If you’re someone who has a passion for art and decided to pursue as a career, we think that’s awesome. We say that because although you could have chosen a more common and conservative educational path, it is our belief that success comes from doing what excites in life and then working hard to excel in whatever area that is.
However, now that you’re coming close to completing your art school education, we can understand why you might be a bit anxious as you try to figure out just what’s next. So, in order to make the figuring it out process easier for you, we’ve provided you with some great tips on how to find career success following art school below:
Consider different career paths.
We’re pretty sure you’ve met someone before who asked you what you’re studying and when you said “art”, they immediately followed up that question with “What can you do with that kind of education?” The reality is that while art can prepare you to be a full-time artist, there are other things that you can do too. You can be an art teacher. You can become an art director for a company. You can even go on to be an animator. These are just a few of the options that are afforded to you. So, make sure to spend some time looking into the various career paths that you can take. What you discover just might surprise you.
Get a mentor.
We all know the saying “It’s not what you know but who you know” and this would definitely be the case when it comes to a niche like art. So, if you didn’t already seek out someone who could mentor you while you were in school, speak with one of your art teachers or someone in the administration department about finding an individual who will be devoted in taking your career to the next level.
Do some networking.
Speaking of knowing the right people, it’s also a good idea to do some networking. Online, this can be via websites like Linked In. Off line, make a point to attend some alumni functions and also any kind of seminars or conferences that are relevant to your field of study. You can usually find a list of them by going to your favorite search engine and putting “art” along with words like “seminar” or “workshop” in the search field along with your city, state and the year you’re interested in attending one.
Expand your portfolio.
Say that you went to art school at the College of Art. Well, one thing that your instructors prepared you for was developing an impressive portfolio that you could take with you on interviews. Remember, as an art student, your portfolio is basically your resume. This means that it needs to be organized. It needs to be purposeful. And it needs to grow as you have more impressive works to put inside of it. One website that can walk you through how to make an impressive portfolio is EmergingArtistGuide.Wordpress.com. Just go to the site and put “creating a portfolio” in the search field.
Be open to moving away.
Although there may be some opportunities in your hometown, in order to find the art job of your dreams, we recommend that you be open to moving away; perhaps even overseas. It’s a great way to get a bigger opportunity, learn about other cultures and further cultivate your art craft.
