Nowadays, people wish to pursue art as a career, yet many are quite conservative about it. This is mainly because people believe art is more of a hobby than a career, but this blog will convince you otherwise.
You may have heard the saying “If you love what you do, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” While this sounds motivating, let me tell you that this is not 100% accurate. I have interviewed people who pursue what they love, but just because they enjoy what they do doesn’t mean they always have the motivation to do it. Sometimes, you are not going to like some parts of your work and that is something people don’t often admit.
When you’re in a corporate job, you don’t have an option to take leave on days you don’t feel like, but if you are self-employed you don’t have that restriction, which is a good thing on most days. However, if you ever get stuck, you don’t have that extrinsic push you need to get things done.
If you want to know the harsh reality of choosing an unconventional career path like arts, this blog is for you, it talks about the advantages and disadvantages, and the harsh reality of art as a career.
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Is Art as a Career Possible?
If you fear that you won’t be able to earn enough money through art, let me tell you that it’s not going to be easy, but it is possible.
The most important thing artists need is a portfolio, it allows an artist to build credibility. The earlier you get started on your portfolio the better; showcase your best work in the most creative way possible.
Whether you choose to work at a job or as a freelance artist, you will require proof of your capabilities as an artist. When you start a job, you may start small, but you need to keep growing.
Similarly, if you work as a freelance artist, you may start with small projects that pay less than your expectations. However, once you develop the trust of a few clients it gets easier to reach out to bigger and higher-paying clients.
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Harsh Reality Of Art as a Career
Even if you turn your passion into a full-time career, it doesn’t mean that it will be easy. Sometimes it takes time, but you must stay consistent and not give up. Somedays may be slow, nonetheless, you need to have faith and keep pushing yourself to grow. More importantly, you must remember that even if you love what you do, you must work hard.
When you begin your journey as an artist, you will face challenges and creative blocks. However, if you love what you do, you won’t let that set you back.
For artists, getting design approval plays a huge role, be it approval from clients or managers, no matter how much you love creating art, sometimes others will not like your work. Hence, it is important to learn to change your mindset in such situations. Instead of taking this situation negatively, take it as a challenge to prove yourself.
There may be days when you don’t like what you create, but your client does, at such times you may question yourself or your decisions. However, it is important to remember that there are pros and cons for everything. As long as you are creating things, and doing what you love, nothing can stop you from persevering.
Advantages Of Art as a Career
1) Personal Fulfillment
When you make your passion your full-time career, you will feel extremely happy and satisfied with your decisions. In your journey to creating art as your career, you will find fulfilment in your life, and your job. This fulfilment is something many people can’t find because they often get stuck at a job they do not like, which can be mentally, emotionally, and physically draining.
Moreover, for every achievement you make as an artist, you will feel proud of yourself, and find happiness and peace.
2) Personal Development
Art is a skill, and to master any skill one needs dedication, consistency, and practice. When you turn art into a full-time career, you get the opportunity to keep working on your art regularly. Additionally, get more challenging tasks which will only improve your skills.
3) Psychological Benefits
If you are an artist, you must be familiar with the term art therapy. Many artists find themselves creating art to feel better. Art is said to have a lot of psychological benefits to help improve one’s mood. Moreover, it is a very therapeutic process as well.
Also read: How arts can help improve your mental health
4) Job Satisfaction
As mentioned above, many people get stuck at jobs they hate, but they never find job satisfaction. However, a person who loves their job will always feel happy with their career decisions.
5) Career Choices
People believe that there aren’t many career choices for an artist. However, that is a false assumption as artists have the freedom to choose many different career paths. Some popular jobs for artists are graphic designing, art direction, fashion designing, illustration artist, and more.
Disadvantages Of Art as a Career
1) Financial Instability
While you can earn from art, it is challenging during the initial stages. Even if you start freelancing, it takes time to build credentials and start earning, and sometimes when you can’t find clients at the right time, it can be formidable.
If we talk about financial instability through art jobs, the chances are minimal but it is possible that you may not earn as much as you expect, in the initial stages. At such point, it is crucial to keep working on your skills and building your portfolio to grow in your career.
2) Work-life balance
Freelance artists often find it difficult to manage multiple projects at the same time, this may cause them to work for long hours. Moreover, while working as a freelancer, it can get challenging to create boundaries between work and personal life.
3) Financial Investments
Every artist can agree that art supplies are not cheap. Be it digital or traditional, there is a lot of initial investment that comes with it. This can be challenging for people who don’t have a lot of financial stability.
4) Lack Of Benefits
One of the disadvantages of being a freelance artist is that one doesn’t receive the benefits people in jobs receive such as health insurance, paid leaves, etc.
5) Creative Blocks
Creative block is something that everyone experiences at one point in their life. If you are working along with a team you have the opportunity to discuss with a team and ideate new concepts and styles. However, when you are working solo, it is difficult to come out of a creative block.
Suggested read: NFT Artist: How To Get Started
Conclusion
Turning your passion into a full-time career is not impossible. However, it comes with certain challenges. An artist needs to have determination, consistency, and resilience.
There are both advantages and disadvantages, but if you are willing to work through all these challenges, then you are ready.
Just because you love what you do, may not necessarily mean you don’t have to work hard or that you will love what you do every day. Nonetheless, following your dream will give you a sense of personal fulfilment.