Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. Anais Nin

Art Careers: What do you want to do? How do you start?

fine artist art director layout artist art copy writer architect drafter architectural renderer landscape architect art appraiser art buyer art conservator painting restorer art critic art historian art librarian art educator artist in residence (WSAC programs) arts administration art therapist cinematographer concept artist – video games, film designer - fashion designer fabric designer graphic designer film animator story board illustrator film maker architect art buyer art conservator art criticeducatorfashion graphic designer gallery operator gallery installer, staff/ artist liason free lance illustrator children’s book illustrator fashion illustrator scientific illustrator. landscape architect. museum curator museum director museum preparator museum registrar museum educational staff museum exhibition designer jeweler. photographer urban planner municipal graphic designer mural designer product designer package designer record cover designer store artist audio visual designer (presentations) website designer toy designer tatoo artistgalleryillustrator fashioncuratordirectorpreparatorregistrar display designer

Resource Books for Choosing your Career: Careers in Art, an illustrated guide, Gerald Brommer and Joseph Gatto Great Jobs for Art Majors, Blythe Camenson Opportunities in Arts and Crafts Careers, Elizabeth Gardner Opportunities in Commercial Art and Graphic Design Careers, Barbara Gordon

Don’t worry about your originality. You couldn’t get rid of it even if you wanted to. It will stick with you and show up for better or worse in spite of all you or anyone else can do. Robert Henri

“But can I make a living?” “Yes, but can I make a living?” Wage Estimates Occupation Code Occupation Title (click on the occupation title to view an occupational profile) Employment (1) (1) Median Hourly Mean Hour ly Mean Annual (2) (2) Mean RSE (3) (3) Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations 1,761,270$19.28$23.27$48, % Art Directors32,290$34.77$40.01$83, % Craft Artists5,390$12.59$14.48$30, % Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators 10,500$20.23$23.13$48, % Multi-Media Artists and Animators29,440$26.23$29.33$61, % Artists and Related Workers, All Other7,910$21.53$24.29$50, % Commercial and Industrial Designers34,800$27.19$29.11$60, % Fashion Designers16,460$30.20$34.22$71, % Floral Designers59,530$10.84$11.51$23, % Graphic Designers201,080$19.85$21.80$45, % Interior Designers52,620$21.14$24.13$50, % Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers68,660$11.94$13.16$27, % Set and Exhibit Designers8,620$20.78$22.89$47, % Designers, All Other11,890$21.01$24.24$50, % Actors44,860$14.28$23.91(4)6.1 %

Media and Communication Workers, All Other24,420$20.07$21.98$45, % Audio and Video Equipment Technicians40,360$17.33$18.88$39, % Broadcast Technicians34,250$15.50$18.00$37, % Radio Operators1,110$19.33$19.54$40, % Sound Engineering Technicians15,490$22.38$26.07$54, % Photographers62,370$13.32$16.35$34, % Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture19,990$20.12$22.39$46, % Film and Video Editors17,410$23.02$29.42$61, % Media and Communication Equipment Workers, All Other18,580$24.93$26.00$54, %

“Again, can I make a living?” Median Annual earnings (2004) Salaried artists: Art directors – $63,800 Art directors in advertising and related services $66,900 Salaried craft artists - $23,500 Salaried fine artists – $38,000 Medical Illustrators - $59,000 Salaried Multi-media artists and animators overall - $50,300 (in motion picture and video industries - $67,400) (in advertising and related services - $46,800) Self-Employed artists: earnings vary widely. Some charge only a nominal fee while building a reputation for their work. Others, more established, can earn more than salaried artists. Many find it hard to rely solely on income from art. Also, freelance artists must provide their own benefits.

A Teaching Artist? Employment data from college teachers Median wages (2005) $51,240 annual Employment (2006) 1.7 million higher ed teachers 88,000 - art, music, drama Projected growth for college teachers overall ( ) “much faster than average (23%)” Projected need – ( ) 382,000 additional employees Needed: MFA degree and exhibition record Employment data for K-12 teachers Projected growth – as fast as average (i.e. good to excellent) Median wages - $41,000 K-12 art teachers – no MFA needed; need teaching certification or MIT

Plan an Internship! Any city On the job training Resume building Artist’s assistant/apprentice Graphic Design intern Comics publishing Art galleries/museum Washington State Arts Commission programs K-12 Art teacher assistant Community art programs assistant

If I didn’t start painting, I would have raised chickens. Grandma Moses

Guidebooks for building a career: Taking the Leap, Cay Lang How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: How to Sell Your Work without Selling your Soul, Carol Michels The Business of Being an Aritst, Daniel Grant The Artist’s Marketing and Action Workplan, Jonathan Talbot and Geoffrey Howard Search Amazon.com for specialized books in specific art fields such as video game design, illustration, graphic arts, etc.

First Steps for building a fine artist career: 1.Document all your work 2.Make a resume (lots of how-to info on line; just Google “artist resumes”) 3.Get connected to arts resources news letters for info and show opportunities: Artist Trust Washington State Art Commission Olympia Arts Commission

Document your work 35mm slides or jpgs? Both. It’s easiest to photograph digitally, correct in photoshop, then have slides made (Photo Services can do it.). Qualities of a good slide: fill the screen keep the image square photograph on black fabric or mask the slide correct exposure leave out your dog

Eg. Artist Trust Page from Artists’ Assets: A Guide to Artist Resources available from Artist Trust Get Connected Get Info

Example of free information for artists: An announcement received this week from Olympia Arts Commission: TCTV is now running the "Copyright,for Artists" talk that happened at their studios in March, given by Rebekah O'Hara from Washington Lawyers for the Arts. If you missed the talk, you can catch it on the following dates and times : Wednesday 5/14/2008, 7:00 AM, Channel 3 Friday 5/23/2008, 3:00 AM, Channel 3 Saturday 5/24/2008, 6:00 PM, Channel 3

Building a resume as a fine artist Watch for “calls for work” Put your work out there. Remember: A baby learning to walk falls approximately 300 times before mastering it. Don’t be afraid to fall.

Every authentic work of art is a gift offered to the future. Albert Camus