CAREER INFORMATION

• How do I know this is for me?
• Is a college education required?
• What kind of degree program?
• Thoughts About a Career in Art and Design
• Work and Earnings
• Some General Definitions
• Career Overviews

Pursuing a career can be both pleasurable and pressured. The pleasure is because a career can lead to a lifetime of satisfying work. The pressure is because careers are closely tied your own identity, perceptions, and skills. Embarking on a career can be one of life’s biggest joys. However, the process of choosing is not made any easier by the existence of negative stereotypes about art careers. Our goal is to demystify this subject and thus remove some of the distress that naturally comes when beginning a career.

Artists and designers are central to our culture and our commerce; indeed, our society would not be where it is today without them. Fine artists create their own expressive images that can please and educate us, or shock and challenge us. Designers shape the things we use and live with every day, and their impact is growing steadily because so much of our new technology is visually based. Because of this, the fields of art and design offer countless opportunities for satisfying careers and meaningful lives.

Getting there is not quick or automatic, of course. The enjoyment of a career naturally requires some effort as well. There are skills, processes, and traditions to learn. There is endless work and practice to build a sufficient level of expertise. This takes time and effort, coupled with occasional sacrifice. Yet in the end, you come away with the satisfaction of knowing that you are creating things and affecting society in ways that very few others can, all the while doing what pleases you as well.

How do I know this is for me?
It is normal to wonder whether you can “make the grade” in art or design; certainty is hard to achieve when making such a complex decision as what to do with your life. A good early sign of potential is if you spend a lot of time in visual activity such as sketching, taking photographs, making things with your hands, manipulating computer images, or doing similar things. If you have taken art courses and received positive reviews of your work, this is an even stronger sign that you have the talent to succeed. More than anything else, your own motivation can be not only a major source of strength but an important sign you are doing the right thing. If you are continually attracted to art and design work, if it is something you feel compelled to do, then it is probably wise to heed those “signs.”

If you are undecided about an art and design career, you might look for some additional experience to see if this brings more clarity. For instance, most art colleges and some large art departments offer summer courses specifically for high school students. Often these kinds of programs are available during the regular school year as well. If you cannot take a pre-college course or you remain undecided after you have, then it is perfectly acceptable to just make the best choice you can and see how you feel after you gain a more experience. Changing colleges is relatively common these days, and it is even more common to change careers throughout a lifetime. So, after relaxing, think it through, do the best you can, and see what happens.
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Is a college education required?
A short answer is no. In art and design there are few disciplines with formal education requirements. Indeed, until shortly after World War II, going to college was unusual in most visual art fields. Artists and designers were often self-trained or educated through apprenticeships and on-the-job training. Many artists and designers working today are self-taught, and future practitioners with outstanding energy and diligence are not prevented from entering most career areas in the same way.

However, the current complexity of our society and of the art and design fields, the expectations of employers and art venues, and the increasing competition from college-educated students for employment positions have all come together to create a situation in which going to college is becoming a necessity. The days of being an apprentice or learning on the job are largely past; college has assumed that role to a great extent. Graduating with a professional degree is already a requirement in architecture, and other design fields are expected to evolve that same way over time. In most design disciplines it is now quite common for employers to expect, or even require, a BFA degree from job applicants.

In fine arts and crafts areas there is less “official” pressure to attend college or have a degree, and people can still pursue these areas with little or no formal professional education. On the other hand, because of the steadily increasing number of artists with higher education experience, the fine arts have become competitive enough that college is, if not required, at least highly desirable. A quick review of catalogs from contemporary group art shows will reveal that the majority of young artists have a BFA and/or an MFA degree. While virtually no art galleries, museums, or craft outlets require a degree, the experience of higher education offers a clear boost to students about to start their careers. And for those who want to teach at the K–12 or college level, undergraduate degrees are essential and graduate degrees are often required.

Can you make it without college? Yes you can, if you are among the rare group of people who are exceptionally gifted and diligent. But for most people in art, as in many other fields, college is where you learn and hone skills and creativity. It is now normal for most artists and designers to have a professional education.

College-level art and design programs have the advantage of providing a group of motivated, talented students and faculty to interact and “network” with (hard to do on your own), and of compressing countless years of self-study experiences into a few years of formal education. College is also a time when experimentation, and even failure, are possible and encouraged; a luxury most self-taught artists could never afford. Our experience tells us that almost everyone in high school who hopes to achieve a career in art and design would be advised to complete a college education first.
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What kind of degree program?
When thinking about an education in art and design, this question may be the most important, for it relates to the underlying purpose and philosophy of the program itself. To gain maximum advantage from your education, your own interests should closely match the intent of the college’s program. Three kinds of degree programs are available to students choosing to study art and design: vocational, liberal arts, and specialized (or professional).

