Aside from obviously being an unfair amount of fun for a career, how is it that art as a career can change YOUR life?
It is an interesting topic, considering the opposite opinion is usually what people are cautioning others about. The whole “don’t become an artist because you’ll starve” argument that so many parents (although probably coming from a loving place and a place of wanting their children to succeed) throw at their kids when they want to get into a creative field.
Art and creative fields in general have become very popular, affording countless job opportunities. The gaming industry is a fantastic example of this. While traditional art may be harder to find something that you can make a more traditional and stable living doing these days it is all about the digital. Digital art is a very viable career option for those of you looking to get into the arts. If you go on a job searching website (something like monster or indeed, etc.) and type in “artist” you’ll get two things coming up: game design artists and sandwich artist. Okay, so maybe you don’t want to be a sandwich artist (they literally just make subs in chain restaurants) but the other options come with great starting rates and the opportunity to create, work on something other people are going to love, and it allows you to be in the arts with a real 9-5 job.
There are, of course many other examples of creative careers and careers in the arts but the gaming industry has come to the forefront here. Freelancing, running a gallery, illustrating, graphic design, interior decorating, creating your own shop and products, etc are other examples of careers in the arts. So, how can going into a creative career change your life and benefit you?
Here are a few examples:
Art is therapeutic, art therapy is an effective way to work through things you are feeling and going through. It is also another example of a career opportunity that has become more popular in the arts ( you do have to be qualified to do this though). Having a creative career allows you to spend your day creating, even if it isn’t your own work. The act of doing can help your mood, relieve stress, and help you enjoy your life.
You get to follow your passion! Seriously, that is one of the best feelings in the world. So many people push their passions and dreams aside, why not follow them? The benefits are obvious with this one. You only have one life to live, live it to its fullest, do what you love, and it will change your life for the better.
You get to make the world a more interesting and beautiful place. It is no secret that art enhances our lives just by looking at it. No matter where you fall in the creative world of business you are adding to people’s daily experiences; making them more interesting and/or beautiful. I find this to be a very rewarding point.
The arts are important yet they are often one of the first things to get cut when funding needs to be revaluated, and often are the career options that are dismissed without any real thought. We don’t think about how the arts have influenced our lives. The packaging we see on everything, the entertainment we watch to relax, the song that we have on repeat because we just love it so much, or that painting that we have hanging on our wall that brings us joy every single day.
I openly admit that I felt this way growing up. Art had always been apart of my life but growing up I didn’t consider it a viable career option. I ended up going in to another field which is when I realized how silly that thought process had been. I took a leap of faith and went to art school to follow my passion. I am so glad I did, it has changed my life!
Here are 5 ways pursuing an art career has changed my life:
- Freedom – because I freelance and own my own website, shop, sell courses, and use platforms like Youtube I am my own boss. I make my own schedule and take on only what I want, or feel is the right fit. I make my business work for me, not the other way around.
- Ability to work from home (or where ever I want) and Care for my children- Staying at home to care for my children was extremely important to me. Not only that but with the prices of child care in my city I would just be out working to cover the child care expenses. Having the ability and freedom to have my schedule work the way I want or need it to and to be able to spend the time I want and need to with my family is priceless for me. I am not just an artist, I am also a Mom and homemaker (which are like 2000 full time jobs in one, am I right?).
- I get to be creative. I get to spend everyday creating. To me that is amazing. When I was in college for social work I spent almost 2 full years without really creating much of anything, I hadn’t even picked up a pencil in that time. Knowing the burnout rate and how exhausting the career I would have gone into was I likely wouldn’t have had the time or energy to create.
- I get to help people and make a difference. I help other artists with their careers, I help other people bring their visions to life, I am able to teach others to create effectively and I get to make a difference by providing social commentary through art.
- I get to think outside the box. Of course, you can do this in any field you’re in but for me art epitomizes this. I have completely constructed my own business, I can be as “out there” as I want in regard to my work, and my possibilities are endless.
I’ve only listed 5 examples of this for myself, plus the other few I mentioned above but, there are so many more ways an artistic career can change your life and benefit you. Your answers could be a lot different than mine, perhaps even deeper or personal, but that is the beauty of all of this.
What are some ways your art career (or even just your art if you don’t want to or haven’t yet attempted to start an art career) has changed your life?
