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Creative Arts

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General Overview

The creative sector encompasses an enormous range of talent with an even wider range of supporting roles. It contributes more than £50 billion to the economy. The Prospects website has a detailed list showing the huge range of artistic careers (from glass blowing to animator and many more) but even this list just scratches the surface of the creative sector.

All jobs are different, but common characteristics in this field are:

  • Opportunities to work focus on proven talent
  • Lack of structured career paths
  • High levels of self-employment
  • Self-marketing and pro-activity vital
  • Generally low levels of job security and financial stability
  • High levels of working flexibly alongside other more stable work

Many in the sector take some form of other work which allows them to pursue their creative ambitions as well as providing some financial stability.

Consider what form of supporting role(s) might:

  • Allow you time to pursue your work
  • Provide skills or networks that might help you in your work
  • Be satisfying in their own right
  • Lead to a potential back up career plan

When full time work in your field is not possible, many will develop a ‘portfolio career’ – combining part time or flexible paid work, with other jobs, self-employment and hobbyist activities. This approach can allow ambitions to be retained and built upon, the pursuit of a range of different areas of interest and provision for some financial stability.

How do I get experience and develop skills?

Rarely will ‘work experience’ or ‘internships’ be advertised with a vacancy for artistic or creative fields. You need to go out, see what’s possible and make your own experiences happen.

Gathering experience can:

  1. Help us to learn if the career might suit
  2. Develop our skills and knowledge
  3. Provide a ‘foot in the door’ (access to contacts, industry knowledge and proof of your interest)

ASSESSING YOUR SUITABILITY

  • Consider your suitability objectively – where’s the evidence of your talent?
  • Try out your ambitions – create, perform and seek constructive feedback from others
  • Talk to professionals – and ask for theirfeedback on your work
  • Talk to your audience –get their feedback too
  • Think about the job itself. Perhaps you could ask to shadow/observe someone who’s in your field. Would that kind of work/lifestyle suit you?

DEVELOPING SKILLS

  • Research the additional skills you might need – what skills do those hiring tend to look for/specify?
  • Talk to organisations, read vacancies, check out the requirements of professional membership bodies.
  • Take responsibility for your development – read about your craft, explore taster courses and/or tuition, and learn through your own practice.

BUILDING EXPOSURE AND OPPORTUNITY

  • Self-promotion is an important part of talent-based roles.
  • Be pro-active! Audition, make websites, film showreels, create portfolios, found collectives, assemble collaborators, join projects, volunteer skills, network digitally– whatever’s suitable for your area.
  • Tell people about what you do. “I am a _____” is a powerful phrase

 

 

What are the entry points?

ACTING

Professional actors need to be talented, resilient, skilled and self-disciplined. Being taken on by an agent (Equity can advise) who will represent you can be an important step, but before this stage there are often many months of training, practicing and proving yourself, getting headshots, showreels, contact sheets, auditions and extra work. Most professional actors will have some form of professional training. Actors, on average, spend about 80% of their working life not in paid acting work so it’s important to be realistic and develop other plans for work too. Study on an accredited course may be useful but not essential.

Useful websites:

  • Drama UK – lists accredited courses, which range from 1 to 3 years.
  • Masterclass - the Theatre Royal Haymarket’s free one day courses for those aged 17-30.
  • Get Into Theatre -  Jobs based in theatres aimed at those starting out
  • Equity – see the “Starting Out” guide
  • The Stage - jobs, auditions, advice and news
  • Mandy – see ‘Castings’ and ‘Noticeboard’
  • Spotlight  - a subscription database of professional actors
  • Casting Call Pro – a subscription database of professional actors
  • Shooting People

ART (VISUAL)

This covers those who are looking to work in two dimensions (such as canvas forms, photography), three dimensions (sculpture, glass, installation) and four dimensions (moving images, performance).

As well as developing your work and techniques, it’s advisable to begin building your understanding of the industry. Work experience, work shadowing or voluntary work at galleries, private collections, shows at studios can help furnish you with greater awareness and contacts. Proactively creating opportunities to show your work is advisable, and developing ways to raise awareness of your work online is important.

