Careers in The Arts

If you like to do any of the following, a career in the arts might be right for you!

  • Sing or play an instrument

  • Draw or paint

  • Take photographs

  • Dance make people laugh

  • Go to art museums

  • Create art on a computer

  • Arrange flowers

  • Perform on stage

  • Make jewelry

  • Create web pages or blogs

  • Write music

  • Decorate a room or arrange objects

  • Attend musical performances.

VISUAL ARTS CAREERS

Visual arts appeal to the human eye.  Careers in the visual arts can be divided into fine arts careers and applied arts careers.

Fine Arts Careers

Fine artists create art that expresses their personal ideas and feelings.  Their art is often exhibited in galleries and museums.  A fine arts career requires a great deal of talent.

  • Fine arts photographer     

  • Printmaker             

  • Sculptor       

  • Painter        

  • Mixed media artist            

  • Sketch artist

 

Applied Arts Careers

Applied artist use their artistic talents to create and design.  These “more practical” art careers give artists the opportunity to be creative, while having a more reliable income.

  • Advertising manager   

  • Architect                                 

  • Art teacher

  • Art therapist

  • Camera operator

  • Commercial photographer

  • Fashion designer

  • Floral designer

  • Graphic artist illustrator

  • Interior designer

  • Landscape architect

  • Photojournalist

  • Potter

  • Set designer

Related Arts Careers

  • Art agent

  • Art dealer

  • Art director

  • Museum curator

 

PERFORMING ARTS CAREERS

The performing arts are practiced in front of an audience.  Careers in the performing arts include music, theater, and dance careers.

 

Music Careers

Music is a very competitive career field, and aspiring musicians must have talent and perseverance.  Technical advances in recorded music have reduced the opportunities for musicians to perform in front of live audiences.

Many musicians teach music in schools and/or give lessons privately.  Orchestras, churches, and musical theater groups also employ a number of musicians.

  • Accompanist

  • Choir director

  • Church organist

  • Composer/arranger

  • Music conductor

  • Music teacher

  • Music therapist

  • Musician

  • School music director

  • Singer

Related Music Careers

If you love music and have a good musical ear, but don’t want a career that requires you to sing or play an instrument, consider on of the following:

  • Business manger

  • Disc jockey

  • Instrument repair technician

  • Lyricist

  • Music agent

  • Music producer

  • Music retailer

  • Music software designer

  • Piano tuner

  • Program director (radio)

  • Recording engineer

  • Sound engineer

Theater and Dance Careers

If you love music and have a good musical ear, but don’t want a career that requires you to sing or play an instrument, consider on of the following:

  • Actor/actress

  • Announcer

  • Art director

  • Choreographer

  • Cinematographer

  • Comedian

  • Dance teacher

  • Dancer

  • Director

  • Playwright/screenwriter

  • Producer

  • Set designer

  • Sound engineer

  • Stage manager

For information on the careers in this InfoGuide, visit www.bls.gov/ooh.

THE ARTS FUN FACTS

  • Michelangelo did not want to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling because he considered himself a sculptor, not a painter.

  • The Boston University Bridge is an architectural wonder.  It is one of the few places in the world where a boat can sail under a train that is running under a car that is driving under an airplane.

  • After performing an opera in Germany in 1988, Luciano Pavarotti received 165 curtain calls and was applauded for 1 hour, 7 minutes.

  • Jewelers used more diamonds in their designs after the invention of electric lighting. People liked the way electric lights made the diamonds sparkle.

  • In 1962, a Decca Recording c

  • Company executive rejected The Beatles stating, “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”

  • The set designers for the 1991 Broadway production of Miss Saigon had an unusual challenge.  At the end of Act II, a life-size helicopter had to be able to land on stage.

  • Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most famous painters of all time, sold only one painting during his lifetime.

WOODBURN PRESS          Career InfoGuide          Careers in The Arts – Item 604          www.woodburnpress.com         Copyrighted Material 2015 Edition