. He studied
both Design and Technical Drawing at Auckland Grammar School and gained a Criminal Justice degree
from Griffith University. Stephen credits his success to his discipline to draw every day, a passion for concepts
and a commitment to trying new art techniques.

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A top-selling T-shirt designs from Stephens RedBubble print-on-demand store

UPCYCLED FURNITURE DESIGNERS HODA BAROUDI AND

MARIA HIBRI
Based in Beirut, Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri run the design and craft studio Bokja, creating furniture pieces
made from recycled textiles and tapestries: harmonious combinations of pattern, texture and colour. Bokja
avoids mass production and employs only local artists, carpenters and designers.
Maria studied Arabic Literature at the American University of Beirut and Journalism at the Lebanese American
University. She cultivated her love for furniture from the 50s and 60s during her time as an antique dealer.
Hoda Baroudi has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and an MBA from the American University of
Beirut. Following years of experience in finance and banking, her life-long interest in traditional tapestries, textiles and rugs of the orient lead to the creation of Bokja.

Education can really open doors, but at the end of the day talent is what really leaves a mark.
We are a poster company for this, neither of us have a formal education in what we are doing. It
is that talent behind this company that has made it what it is. We have an eye and an instinct for
what we do and its not so much the result of our education, but our passion.

Bokja is an amalgam of things, it is layers and layers of reactionary thoughts, it is 'of the moment' and transient. Our designs are never innocent as they are often references or reinterpretations of something from our past. Within these objects there is a tangible charm that takes us
back to the way things used to be, when products carried legacies that transcended time. We
have created a cult following around the world; our designs speak a universal language, while
appealing to people on a personal and emotional level. Bokja Design
Their furniture is available in the US and sells for well over $2,000 USD a chair

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Four pieces from Bokjas upcycled furniture range: antique couches and chairs covered with strips of recycled
fabric stunning, functional, abstract art

FONT DESIGNER DANIEL MCQUEEN

Daniel McQueen is a young, entrepreneurial typographer and owner of Ten Dollar Fonts a website where selected designers sell font licenses to the world. After studying both Design and Photography at St Bedes College, Daniel gained a degree in Visual Communication from CPIT School of Art and Design, with a focus on
typography.
When his fonts began to gain attention on the social media website Tumblr, Daniel decided to sell licenses to his
fonts. Worried that his work would get lost amongst the crowd on an existing font marketplace, he created his
own website. Ten Dollar Fonts has gone from strength to strength, gaining the attention of several well known
designers and featuring prominently in social media.
Daniel gives advice for new graduates in an interview with Zoe Nash of Design Assembly:

...if youre like me and youre not excited by the idea of working for someone else, my advice would be as simple
as do something for yourself. Have projects that you enjoy and take it seriously. Be patient and stick at it, you
never know where it could take you. Even if you do have a full time job, have creative outlets and work hard at
them. Youre young and most likely dont have to support anyone but yourself right now, so there is no better
time to put your ideas to work. Daniel McQueen

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Daniel McQueen in Ten Dollar Fonts Christchurch office

FILM CONCEPT ARTIST DEAN SHERRIFF

For many Art students, the notion of creating beautiful, imaginary worlds is the dream career. Dean
Sherriff does this for a living, as a concept artist for Universal Pictures. He has produced concept designs for
popular films such as After Earth, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Day the Earth Stood Still and Night at the Museum. Dean trained at Ontario College of Art and Design in Canada, gaining an Honours in Illustration.

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Concept art completed by Dean Sherriff for After Earth and 300: Rise of the Empire' copyright Universal
Pictures

CAKE DECORATOR BRIAN STEVENS

Celebrity Chef Brian Stevens co-founded the specialty bakery Crazy Cakes with his wife, Jennifer. Brian has an
Art degree, and became a cake artist after a varied career, including sumo wrestling, digital illustration, sculpting and video game development. He has starred in the Food Network and TLC's Cake Boss: Next Great Baker.
He is known for producing meticulously hand-crafted sculpted cakes of all kinds, with detailed textures and realistic painting.

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Some of the exciting, sculptural cake designs produced by Brian Stevens of Crazy Cakes

SOFT TOY MAKER WENDY TSAO

In a world when things are readily available to everyone, the beautiful, artistic, handmade items the original
works that no one else on the planet has are in demand. Wendy Tsao makes soft toys that are inspired by
young childrens drawings, taking orders through her website, Childs Own Studio. Her work has become an
internet sensation. She recently opened for orders and in three hours was booked out for the whole year.

I am inspired by the childs drawing, a wonderful expression of childhood. Typically, a drawing

is sent to me, and I decide if I can work with it. (I normally work only with childrens drawings,
hand-drawn and coloured). There may be notes included with the drawing. I may ask for clarification about some details. And then I get to work, in my Vancouver studio. The machine whirs,
scissors snip, needles zip, and everything gets covered in fibrefill fluff. Wendy Tsao

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Wendy Tsao makes adorable soft toys inspired by the drawings of young children

ONLINE ART GALLERY CREATOR, ARTIST AND TECHNOLOGY

ENTREPRENEUR AMANDA LANE
As people move towards the display of artwork online, many opportunities arise. After completing her high
school education at Rangitoto College and studying Film Animation as part of her Graphic Design degree
from Auckland University of Technology, Amanda began a rich and varied career, working as a traditional animator, theatre and film scenic artist, art director and set designer. She now co-owns Exhibbit, a software development company that sells virtual Art galleries to students, artists and traditional galleries. This means that people are able to embed their own virtual 'gallery' within their website (see the image below).

