What to do with a degree in fine art?

Question

Hey all

I'm doing a fine art degree in September, and I have no idea what it is that I want at the end of it?

I kept on saying this whilst I was doing my foundation year (I managed to get a first so at least I know I am doing something right!) The tutors said 'just enjoy it'

Well I would if I was 18 and just straight from A-Levels, but I'm not, I'm going to be 30 in September and I still have not had a career as such.

Does anyone have a degree in fine art, and if so what are you doing career wise now?

Thank you in advance

:-)

Answer 1

Depends on what area you want to take up - painting, photography, advertising, graphic designing, interior design, furniture design, industrial design - there are a lot of areas you can go into as a fine arts degree holder. I'm an interior designer by degree but I focused on furniture design as a 2nd career and I do occasional hands-on decorating on the side, some photography when I feel like it, and I like to paint when I'm in the mood. But right now, my main career is administration for a village because its within the confines of the home/village where I live. So you choose your field if you think you can go into various forms.... Good luck...

Answer 2

hi ...just finished my degree about a month ago in fine art and am hoping to gto and do graphic design, my uncle does it and has told me the best possible way is to do a 3 month placement for free to get the experience, and that once ive done that i should be away(hopefully this will lead to art advertising director in which you can think of adverts for a living). He told me that even if I had come out with a first in graphics i would still have to start at the bottom and even though i wouldnt be doing it for free i still wouldnt be on that much until i understood the job properly
I am assuming that most careers are going to be this way if it be television( a runner) web design or graphics etc.
Maybe if you could try and get as many placements as you can maybe on summer holidays or even one day a week which would give you an advantage when you leave...also dont froget you could do a post grad after you finish in a chosen career path for example Gallery curator( it only takes another yr)
Also you could become a teacher as back up, you get something like 6 grand to start to clear your student loans and you get more every so often!!
Whatever you do though dont panic...you more than likely to change your work over the next 3 yrs more than ever before as your degree is when it all happens and you will definitely have an idea of what you want to do by the time you finish.

Answer 3

Hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you have to do some real soul searching. A Fine Arts Degree in the art world really means nothing. You have to have talent, be extremely good, and be very productive to become a successful artist. This field doesn't care about Degrees, it cares about what's on the canvas. The most successful artist produces work that's rarely taught at a college or university, and most have either worked under an established artist or have come up with something new and inventive never before done.

Answer 4

Well, in general I would say that you should have thought about that before you started studying for the degree, especially since you are a mature student who most likely wants to use the ideas, wisdom and degrees he gains for his practical life.

There are many ways to make good use of a Fine Art degree. It is, however, not as straight-forward as it might be in other areas of academic achievement. In Art it depends very much on your specific talents, skills and interests. The range of options is wide and goes from actually working as a creative artist over teaching, graphic design, advertisement work and promotions right through to working in a gallery, a museum or a collection. People with Art degrees also work for book publishers, magazines, newspapers and the electronic media, film companies and consultancies. As I said, it is a wide field, and once you know what you actually want to do, it will be easier for you to find a suitable position. Good luck!

Answer 5

I do see a lot of people in the situation of doing degrees that can't get them anywhere in the world. It's such a sad waste of talent and there really should be better career advice to people to help them decide what course to take. The standard 'what do you want to do' isn't good enough, because most people aren't sure, and don't have any idea about the actual job market. people would find art or philosophy far less interesting if they knew how hard it would be to find a job at the end of it.

Answer 6

my grandfather, Henry Rushbury, R.A., was one of three major British art school heads to be consulted on founding the Fine Art degree to be decided by majority vote. He was the only one of the three to vote against artists being considered the same way as in academic subjects, as he considered the life and work of an artist to be quite different to any other profession.
Why? Because being a true artist is a thorough vocation (not a vacation as some would have us believe) that goes beyond any degree on paper, any grade (artists develop over decades!), and is something you live and breathe. The rest is just commercial- look above for artists with more BAs than sheep above, who are doing anything but their vocation....

Answer 7

I obtained my BFA years ago, but I was lucky in that skilled work was available in graphic art and design to fall back on. Now, everything is all computers, and you don't really need to be an artist to work in this field. Not to sound like a bummer, but unless you are lucky enough to be discovered as the next Andy Warhol or Kieth Haring, the art or graphics fields are limited, including fashion, architecture, etc. Everything is all computer oriented, and many of these jobs are low paying or being outsourced overseas. My suggestion, is that you go for your masters degree as well, so that perhaps you can teach art. Another possibly is in art therapy, which I understand, is in somewhat of a demand. Best of luck to you... hope I was of some help!

Answer 8

Don't listen to anyone else here. There are lots of great prospects for fine art majors. They're just a little harder to find. I will agree, however, the life of a gallery artist is tough. You would have live by selling your paintings. The only other avenue is the commercial aspects of the art in advertising and publishing. Try contacting your local advertising agencies for freelance work. Lots of artists make good money that way. Also think of publishing. Depending on your style, try to hook up with a writer for children's books. Go to the book store and just look at all the fabulous work done in children's books. Next after that, look into working for an animation studio for film and television. If you're on the west coast there are lots of studios that hire fine artists to paint the backgrounds and character designs for popular cartoons. If you want to get involved in public art, every city has an Arts Manager that oversees and manages public art projects. I often see lots of ads for those in my local area. Many prefer a degree in Arts Administration, but also accept a Fine Arts Degree. This might be a good masters degree to have if you're interested in public art. If so, you should get your masters degree in Public Arts Administration or Public Policy. You could also end up as a museum director with that degree. Do a Google search for your state's arts council. For instance, if you live in Ohio, put 'Ohio Arts Council' in the search field and look at their job board. You can also try the Americans for the Arts at http://americansforthearts.org/e_services/jbank/jbank.asp
Look on their job bank and post your resume. Also check your local museums for intern opportunities as well as ad agencies.
You could also make a good living doing magazine cover designs and illustration. You start by putting together a portfolio of your work and start sending letters out to the art directors of all the major magazines: VIBE, Wired, Juxtapoz, etc. You can also post your resume and work online at commarts.com.
There, so you have lots of options...go get 'em. If you want more info on anyone of these, feel free to write.

Answer 9

Many artists teach in addition to producing art: if you go on to get your MFA you can teach at a college. A friend of mine did that and he takes his summers to paint, displays his art in local galleries and artist co-ops (which count as community service for his teaching job), and even paints during class after he gets the students past a certain point in the semester when they are working more independently and only need him for intermittent guidance.

Teaching is one idea; of course, you can freelance and take on a number of individual jobs, too. Another idea: Go into advertising or design? A lot does depend on your interests. My last suggestion is that you talk with the counselors at your school and/or the teachers you've had and ask for more guidance in this area: they should be able to provide you with direction. All the best to you.

Answer 10

hi..I',ve a masters degree in fine art(drawing & painting).Im 30 as well and for the last 5 yrs I've been freelancing with publications & tabloids(I do illustrations for them).Besides, I work with Event management companies, for whom I do Caricatures & portrait sketches of guests at corporate events or parties.(I can do 30 sketches in 4hours).
I also do creative Canvas paintings,Murals,Portrait paintings etc..I held an exhibition 2 some time back..
If you work hard and polish your skills in drawing & painting,sky's the limit! If you dont work hard enough, you may have to struggle and even find it difficult to find work.
Keep in touch with people in art circles constantly.Visit Art galleries,art dealers,curators etc.. All the very Best!