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Careers for Creative Types

So you are the creative type.

That means you probably don’t see pushing pencils over stacks of paper on a mahogany desk in your future… but maybe you do see pushing paints over a canvas on a wooden easel. Or perhaps you want to develop the next blockbuster video game, direct the next blockbuster film or write the next blockbuster book.

From head chef at a five-star restaurant to interior and fashion design to photography and graphic arts and beyond, there is no lack of career options for creative types like you. So how do you get started?

The first step on the road to a creative career is exploring all your choices. Determine your interests, talents and strengths, then check out the Occupational Outlook Handbook to discover some creative careers you may never even have thought of.

Once you find something that piques your interest, begin pursuing educational opportunities right where you are. That’ll give you a chance to try your hand at a particular skill. You’ll either realize it’s not as glamorous as you thought or that it’s even cooler than you imagined.

“Design classes in high schools have become career incubators, giving students the opportunity to hone in on what they’re most interested in, whether it’s fashion design, patternmaking or textile design,” says Bruce Dempsey, assistant vice president of academic affairs for The Art Institutes. “From there they can grow that interest at design school, and turn their passion and hard work into a successful and rewarding career.”

The same theory holds true for culinary arts, video production, writing – or any other creative career path. Josquin Des Pres, co-author of Creative Careers in Music, uses music as an example, noting that the path to a music career can be roundabout.

“At some point, most people specialize. A guitarist with a bent for mixing and mastering becomes an engineer, an oboe player becomes a producer, a piano player becomes a songwriter,” Des Pres says. “It behooves the musician to understand everything possible about the everyday reality of a career.”