...I have had a number of jobs within the creative industries there is huge scope for creatives
in business, especially now the internet plays such a big role. Amanda Lane.

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Exhibbit contains simple, elegant gallery spaces for users to display their art. With the ability to move around
the gallery, website visitors simulate viewing the works in real life

PET PORTRAIT ARTIST RON BURNS

Focusing on a particular niche (pet portraiture) and combining artistic skill with generosity and business knowledge has helped Ron Burns turn painting into a lucrative career. Ron has adapted a style that sets him apart from
the ordinary (the market is flooded dull, realistic pet portraits) and produces vibrant paintings that are rich with
emotion-filled colour. Ron began painting dogs in animal shelters (giving a percentage from sales back to the
shelters) and, after 9/11, documenting dogs that have lost their lives in tragedy or were involved in bomb detection, disaster relief, or search and rescue. Focusing upon heroic or disadvantaged animals, Ron has supported
spay and neuter programmes, anti dog-fighting legislation and helped to generate significant funds for non-profit organisations. Ron has received several awards, television and media publicity and public commendations for
his efforts exposure that has helped to cement Ron as one of the leading dog portrait artists.
Through his own website, Ron sells prints and ready-to-hang, commissioned acrylic paintings of pets to their
owners.

The appeal of Rons pet portraits lies in his intuitive understanding of colour: the selection of warm reds and
oranges, contrasted with cools blues and greens, creating an image of hope and emotion in the dogs. Backgrounds have simplified flat, decorative areas, creating emphasis on the dogs alone.

PRINTABLE WEDDING INVITATION DESIGNER ELEANOR

MAYRHOFER
Eleanor Mayrhofer designs downloadable wedding stationary, invitations, greeting cards and other paper items.
With quality printers now at an affordable price, Eleanor creates and sells PDF templates with editable text via
her Etsy shop e.m.papers, allowing people to print their own invitations at home. After graduating from Art
school as a graphic designer, Eleanor worked in a consulting firm. She now works full time on e.m.papers. Her
products have been consistently featured in the media, appearing in magazines such as Marth Stewart Weddings
and BRIDES.

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An example of two of the contemporary printable wedding invitation sets designed by Eleanor Mayrhofer of
e.m.papers

CERAMIC ARTIST KAROLINA GRUDNIEWSKA

After gaining a Bachelor of Arts, Karolina Grudniewska worked as an English teacher and then a florist, returning to college at last to study interior architecture. After a varied career, Karolina has become a self-taught ceramist. She sells work from Ireland via her Etsy store KaroArt, and her work is available locally through stores
and craft shows. She is full time Etsy seller, with an online shop filled with functional items with beautiful, organic form. As she commented in the Etsy Quit Your Day Job series:

I find working with clay very intuitive. Once you get the basics, theres a world of possibilities
in front of you. It takes hours and hours of practice, with many trials and many failures, but
each broken piece teaches you a lesson. Practice and repetition brought me to proficiency, but I
feel like Im learning a new thing almost every day, and theres still so much Id like to discover
and learn.

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Most Etsy sellers know that quality photographs help to sell a product. The photographs of Karolina Grudniewskas ceramic pieces are almost as beautiful as the hand-crafted ceramic pieces themselves.

REPURPOSED FURNITURE DESIGNER RUPERT BLANCHARD

Rupert Blanchard takes mundane, discarded pieces of furniture, reclaimed plywood, used wooden fruit crates
and other donated or discarded items and reassembles these to create stunning, contemporary furniture pieces.
Working with an assortment of styles, techniques, surfaces, patterns and materials, Rupert creates dressers and
furniture items that are reminiscent of abstract art: functional installation pieces for the modern home.
As described by the gentle author:

Rupert has developed a trained eye for the beauty of the disregarded and, as a consequence, lives at the
mercy of his compulsion to hoard it, taking him to at least three car boot sales a week and connecting
him to an elaborate network of scavengers, junk dealers, house clearance people, skip raiders and demolition workers. Time will run out before the rubbish does, he pronounced, pulling a long quizzical
face, shaking his head and crossing his arms in bewilderment at his crazy hoarding instinct. Yet everything here is wonderful in its way, and Rupert has found means to give new life these artifacts once
their original incarnation is defunct. Most of his furniture is one-off pieces, however some have a more
streamlined production process.

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Upcycled Furniture: Repurposing material that is destined for a landfill, Rupert Blanchard creates an assortment
of sought after, hand-made pieces

FINAL WORDS
The examples of Art, Design and Photography careers illustrated above are just a handful of the exciting career
paths that are possible for high school Art students. It is clear that the journey to a creative career is not always
clear cut. A Fine Art degree is not always necessary. Related degrees (Graphic Design, Animation, Computer
Science, Web Design, Architecture, Marketing, Business) and/or skill-based courses also lead to successful outcomes.
Skill is practised and refined ultimately by the doing. Combine your artistic skill with ambition, generosity, persistence, hard work and business sensibility. If you want a creative career, embrace it. Carve out a little space in
the world where you can become an expert: hone your craft and make something that people love. Build a website and show off your talent. Let your work spiral out through social media and be discovered by the world.
And remember: if you are one of those lucky enough to be good at Art and other things...be prepared for people
to try and convince you that Art is a swift and certain route to poverty (it's not: read 9 Reasons to Study Art in
High School). If this happens to you, keep in mind that those who are good at Art and other things are in the
best position of all to succeed.
- See more at: http://www.studentartguide.com/articles/art-careers-list#sthash.eh1emY5F.dpuf