Career Field - Arts & Entertainment

Jobs relating to the visual arts (e.g., fine artists, multi-media artists, art directors) appeal to many talented people with creative abilities, so the search for salaried positions or freelance work is intensive. More than half of visual artists are self-employed and contract their services to businesses such as advertising agencies or design firms. Non-self-employed visual artists and related arts professionals typically work in the advertising/public relations, print/publishing, animation/computer software, or the motion picture or television industries.

Employment in the performing arts is expected to increase steadily through the next decade. Actors, producers, and directors can primarily find jobs in theater, television, motion pictures, and radio. Hiring trends for dancers and choreographers may be slightly less promising because public and private funding is not forecasted to match growing production costs. Singers, musicians, and other related artists who perform multiple instruments or have knowledge of different genres of music will have the best job opportunities, especially where entertainment and recording activities abound, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville.

Employment patterns for museums and libraries show that qualified applicants are outnumbering openings. Candidates with highly specialized training and subject knowledge are likely to face the best employment prospects as archivists, curators, or museum technicians.

Whether you are an artist or an arts professional who handles administrative, educational, operational, or management duties, many different career paths are possible. As a first-time job seeker you may initially need to pursue smaller scale opportunities working part time, as an intern, or as a volunteer for an organization. Or you may find yourself working several years in an entry-level position before gaining the skills and status to work up the ranks into higher paying positions with greater responsibilities. Looking at the staff directories of various arts organizations will help you better understand the possible course of your career advancement.

Cal graduates have entered into a variety of arts career fields ranging from exhibit design and graphic design to fine arts painting and performing arts production. Specific positions of recent alumni include:

• Executive Assistant, Sony Pictures Entertainment
• Community Liaison Assistant, Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive
• Development Assistant, Asian Art Museum
• Intern, Christie’s Auction House, Beverly Hills
• Gallery Teacher, J. Paul Getty Museum
• Administrative Assistant, Cal Performances
• Music Librarian, San Francisco Symphony

Salaries for arts-related careers depend on your particular arts specialization as well as the type and size of your employer. Larger, better funded arts organizations may be able to offer salaries that can be several times higher than those in small ones. Most entry-level salaries for bachelor’s degree recipients are likely to range from $20,000 to $35,000. Some of the more prestigious positions available to the most experienced artists and arts professionals might range from $60,000 to $120,000.

The earnings of visual and performing artists are usually contingent on the amount of time worked per project, the artist’s professional reputation, and work setting. For full-time salaried artists, as well as arts professionals, common benefits include paid vacation, sick leave, health insurance, and retirement plans. As a freelance artist you can sometimes earn more than a salaried artist if you become well established; however, you must provide your own benefits.

Broadly speaking, if you aspire to become a visual or performing artist, you may need to prepare yourself to withstand possible long periods of unemployment or part-time work. Possessing talent and developing experience in the field are certainly helpful in securing employment but cannot always guarantee financial stability. As a result, artists sometimes supplement their income by taking jobs in other fields.

Key skills to prepare for any arts career include innovative problem-solving, conceptual and informational organization, interpersonal communication, and creative analysis. Because computers are increasingly used, especially in the visual arts, technical knowledge and training (e.g., computerized methods of graphic design) are critical for many jobs in the field. For artists in particular, the ability to communicate effectively through artistic means is an essential requirement for success. This is in addition to mastering styles, techniques, and types of media that facilitate the translation of ideas into completed art works.

Artists and arts professionals generally develop their skills through a bachelor’s degree program or other post-secondary training in art or design. In some cases, such as with museum employment, graduate experience and related work experience are required. Similarly, to teach fine arts at the college level or to pursue management or administrative positions in government or in foundations, an advanced degree in fine arts or arts administration is necessary. Any specialized training in an art field should be reinforced by hands-on training through internships, volunteer work, or other practical experiences.

Although formal training is not absolutely necessary for fine artists, it is difficult to become sufficiently skillful to gain financial stability without some training. Independent schools of art and design offer post-secondary studio training in the fine arts that confer an Associate in Art (AA) or Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) degree. Such programs tend to concentrate more intensively on studio work compared to academic programs in a university setting.

Any major can pursue an arts-related career provided that you have refined your communication, organizational, problem-solving, technical, and creative analytical skills, and that you have demonstrated a committed interest to the field by volunteering, developing personal art projects, participating in a student art organization, interning, or working in a related arts area. Establishing an art portfolio that displays your creative ability, technique, and practical applications is also helpful. Many Cal undergraduates intending to forge a career in the arts will incorporate arts-related courses into their education. To find out more about arts departments or programs on campus, go directly to the homepages for art history, film, music, studio art, or theater and dance.

Whether you are a fine artist, graphic artist, or computer artist, it is important for you to develop an effective way to showcase your work. A portfolio should illustrate your creative talent, technical ability, and a wealth of ideas. It is a collection of hand-made, computer-generated, printed, or photographic samples that visually communicate your solutions to actual or practice assignments.

As you assemble a quality portfolio, keep in mind the following tips:

• Don’t try to incorporate every piece you’ve ever done. Select only your very best work and include pieces that are most pertinent to the employer or client you are approaching based on your research of the organization or market.
• Create an introduction and list of contents. Then start with your strongest and most favorite pieces that represent your artistic philosophy and address the target audience’s needs.
• Avoid placing pieces in different directions – the viewer should be able to assess your portfolio without turning it around. Regardless of how you present your work, neatness and careful organization are key.
• Solicit feedback on your portfolio’s content and presentation from faculty, artists, or other arts professionals. Your portfolio should ideally demonstrate how an employer or client would benefit from hiring you because your skills fulfill their needs.
• Rehearse presenting your portfolio. Once you have put together an effective portfolio, it should be relatively easy for you to customize or update it.

Through internships you can build relevant skills, gain greater expertise in an art field, and increase your marketability by meeting prospective employers. As with other fields, many arts-related careers can be launched or advanced as a result of extensive networking. The Career Center has organized Arts & Entertainment Career Nights in the past to introduce Cal students to a wide variety of arts professionals. Check our online calendar for similar events throughout the school year.

Direct application to employers is an effective job search method, so you may wish to target your job hunt by identifying employers who post arts-related job openings on CalJobs. Search by industry category, such as Advertising/Marketing, Arts, Communications/Media, Entertainment, Fashion, or Museums & Libraries. You can also review the Arts, Entertainment/Media, or Communications job listing sites recommended by the Career Center staff.