Visual Arts Careers: A Complete List

Artists like mentally challenging, imaginative jobs that let them support themselves while doing what they love. The arts can be divided into a number of categories, and artists frequently discover a subgenre that intrigues and motivates them. Working in the visual arts careers can involve a variety of sectors, such as the entertainment, design, and marketing industries. In this post, we’ll cover the definition of visual art, potential workplaces for visual artists, professions in the visual arts careers, how to break into the field, and necessary qualifications.

Visual art: What is it?

Art that depends on the viewer’s ability to see it is called visual art. Visual art examples include:

  • Drawing
  • Films
  • Sculpture
  • Painting
  • Photography
  • Crafts
  • Architecture
  • Design

The term “visual arts” also refers to applied arts, including:

  • Interior design
  • Industrial design
  • Fashion design
  • Graphic design

Visual arts can be incorporated into other genres of art. For instance, a play’s outfit designs are visual arts pieces that are incorporated into a performance piece.

What places offer employment to visual artists?

Visual artists can seek employment in a variety of innovative and forward-thinking settings, such as:

  • Government institutions
  • Art galleries
  • Freelance jobs
  • Museums
  • Marketing firms
  • Interior design companies
  • Fashion labels
  • Social media firms
  • Schools and colleges
  • Photography Galleries
  • Architecture companies
  • Art galleries
  • Theaters
  • Production firms
  • Auction homes
  • Libraries

Visual arts careers

A selection of visual arts careers is listed below:

  • Graphic artist
  • Photographer
  • Assistant photographer
  • Interior designer
  • Sculptor
  • Design Assistant
  • Fashion designer
  • Set designer
  • Costume designer
  • Makeup artist
  • Architect
  • Art director
  • Painter
  • Animation artist
  • Illustrator
  • Museum or gallery curator
  • Art Instructor
  • Art consultant
  • Brand manager
  • Marketing director
  • Creative director
  • Book designer
  • Videographer
  • Camera operator
  • Video Editor
  • Filmmaker
  • Production Assistant
  • Freelance artist
  • Greeting card designer
  • Industrial designer
  • Muralist
  • Jewelry designer
  • Photojournalist
  • Tattoo artist
  • Exhibit designer
  • Art writer or critic
  • Film restoration specialist
  • Art preservation specialist
  • Art historian
  • Art appraiser
  • Antique dealer
  • Museum or gallery docent
  • Art therapist
  • Package designer
  • UX Specialist
  • Landscape architect
  • Landscape designer
  • Urban designer
  • Art dealer
  • Court artist
  • Sketch artist
  • Fabric and textile designer
  • Furniture designer
  • Gallery owner
  • Gallery director
  • Printer
  • Stylist

How to find employment in the visual arts careers

To start a visual arts career, follow these steps:

1. Get an education

In order to study color, fine arts, concepts, composition, and form, and land a visual arts career, think about obtaining a bachelor’s degree in the visual arts, like a Bachelor of Visual Arts. A professional degree course should also cover instruction in business software and hardware, such as computer-aided design applications. Commonly offered courses for bachelor’s degrees include:

  • Digital media animation
  • 2D and 3D design
  • Life drawing
  • Advanced visual field reporting
  • Painting
  • Contemporary drawing
  • Photography
  • Modern art history
  • Screen printing
  • Printmaking
  • Visual storytelling
  • Ceramics
  • Sculpture

2. Create a portfolio

Create a detailed portfolio by combining all of your work for a visual arts career. You can share a hardcopy packet with program managers and interviewers or host your profile online.

3. Write a strong résumé and cover letter.

Your CV and cover letter are excellent places for you to showcase your artistic abilities. To get a visual arts career, create a CV that stands out by using interactive elements or a video.

4. Examine job boards

Use online job forums and job search engines to find employment in visual arts careers. Also, you can look for individual projects on neighborhood internet forums.

5. Get advice from a career center

A career placement department at your community center or school might be able to assist you in finding open employment in visual arts careers, getting ready for interviews, putting together a résumé, and networking.