Vocational Programs
Vocational programs are usually intended to prepare students for employment in entry-level jobs immediately after graduation. Most of them lead to two-year degrees such as the Associate in Arts (AA) or the Associate in Applied Science (AAS). These are practical programs that usually place more emphasis on skills training than on liberal arts classes or higher-level conceptual work in the visual arts. They can often be helpful for students whose skill levels are not yet well-developed or who want to assess their commitment to art and design study. In most cases, these programs are available at public community colleges and thus are economical as well.

A difficulty with vocational programs, however, is that often they can be short and shortsighted, emphasizing immediate skills training and employment over the longer range educational needs that are generally part of four-year programs. Students with associates degrees have half the educational experiences compared with graduates of four year degree programs, and employers may be reluctant to hire them for anything other than the most basic tasks.

A variant on vocational programs at two-year schools are “transfer” programs. These prepare students for transfer to four-year colleges by matching the first two years of a typical four-year program. They can also be money savers (as long as the relationship between the two-year and four-year schools have been worked out to ensure a smooth transition) and can avoid many of the disadvantages of purely vocational programs mentioned above.

Liberal Arts Programs
These are four-year programs typically leading to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. As the name implies, the liberal arts (general education with less focus on the arts) are the core of the curriculum, usually comprising about two-thirds of the course work. Art and design classes make up the remaining one-third of the course work. In an art program of this kind, a student completes about the same number of art classes as does a student in a two-year vocational program. Of course, they take considerably more general eduction classes.

Majoring in art in a liberal arts institution is ideal for students who want to attach as much liberal arts instruction as possible to their undergraduate art or design studies. This is also good for students who want to take a wide range of courses, while keeping their career options open as long as possible. But there are obviously less art or design courses in this type of program, raising the same issues noted with two-year vocational programs — whether the amount of art and design course work is sufficient to prepare the student for more than basic work in the visual arts and to compete with others who have had a more extensive studio preparation.

Specialized Programs
These, too, are four-year programs usually leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. There are also a few professional colleges that offer the Bachelor of Science (BS) in some design disciplines, and a few that offer five-year degrees such as the Bachelor of Industrial Design (BID) or Bachelor of Graphic Design (BGD) degrees, all of which have goals and structures similar to the BFA degree. No matter what the designation, these programs emphasize significant study in the visual arts as a preparation for professional-level work in art and design fields. Visual arts classes will comprise nearly two-thirds of a student’s course work, with liberal arts making up the balance of the courses.

It is impossible to get a bachelor’s degree — BA, BS, or BFA —without liberal arts courses. What distinguishes among undergraduate degree programs in the U.S. is the ratio between visual arts and liberal arts courses, and therefore the amount of emphasis placed on art and design study over four years. As you might assume, in a professional degree, this ratio of art and design to liberal arts classes is almost exactly the reverse of what is offered in a liberal arts-based program.

For students with a strong interest and ability in art and design, a professional degree is usually the most attractive and natural choice. In most design fields, a BFA (or BS) degree has become accepted as the standard college preparation for future employment. In fine arts career areas, too, the BFA is now the most common. Even for students whose skills are relatively strong, but whose interest is not quite so certain, a professional degree program may be the best way to begin an exploration of the visual arts, for you are in the company of other talented students and have the best chance of seeing what the future might hold for you.

A possible disadvantage of a professional program is that the liberal arts represent a smaller proportion of the overall course of study. For students with a strong interest in liberal arts, the ratio just may be skewed too far toward studio work. The BFA is not a better degree than a BA, or vice versa; they are of equal importance and quality. Their value lies in the extent to which they reflect your own educational and career interests. The key, then, is to think a lot about what you want out of college and to pick the type of degree according to your goals.