Formal training and qualifications are common amongst those who work professionally in the field, although individuals with talent but no qualifications can also emerge. There is an approximate correlation between higher prices for pieces and the artist’s qualifications.

USEFUL WEBSITES

  • Prospects guide to the industry
  • ArtQuest – opportunities, directories and practical support for visual artists
  • AN – jobs, opportunities and listings (£6 subscription to access)

CRAFT

From making musical instruments to home wares, contemporary jewellery to heritage restoration, the world of craft careers is broad and typified by hand-making items for practical use. It can be difficult to turn craft into a profession as the labour cost in learning and making each piece can be so high, and the intention of practical use can sometimes place a ceiling on prices.

However, 5.6 million pieces of craft are sold every year, representing a larger market than that for visual art. Those that do make a successful career in craft often also run workshops, negotiate arrangements for regular commissioned pieces or develop good networks with stockists and customers for their products. Craft ‘apprenticeships’ (formally, or informally) are often used to pass on skills for a growing craft business.

Generally craft skills are learnt through specific short courses, or through tuition or shadowing from a professional who currently practices those skills.

USEFUL WEBSITES

CREATIVE WRITING

The best advice for aspirant creative writers is to get writing! Self-discipline is a key skill, and learning how to motivate yourself and produce work is vital.

Evidence to convince a literary agent or (less usually) a publisher directly to consider your work is highly advised. This could be through amateur writing awards, publication in magazines, journals or reputable websites and recommendations from contacts in the publishing world. Networking is important – talk to people, learn from their criticism and promote your achievements.

The relatively recent rise of MA Creative Writing courses has delivered a number of publishing success stories. Often these writers’ ‘discovery’ arises from the end of year showcase (a website, printed document or physical event) which draws the attention of the publishing industry. Although the MA is in no way a requirement for a career in writing, many successful graduates cite the showcase and the peer review throughout the course as the two key benefits, and these are the two elements to check carefully in assessing courses. Peer review and contacts into the publishing industry can also be gathered through becoming more active in local writers groups.

USEFUL WEBSITES

DANCE

30,000 people are employed in the dance sector although only 2,500 are performers. Most of these will have some form of professional training (see below) and performance roles require peak fitness. There are however, many other roles ranging from tuition and teaching to company management, dance therapy and community work.

The Council for Dance Education and Training – provides accreditation for dance
training, and lots of information on course providers. Funding can come through the government Dance and Drama awards for some courses and institution bursaries.

USEFUL WEBSITES

DESIGN

Encompassing many different specialisms (graphic design, digital/multimedia, furniture, fashion, textile, interior, industrial, product and exhibition design), design careers can involve freelance work, starting your own business or advertised jobs for organisations both big and small. There are many more advertised roles for design jobs than for other creative careers, particularly for the digital space.

Starting to build your portfolio is key, as is creating material that showcases your skill to a potential client or employer. See our Creative CVs guide for ideas that turn the simple CV in Word on its head.

To see what employers are looking for, check out ‘The Ideal Candidate’ – a collection of 28 interviews with organisations that hire designers.

Although jobs are sometimes won by the strength of a candidate’s portfolio of previous work, it is more common to have design qualifications and they can often help career progression significantly. Look for CSD Accredited courses as a mark of quality within the profession.

USEFUL WEBSITES

MUSIC

Those interested in musical performance and in becoming a musician should realistically assess their chances of success with an appropriate tutor or other professional before deciding on a course of action, e.g. postgraduate courses. The free careers information sheets available on the website of the Incorporated Society of Musicians will also help deciding if this is the correct path to take.

Opportunities for performers of classical music are listed in Classical Music magazine(available at the resource centre and on the publisher’s website), and vacancies and other useful information for those interested in the dramatic arts can be found in The Stage.

The majority of musicians will have trained and honed their skills for many years and many will have degrees in the field. This is not a pre-requisite, and many performers succeed at audition without higher education qualifications. Building skill, exposure and reputation is key – and further study might be just one way of achieving this. Conservatoires in the UK operate a similar applications process to UCAS for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses: ABRSM qualifications and those of similar bodies such as Trinity or Guildhall, are also recognised.