6. Look for commissioned work

When thinking about starting a visual arts career, search online for businesses or people looking for artists to create commissioned pieces, like murals, statues, public art, and portraits. Government agencies frequently look for artists to produce works for parks, recreation facilities, and government-funded museums.

6. Promote the services you offer

Make profiles on websites for job searching, submit your résumé, and mention the visual arts careers you are interested in. You can also get in touch with your friends, family, and acquaintances on social media to inform them that you are open to employment.

7. Speak with organizations directly

To inquire about potential positions in visual arts careers, think about contacting or emailing interested companies. Even if there aren’t any open opportunities right away, you could be able to arrange an informational interview to find out more about the business and make managers think of you in the event that a position does become available.

8. Freelance

Consider working as a freelancer in industries that major in visual arts careers like art and design, fashion styling, and interior decorating before looking for a permanent career. The connections you create can help you land a regular job or start your own business.

9. Expand the visibility of your work

Starting a visual arts career also involves requesting that your artwork be displayed at neighborhood stores, boutiques, and libraries. You might be permitted by shop owners to give customers your contact details.

Skills Needed for a visual arts career

The following are some abilities you should master if you want to have a great visual arts career:

  • Software program knowledge: A visual arts career necessitates programming knowledge. You should be well-versed in the computer applications utilized by your sector.
  • Communication abilities: Communication skills are important in any visual arts career. Artists frequently talk about their work with peers, managers, and the general public. Your ability to communicate your thoughts and inspiration should be crystal clear.
  • Collaboration skills: Teamwork skills are important in any visual arts career. At several stages of a project, artists collaborate with other professionals such as art directors and other artists.
  • Marketing and business knowledge: A visual arts career needs marketing. As many artists operate on a commission or freelance basis, it’s critical to promote your talents and learn the fundamentals of running a business, such as invoicing and budgeting.
  • Creativity: To pursue a visual arts career, you must be original and creative, and you must maintain this progressive mindset throughout your career.
  • Interpersonal skills: Interpersonal skill is essential in a visual arts career. Finding new freelancing clients, performing well in interviews, collaborating on projects with others, and handling difficult situations all require the ability to work well with people.
  • Mechanical aptitude: To start a visual arts career, you must possess mechanical skills. If your medium requires the use of equipment or tools, you should be able to use them safely and successfully.
  • Artistic abilities: The basis of any visual arts career is an artistic skill. Whether you want to paint, draw, or design costumes, you should enhance your artistic abilities. Attend workshops, keep up with business trends, and take continuing education classes to learn and develop.

20 Sites with visual arts career Job Listings

Finding a visual arts career may seem difficult when looking for a career in a creative area like performing arts, branding, cinema, or design. On artistic employment sites, though, you might find a number of visual arts career jobs that fit your professional objectives. You can find companies that provide the kinds of possibilities you’re seeking by browsing several employment forums for artists and creatives.

What exactly are visual arts career job postings?

Employers look for talented individuals with artistic qualities in creative job listings. These job advertisements cover the following industries:

  • Television and film
  • Advertisement and marketing
  • Visual arts
  • Interior design
  • Vogue and beauty
  • Industrial design

20 Sites with visual arts career Job Listings

Find advertisements for distinctive career opportunities in your specialized niche on one of the many creative job sites available. Below are examples of 20 visual arts career job search tools and the prospects they target:

1. Behance

Creative workers can post and display their portfolios on Behance, a social media platform and website for job listings. Employers from all over the world post a wide range of creative job openings on Behance. Below are a few illustrations of the various jobs that employers put on Behance:

  • Illustrator
  • Graphic artist
  • Video Editor
  • Web developer
  • Cartoonist
  • Art director
  • Architectural designer
  • Social media content producer
  • Cinematographer for events
  • 3D character modeler
  • Expert in media production
  • Animator

2. Indeed

Employers submit job descriptions on Indeed for openings in a range of sectors, including the visual arts career. By selecting the “Find jobs” tab and providing your search parameters, you can look for a particular job title. You may browse for a variety of creative jobs on Indeed, with employers ranging from tiny businesses to large organizations. These jobs could involve, but not be limited to:

