12 Creative Jobs Your Students Could Land

If you are an art teacher or any kind of artist you know that funding your passions can be tough. And what’s worse, people who aren’t in the arts are constantly assuming that there are no good creative and well-paid jobs. 

Creativity is key for almost any kind of job you may want to do. Source.

Well, I’m here to tell you that the two are in no way mutually exclusive. This is a list of creative jobs in many sectors of the art world that are totally available to your students. Encourage them to discuss these kinds of creative and in-demand jobs with their parents and counselors. Arts education is valuable, and important!

Design 

• Graphic Designer 

Graphic designers are visual communicators, and in this virtual world we need them more than ever! Source.

Graphic Design is a fantastic opportunity to combine an interest in the graphic arts with marketing and branding. Graphic designers are responsible for the look and feel of a company’s advertising and outreach material. They set the visual culture of a company, and get to do a lot of major work on brand management. 

• Interior Designer

With the right interior design, spaces can be absolutely stunning! Check out Versailles as some historical inspiration. Source.

Do you have students who love imagining fantasy spaces? Do they have an eye for pattern and spatial relationships? If so, interior design may be perfect for them! Deck out rooms to your heart’s desire. Interior designers work with clients to understand their taste and what will work in their space. This job requires communication and a good sense of artistic vision. 

• Fashion Designer 

Fashion is always evolving and adapting! Source.

Fashion design is perfect for anyone with flair and a strong sense of self expression. Clothes are a great way to channel a sense of self, and fashion designers can take this outlet for creativity and amplify it by creating their very own clothing. Any sort of idea or inspiration can be realized in textile. 

Marketing 

• Social Media Development 

Apps rule our lives, so social media developers have got a lot of work ahead of them. Source.

A relevant and engaging social media is a must for any company or nonprofit these days. Social media management and development is a newly emerging position and has lots of room for creativity. This job calls for generating unique graphics, videos, creative copywriting, and so much more! How can a company reach the most people, the most effectively? This is the question that fuels a social media guru. 

• Brand Manager 

Creating and maintaining a brand is a huge part of sale and marketing! Source.

Branding is crucial for a coherent company presence and message. The maintenance and development of a brand is no doubt a creative process. Visuals must be established, and the vision and values of a company must be implicitly articulated through branding. This job is much more difficult than it may seem and necessitates a truly creative problem solver and visual mastermind to fulfill its requirements. 

Teaching 

• Museum Curator 

Museum curators create the flow of info in a museum, and really determine what people should walk away having learned. Source.

Museums are often responsible for setting the tone in the art world, and are increasingly becoming more innovative and cutting-edge. Curators create exhibitions and decide which works to display together. They have enormous power to convey strong messages through art. This job is great for someone who is interested in art history and in the complexities of what art can mean for the world. 

• Art Teacher 

Art teacher Chris Thomas teaches his class how to make block prints.

Becoming an art teacher is both rewarding and challenging. There’s no right way to teach art, which can stump or flummox some educators. However, great art teachers see this as an opportunity to adapt and evolve to their students’ needs. Exposure to art is critical at a young age, and an art teacher can work with any cohort of students. If you know someone who is caring, passionate, creative, and patient, this could be just the job for them.

Journalism

• Photographer 

This photo, Migrant Mother, is one of the most famous of all time, and definitely tells a story. Source.

Photographs are often more impactful than the reporting that may accompany them. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and journalistic photography might be worth even more. Photographers can express detail and emotion better than a writer can in some cases, and can really make a difference in consciousness about a certain topic. There are many examples of this, but I’ll leave you with this well-known one, that inspired activism surrounding the plight of farmers in the Dust Bowl.  

• Documentary Filmmaker 

Documentary filmmaking is such an evocative way to tell a story! Source.

Documentaries are fantastic sources of information. Visual and auditory info can help contextualize each other and create a rich synthesis. Documentary filmmakers are often very political and empathetic. They often use their creativity to raise consciousness around a certain issue or highlight a piece of the forgotten past. This job combines a love of film with a love of writing and history.

Fine Arts 

• Illustrator

Illustration bring advertisements, stories, or packaging to life! Source.

Illustrators are in high demand in many areas of work. They can create advertising images or bring a book to life. Illustrators bring their own unique style of drawing to projects, and give them personality. Oftentimes, illustration really activates a message or story, making it more impactful and engaging. 

Theater 

• Set Designer

This production of Miss Bennet has some fantastic set design. The sky is the limit! Source.

In theater, set design makes or breaks a production. A well-designed and creative set elevates an entire show to the next echelon. Set designers create spaces and places to evoke mood from the audience and fit the unique personality of each production. This job requires great design skills, big picture thinking, and probably some sick carpentry! 

Music Business

• Producer 

Music production requires a keen ear for detail! Source.

This job is great for people with a finely-tuned ear and knack for audio engineering. Producers are responsible for the overall sound of any album, and the kind of mood it encapsulates. This is both a job for creative and technical thinkers, and is absolutely essential for any fantastic album or EP. If you have a student who loves music, instruments, and really gets into details, steer them towards music production. 

This is by no means a comprehensive list of creative jobs, but it’s a good start. I’ve tried to include jobs that don’t always get mentioned as creative or artistic. Art and creativity can be blended with a myriad of other skills and strengths, to become interdisciplinary and even more impactful. Investing in high-quality arts education today creates well-rounded and employable adults tomorrow!