USEFUL WEBSITES

TV PRESENTING

Opportunities to work as a TV presenter generally come through:

  • representation by a talent agency, sometimes via acting/modelling work
  • working in the industry in another capacity (helping you become more visible)
  • providing a level of ‘expert knowledge’, such as a relevant academic background

Create a ‘showreel’ – a compilation of work to prove your suitability. Showreel pieces could be pieces that you’ve produced yourself, been commissioned to make, or have made as part of a job. Web videos are a great way to build up your showreel. Create an online platform to showcase this alongside still photos of you to show your range and include your contact details.

Contact casting agents and production companies for advice to become more visible. Many opportunities will come through word of mouth, so show a polished confidence and drive in your interactions. Ask how and when they might be interested in receiving your showreel. Look out for audition opportunities using the websites below.

There are a variety of ‘TV presenter’ courses available, which can be useful in teaching technical and performance skills. Assess the course by asking people in the industry and enquiring to find out how many of the course participants have gone on to work as TV presenters? Although having completed a course is not a pre-requisite, they can be a useful mark of your commitment and professionalism. They can also however be quite expensive.

USEFUL WEBSITES

How do I get a job?

If you’re going to be self-employed in the UK read the details of registering as self employed for tax and national insurance purposes on the HMRC website.

Advice for self-employment:

  • The paperwork can seem off putting, but persevere – it’s simpler than it looks, and all organisations have helpline numbers you can call for assistance.
  • Being self-employed as a ‘sole trader’ (such as a freelancer, or independent worker) is different to starting a business, and much quicker and simpler to do. See Business Link.
  • Within three months of taking money for work, wherever possible, you need to have got your paperwork in order – registered as self employed and have organised the financial records that relate to your work (invoices, receipts etc.)
  • If your income from your self-employment is under £5,585 a year, you can register for an exemption on paying National Insurance Contributions of £2.65 per week.
  • If your income from your self-employment is under £77,000 for the last year, you don’t have to worry about registering for VAT.
  • The earlier the better, is always the rule when getting sorted with tax! If you’re an international student it’s very important to check the terms of your visa, which might preclude self-employment.

VACANCIES

Get to know which are the most useful vacancy websites for what you want to do and wherever possible, sign up for email alerts of new roles. Email alerts from big general job sites (based on keywords relating to your field) can help you build up your awareness of similar roles and peripheral opportunities.

APPLICATIONS

Bear in mind that vacancies in particular are likely to attract high numbers of applicants, and your application materials will need to be competitive. CVs for the creative sector often look very different to a traditional CV, with a focus on providing opportunities to showcase your talent. Watch our video on Creative CVs.

POSITIVE ACTION INITIATIVES

In the creative sector only 39% are women, only 6% of the workforce is from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic Background (BAME) and only 9% of the workforce has a disability. Creative Skillset provides a directory of links to organisations schemes and funding which aims to help address each of these areas:

  • Creative Skill Set
  • Shape Arts- campaigns for access to the arts for those with a disability and holds details of opportunities year round.

RESOURCES

The Careers Service also has an extensive resource centre at 56 Banbury Road, Oxford, where you can drop in to browse during opening hours (visit our website for details).

FILES

  • Occupational files: Y1 Publishing, Media & Performing, Y2 Journalism, Y3 Writing, Y4
  • Broadcasting, Film & Video (Technical), Y4 Broadcasting, Film & Video (Courses), Y5
  • Broadcasting, Film & Video (Production), Y6 Theatre, Y7 Performance
  • Employer files: Arts and Heritage A-Z

BOOKS

  • Acting Professionally, Robert Cohen & James Calleri
  • Acting Techniques, Michael Powell
  • Arts Administration, Pick and Anderton
  • Creative Careers, Elaina Loveland
  • So You Want to be a Theatre Producer?, James Seabright
  • The Novel-Writers Toolkit, Caroline Taggart
  • The Radio Handbook, Carole Fleming

JOURNALS

  • Arts Professional, fortnightly
  • Broadcast
  • Press Gazette