  • Fashion designer
  • Content writer
  • Multimedia designer
  • Social media coordinator
  • Architect
  • Software Developer
  • Virtual paint instructor
  • Videographer
  • Caricature artist
  • Makeup artist
  • Audio engineer

3. Creative Hotlist

Creative Hotlist is a job search website for creative professionals. You can use it to search by firm, area, and job title. Additionally, you can make a profile and post your creative portfolio, cover letter, or CV. For creative workers, a number of job openings with a variety of businesses and creative organizations are accessible on Creative Hotlist. The following are just a few of these jobs:

  • Marketing strategist
  • Art director
  • Creative director
  • Graphic design professor
  • Media relations specialist
  • Interactive designer
  • UX designer
  • Digital designer
  • Video producer
  • Product designer
  • Digital content producer
  • Assistant Editor

4. Dribbble

Creatives can present their portfolios and seek special jobs on Dribbble, a social network site and employment board. Design experts can be seen and connected on Dribbble. Below are a few examples of the kinds of visual arts career jobs you may discover on Dribbble:

  • Product designer
  • UX designer
  • Motion designer
  • UX engineer
  • Brand designer
  • Web designer
  • Visual designer
  • Animator
  • Creative design director
  • Illustrator
  • Graphic designer
  • Art director

5. Creative Pool

The UK’s advertising opportunities are the focus of the creative employment board Creative Pool. This aids job seekers who are relocating abroad or looking for remote work in finding distinctive positions inside their creative niche. Design, art, marketing, and other creative jobs are available through Creative Pool. You can find a variety of opportunities on Creative Pool, as seen in the following examples:

  • Copywriter
  • Social media producer
  • Photographer
  • Videographer
  • Studio coordinator
  • Video Editor
  • Art director
  • Content designer
  • UX designer
  • Womenswear graphic (apparel) designer

6. Art Jobs

Creative professionals can seek temporary, full-time, contractual, part-time, or internship opportunities at museums, theaters, art facilities, and more on the website Art Jobs. For those who work in the performing or visual arts, Art Jobs are very useful. Examples of the kinds of job openings that Art Jobs lists on its website include:

  • Exhibition project manager
  • Theater technician director
  • Studio artist educator
  • Gallery manager
  • Art consultant
  • Curatorial assistant
  • Lighting and sound designer
  • Ballet production manager
  • Social media art director
  • Music teaching assistant
  • Digital archive assistant
  • Visual arts teacher
  • Lead photographer

7. Talent Zoo

A selection of employment opportunities in the graphic design, marketing, and advertising sectors are available on Talent Zoo for people seeking creative and design careers. You are able to select between a tiny firm or a major multinational by using Talent Zoo, which features companies of various sizes and in a variety of industries. You can submit an application for the following positions via Talent Zoo:

  • Associate creative director
  • Graphic designer
  • Marketing communications strategist
  • Videographer
  • Digital product manager
  • Design engineer
  • Trending writer
  • Brand ambassador
  • 3D generalist
  • Art director

8. Screen Skills

Helping people pursue professions in the film and television industry is ScreenSkills’ area of expertise. Due to their UK basis, ScreenSkills provides the majority of possibilities there. ScreenSkills post new openings to their employment board as they become open and those with accounts are notified. Examine the following typical job postings that you might find on ScreenSkills:

  • Animator
  • Production coordinator
  • Environment artist
  • Concept artist
  • Screenwriter
  • Casting director
  • Colorist
  • Music editor
  • Costume designer
  • Camera trainee
  • Set decorator
  • Hair and makeup designer
  • Bookings coordinator
  • Publicist

9. Authentic Jobs

Countless creative job possibilities are available on Authentic Jobs, particularly in the fields of design and marketing. Large, well-known organizations also offer innovative job descriptions on this site for job listings. Here are a few examples of the kinds of opportunities you can find on Authentic Jobs:

  • Front DND developer
  • Product designer
  • UX designer
  • Content strategist
  • Software engineer
  • Digital product designer
  • Creative director

