How can I express myself in a career that's hard to find work in?

Hi Maria,

Looks like you've got a good sense of where you're at and where you want to go. While it can be difficult to find work in the arts it's not impossible. It's good that you have other skills to fall back on. For myself, I worked in IT management while pursuing my Master of Fine Arts degree.

I was fortunate to make it into the video games industry. Fortunately I had a decent portfolio and had a friend who was able to get that in front of an art director. It certainly helps to network and get to know people but you still need to have the skills to do the job.

It doesn't hurt to have a financially stable job to support yourself while you work on your art. While some artists throw themselves into their work and scrape by from one freelance job to the next that lifestyle isn't for everyone. It's up to you to decide what your acceptable level of risk is.

As you apply for jobs, take criticism and feedback to heart. As you improve, make sure that your portfolio presents only your best work. And make sure to tailor your portfolio to the company to which you apply. Don't include terrifying monsters or mature content if you're applying to Disney, for example (unless they specifically ask you for it).

I hope that this helps.

Hey Maria,
Some of my friends who graduated with an Art degree ended up with different occupations. It wasn't because they couldn't find a job, but simply their desire to apply their creativity / knowledge / skills to their respective workplaces (such as prosthetics). Majoring in something other than art won't confine you from expressing your creativity. It's all a matter of how you make of it. However, if you really want to pursue art, take a couple of summer courses to just see if this is what you want. There is also something called "portfolio day," where art colleges come by to visit and give critiques.
Overall, I personally think majoring in Accounting/Finance would be a good choice. I say this because there are a lot of business interactions within the art world as well. Even if you decide to pursue art later on, you can apply your knowledge of finances to enhance your work.

Stick with a solid career path first. A degree in finance is a sure path into the film business. Once you're debt free and have a vision for the product you want to make in film, just grab some gear and go do it.

It's honestly cheap to make a film anymore and the same goes for every other creative venture. When I started in TV and film and music 20+ years ago you needed a 10x10 room with about $150K in gear. Now I can outproduce everything I ever did on a laptop. Better quality, conformity and ease in distribution, way less expensive than ever etc...

I know a guy who makes indy films for under $20K and then just rents a theater space for viewings and he makes at least triple on his money and usually much more. No distribution deals, no middle men, just good social media marketing and great stories. MInd you to fund all of it from the beginning, he had to fund himself but he's a stockbroker so it wasn't a big deal. So stick to a solid professional path and then pursue your creative endeavors. If you have it in you, you will succeed. Art belongs to those with talent and working in a tangential profession will never steal that from you.

Many illustrators and designers are financially successful. Find a few you admire and then tap them for information. There are so many specialties in the field of art, you will need to narrow down your interests and investigate the possibilities from theater and stage design to medical illustration to certified kitchen designer...hundreds of possibilities.