A Word About Graduate Degrees
It is worth noting that educational practice, like work itself, is evolving. A career in the visual arts now almost always requires a college education, and the BFA is becoming the accepted degree for entering these professions. Similarly, graduate degrees such as the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) are increasingly available and necessary. Many design and commercial arts areas do not require advanced study beyond the BFA. In illustration and fashion design, for example, the MFA degree is almost non-existent. In graphic design, the MFA degree is rare, but gaining in popularity. And in fine arts areas such as painting and sculpture, the MFA is becoming quite common, and it is a requisite for teaching at any level.
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Thoughts About a Career in Art and Design
Many successful people involved in art and design have changed or evolved in the years since they were in art school. This is a common occurrence in the art and design world; people often wander into adjacent areas or even completely change into an entirely new art activity. Because of this movement and evolving, it is almost always helpful to have a solid foundation (both in liberal arts and visual arts) before specializing in one specific field. Now more than ever, with the world becoming more complex and interconnected, and as more people work in interdisciplinary teams, the liberal arts and a broad art experience contribute greatly to your ability to understand the visual and social world, to remain flexible throughout your lifetime, and to work with others.

In spite of how specialized, particular or narrow some of these fields may appear, they all have their roots in the same basics of visual language. Drawing, color, composition, and form are universal skills in all art and design career areas. Even in something like computer animation — where there is often the assumption that computers do all the work — it is humans that draw everything (the computer is just another medium or tool) and usually the computer isn’t even used until well into the process of story development.
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Work and Earnings
We often receive inquiries about which career area will ensure the greatest security or income. The short answer is “the one which you do best and enjoy most.” One career area may pay more than others, but if you are not highly talented in that particular career area then you probably will not earn much compared to an outstanding person in an supposedly lower paying field. In the end, you have to follow your talent and your interests.

Future employment estimates from the Department of Labor indicate that most visual arts fields will enjoy healthy job growth in the next decade. This is especially true of art education and computer-related activities. And with all aspects of design becoming ever more central to our lives (as told in a recent Time Magazine cover story) and with information and communication becoming heavily visual, it would appear that talented artists and designers will have generally good employment prospects.

As a rule, the fine arts and crafts are less geared towards regular full-time employment, so their security and earning potential are generally lower than careers in design (commercial art) areas. However, the world is full of exceptions to the rule - painters or photographers who are very successful and well-paid, and commercial artists who always struggle to make ends meet.

Design areas often look attractive because of these salary and security issues. But in these fields you are almost always working for others - clients. You have their problems to solve, their needs to consider, and their deadlines to follow. Consequently, there can be less freedom and flexibility in such endeavors. Fine artists almost always work for only one person - themselves. They have only their own direction and ideas to pursue. Crafts can often straddle these two formats, working both for themselves and for clients as well.

The rewards and the feedback in design areas can be more immediate, as well. Artists and craftspersons may work for years before knowing how well their work will be received. In addition, fine arts and crafts are often solitary activities, involving a single person in a studio. Design can involve individuals working on a freelance basis, but much more often means working in an office or with a team of other people.

As suggested above, many of these fields can be undertaken as both a fine art and a commercial art. Photography, for example, can lead to photojournalism or straight commercial work, but it is also a fine arts area where personal vision is central and there is no “client.” The same applies to areas like film, video, furniture design, or computer art. Drawing is often shown as a fine art in galleries, but also can be commercial when applied to the field of illustration. Many of the artists and designers profiled in this chapter will frequently cross over between a fine art and a commercial art orientation.

In the end, the key to a successful career (beyond the basic ingredients of energy and commitment) is to pick a field of study that closely matches your own strengths and interests. This is a deeply personal choice requiring considerable introspection. And, as we have said before, if you have some indecision, make the best choice you can at the time it is necessary and then stay flexible and open to all possibilities.
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Some General Definitions
There is a wide variety of words and phrases used to discuss the fields of art and design, and the differences between some of them are matters of nuance only. Traditionally, “fine art” refers to those areas that are derived from and motivated by personal expression, without the involvement of a direct “client” or a commercial purpose. These include painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, film, video, performance, and related areas. A close relative is “crafts,” which typically include ceramics, jewelry, woodworking, and textiles, and all their variants. Crafts often have a more utilitarian and commercial purpose (hand-woven clothing, earrings, etc.), and many times are produced in multiples. But the border between crafts and the fine arts is becoming more and more porous and blurred.

“Design” areas are often also called commercial or applied art (fine art images “applied” to a commercial purpose become “illustration” for example). Here, there is almost always a client for which the design is done and a specific commercial result — such as an ad campaign, an office plan, or a corporate logo. The fact that the work is not “fine art” does not mean it isn’t expressive or inventive; all design needs to be creative. The difference is that in design the impetus for the work is external rather than internal, and the result is intended to be commercial. In fine arts and crafts, the work created is usually sold (a “commercial” result) when it is finished. However, except for specific commissions, it is usually not created for a client.
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Career Overviews