10. AIGA

The first organization in the United States for professional designers was AIGA, the professional association for Design. You can tailor your search using AIGA’s listings for small businesses and well-known multinationals according to your area, expertise level, and job type requirements. You can find the following kind of creative jobs on our website:

  • Interactive designer
  • Graphic arts professor
  • UX designer
  • Senior product designer
  • Visual designer
  • Multimedia content producer
  • Graphic designer
  • Industrial design manager
  • Production artist coordinator
  • Front end developer
  • Staff brand designer

11. Krop

A creative job listing site called Krop focuses on informing creative workers about employment opportunities with well-known businesses like media organizations, social media platforms, popular clothing labels, and automakers. You can also develop a distinctive portfolio to advertise yourself to potential employers. You have the following examples of job opportunities on Krop:

  • Photographer
  • 3D art director
  • Graphic designer
  • Content writer
  • Visual designer
  • Product designer
  • Videographer
  • Director of digital media
  • Influencer marketing coordinator

12. If You Could

This is an innovative employment board where you don’t have to create a profile to be able to apply for positions. They provide creative employment possibilities in a number of locations in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Remote chances are also included in If You Could. To get an idea of the kinds of job ads you can discover on If You Could, have a look at the below job titles:

  • Copywriter
  • Design director
  • Graphic designer
  • Brand and creative manager
  • Studio manager
  • Motion designer
  • Visual designer
  • Curator
  • UX designer
  • Content director
  • Animation producer

13. Alliance of Artist Communities

A website called Alliance of Artist Communities connects creative professionals with employment opportunities in the arts. Jobs at museums, art galleries, and educational organizations frequently fall under this category. On this website, you can also find resources for artists’ careers. You can find unusual art job postings like theseoOn the website of the Alliance of Artist Communities:

  • Music teacher
  • Art workshop manager
  • Contemporary art curator
  • Studio art instructor
  • Artist assistant
  • Art museum director
  • Public arts program specialist
  • Creative director
  • Public art intern
  • Studio manager
  • Theater and dance manager
  • Community arts development specialist

14. Coroflot

An online employment board called Coroflot lists creative positions that are accessible both domestically and internationally. You can search for a job on Coroflot using the location, keyword, job title, or seniority level. Examine the following creative job openings Coroflot generally lists on its website:

  • Product designer
  • Design assistant
  • Interactive designer
  • Graphic design professor
  • Art director
  • Industrial designer
  • 3D concept artist
  • Junior visual designer
  • Advanced textile and apparel designer

15. Smashing Magazine

The advice section of Smashing Magazine is dedicated to discussing various coding and programming topics. Additionally, they also have a job board page with open positions in programming and design. Some examples of the jobs you can discover in Smashing Magazine are as follows:

  • UX designer
  • Web developer
  • 3D artist
  • Creative software engineer
  • Digital product designer
  • Freelance web designer
  • Design intern
  • UX design mentor
  • Deep learning engineer
  • Lead product designer
  • Digital advertising and partnerships coordinator

16. Dezeen Jobs

There are many job openings for creative openings in architecture or design on Dezeen Jobs. These possibilities traverse national borders, making them ideal for people seeking adventures remotely or abroad. However, given that Dezeen is a UK-based organization, possibilities are mostly located there. View the following inventive job titles on Dezeen’s job board site:

  • Interior designer
  • Architecture intern
  • Landscape architect
  • Architectural assistant
  • Design manager
  • Graphic designer
  • Studio manager
  • Marketing coordinator
  • Urban designer
  • 3D artist
  • Social media assistant

17. Working Nomads

A variety of remote employment is available on the job board ‘Working Nomads’ for professionals in a variety of fields, including creative specialties like design, marketing, writing, and development. You can find a variety of unique remote job opportunities on Working Nomads, as seen in the following examples:

  • Video editor
  • UX designer
  • 3D technical artist
  • Social media relations manager
  • Graphic designer
  • Product designer
  • Digital marketer
  • Illustrator
  • Software engineer
  • Subtitle script editor
  • Mobile Developer

