Professional Artist

Duties and Responsibilities                 

                   Artists create images, sculptures, paintings, photographs, installations and a number of other art forms that help convey a feeling or idea in a public or private space. Some artists work on commission, and, in this role, you might create work based on specifications from park districts, schools, museums and private individuals. You might also create a work or a series of projects to sell in galleries or to private collectors. Only the most successful artists are capable of supporting themselves on the sale of their work alone, however. You might choose to supplement your income by teaching or working in a gallery or a museum.

Salary:$42,858-$58,642

Education

                        Formal art education and training may be obtained in several ways. Many colleges and universities offer programs leading to a bachelor's or master's degree in fine arts. Additionally, there are postsecondary, independent schools of art and design that offer studio training in multimedia arts, as well as fine arts and crafts. Programs at these schools may lead to a certificate in an artistic specialty or to an associate's or bachelor's degree in fine arts. Independent art school instruction tends to focus on studio work, while university and college programs also emphasize academics.

Demand for this particular Career

                    With the country in the middle of a jobs crisis, finding any form of employment is tough, let alone jobs in the arts. It turns out, however, that the future of America’s creative-types might be far less bleak than it seems at present moment, according to a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the next seven years, job growth in the arts will exceed job growth as a whole, the report states. In fact, according to the report, artistic careers for painters, architects and photographers are expected to increase by 11 percent by 2018, compared to the projected 10 percent total increase in the American labor force.

Reflection: Do you think you would like to be one? Why or why not?

                                 I would like to be an artist in the future. I can be a good one right now, but I would like to study and go more than beyond than what I already know now.