18. Jobspresso

Jobspresso specializes in using job ads for a range of positions to match companies with competent applicants. For individuals in the design, writing, editing, and marketing fields, Jobspresso focuses on including creative listings. When you use jobspresso to search, you can discover these innovative job openings:

  • Shopping news writer
  • Content writer
  • Fashion and beauty writer
  • Community media manager
  • Brand designer
  • TV writer
  • Events campaign manager
  • UX designer
  • Front end developer
  • Visual designer
  • Social media manager

19. We Work Remotely

Jobs for creative workers in writing, marketing, programming, design, and product creation can be found on We Work Remotely. Check out these We Work Remotely examples of creative jobs you may apply for:

  • Social media content writer
  • Full Stack engineer
  • Junior product designer
  • Software engineer
  • Graphic designer
  • Visual designer
  • Mobile Developer
  • UX researcher
  • Brand marketer
  • Creative partner

20. Drapers

The fashion industry publication Drapers offers a retail job search engine for anyone looking for employment. The majority of the job postings on their site are for UK-based positions because they are based there. For individuals who are looking for innovative fashion employment, take a look at these positions offered by Drapers:

  • Fashion design manager
  • Junior artworker
  • Womenswear designer
  • Licensed accessories designer
  • Accessories graphic designer
  • Assistant menswear designer
  • Digital marketing manager
  • Product developer
  • Footwear technologist
  • Executive Assistant
  • Garment technologist
  • Fashion events manager

How to prepare

Most likely, a design studio, a print shop, or a shared studio will be where you work. Your workday will be different; you might be alone, in a team, or closely collaborating with graphic designers and creative directors. You must stay in touch with printers and designers frequently if you work as a freelancer.

An artist’s work frequently entails spending a lot of time seated at a computer. In towns and cities all around the UK, there are opportunities for artists. Employers might range from modest commercial design firms to huge corporations’ publicity departments and advertising firms.

Although the majority of the work is done in studios, meeting clients may demand travel during the workday. However, working away from home is uncommon.

Required Skills

You’ll need the following skills:

  • Effective skills in retouching and visualization
  • The capacity to develop conceptual images
  • Understanding of Photoshop, InDesign, and other products in the Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Solid knowledge of typefaces, layout, and typography
  • A high level of comfort working with both PCs and Macs and the newest DTP applications
  • Knowledge of image and artwork archiving
  • Ability to interact with printers and designers through communication
  • Collaboration abilities to deal directly with your clients, account executives and senior account managers
  • Reporting abilities for giving updates on the status of the project at each stage of the artwork and design process
  • Good organizational abilities, the capacity to manage time effectively, and the capacity to meet deadlines
  • Self-drive and the capacity to handle several projects at once in a hectic setting

You might also be required to possess the following skills in some roles:

  • Solid understanding of HTML and CSS, as well as practical knowledge of content management systems
  • Knowledge of QuarkXPress
  • A grasp of topics like studio lighting, filmmaking, or photography.

Conclusion

To show potential employers, you’ll need to compile a portfolio of your work. There are several ways to acquire experience to add to your portfolio. Obtaining an internship or summer job is beneficial, particularly if you know a reference that can attest to your abilities and recommend you.

Participating in an active project is beneficial. Your abilities will be developed and you will gain insight into the job through temporary employment.

Make an effort to ensure that your portfolio demonstrates competence with a variety of tools and platforms.

Frequently Asked Questions about visual arts careers

  • What is the major work of visual arts?

A wide range of graphic, sculptural, and pictorial works as well as architectural works are included in the category of visual arts. Paintings, sculptures, photography, and other sorts of artwork are examples of visual arts works.

  • Where can a visual artist work?

The Visual Artist creates art pieces to be displayed in museums, galleries, or in public settings. He or she conveys their thoughts, sentiments, or feelings through their artistic creation.

  • How do visual artists make money?

To gain money, artists will complete projects on a commission basis. Collectors will commission an artist to create a bespoke piece of art like a portrait. The artist sets the price and normally requests for a percentage of the fee upfront.