3 Tips for Getting a Job in the Arts

Maybe you want to make a living as a photographer, web designer, watercolour artist, or jewellery designer, and have noticed the distinct lack of postings for those jobs in the newspaper? Maybe your résumé is filled with your day-job experiences, but doesn’t show your creative side. Maybe you just completed a college or university degree in the arts and don’t want to be stuck in an unrelated 9-to-5 job.

Here are some tips to help you transition into getting paid for your art:

1) Make One New Thing Every Day & Share It
It doesn’t have to be a big thing, but it does have to be complete. Don’t spend half the day on it, either. Just a sketch will do. Give yourself an hour, make something cool and share it.

You might think you’ll run out of ideas, but you’re wrong. Generating one new thing each day (one sketch, one hair clip, one song, one poem, one photo, etc), primes the pump on the well of creativity. One small idea will lead to bigger ideas. Your imagination will stretch and grow. Running out of ideas is a myth. You’ll soon find you have more ideas than you have time for.

One new thing each day gives you the chance to practice, practice, practice, and improve your skills. It also builds your portfolio. Think of it: you’ll have 365 new things each year. Hopefully, you’ll have improved and learned a few new skills, too.

Creating one new thing each day proves your commitment to your art. It establishes discipline.

But creating one new thing each day is only half the job. You also have to share it. Sharing your art gives you the opportunity to receive feedback, and this is vital if you expect to make a living off your art. An easy way to do this is to get a blog, post pictures of your art and share it with the world. Let your friends know what you’re doing and invite them to take a look.

Sharing is vital to art. You should always create your art to please yourself, but you need to share it, too. Showing your art transforms it. Actors know this. Dress rehearsals are notorious for being a mess, while opening night goes off without a hitch. All art requires an audience.

You can also share your art by joining a community.

2) Join a Community
There are lots of local art communities in your area. Take a look. Volunteer at the art gallery. Help out at the library’s book sale. Offer your paintings for non-profit organizations to hang on their office walls. Look for free opportunities to share your work, while getting to know more people with the same interests.

You might view other artists as competition. Don’t. Every individual is unique. No one will make the same art, even when given the same subject. Other artists are valuable resources. They might know of opportunities that are not right for them, but might be right for you. Other artists can help you learn new techniques, expand your art skills. They can give you suggestions for improvement. They can talk in the language of your art. They can commiserate, celebrate and sympathize.

Opportunities around & near Kawartha Lakes:

• http://fourinfo.cioc.ca/bresults.asp?STerms=art%2C+heritage&SType=A&CMType=L&PBID=&NUM=
• http://www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca/residents/parks-recreation-culture/arts-culture-heritage/arts-culture

If you are really in a remote area and don’t have local art communities, you could join an online community. Here are a few to get you thinking:

• http://www.deviantart.com/
• http://500px.com/
• http://www.starvingjewelryartists.com/

3) Deadlines
“Goals are dreams with deadlines” – Diana Scharf Hunt
Deadlines are an artist’s best friends. Simply defined, deadlines are time limits. Without a deadline, you could potentially work on the same piece of art forever. Without a deadline, how do you know when to stop? How do you know if you’ve grown? Deadlines are a vital part of the artist-customer relationship. If you cannot produce a piece of art on time for a customer, then that customer will find an artist who can. Art shows and craft sales also make great deadlines— reserve a booth today!

Be sure to give your art, whatever it may be, an audience and an opening night, then watch your art soar.

For more great ideas on getting a job in the arts, check out this video:

Nick Campbell - The Creative Gap: Becoming Better Than Most from Nick Campbell on Vimeo.

Additional Resources:

• http://www.communityartsontario.ca/
• http://canadaartsconnect.com/
• http://www.womensharingart.org/
• http://canadaartsconnect.com/2010/07/canadian-arts-jobs-from-around-the-web-mon-july-12-2010/
• http://www.artcareersinfo.com/finding-an-art-job.html
• http://www.suite101.com/content/findingwork-a1029
• http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-05-03-inside-higher-ed-arts-programs-college_n.htm

Photo Sources

1) "copper Maple Tree" by Paul Williams

2) Coloured Pencils

3) "Kennisis" by Bill Lishman

Essential Skills

Essential Skills are skills needed to carry out tasks on a daily basis to successfully function in the workforce. All nine skills are required in every job. These nine essential skills are: Reading, Document Use, Numeracy, Writing, World Communications, Working With Others, Thinking Skills, Computer Use and Continuous Learning. All nine are used in different combinations, in different applications, in every occupation.

Use these tools to:

• better understand essential skills needed for the job you are applying;
• help identify essential skills strengths and areas to consider for improvement;
• ensure you have the essential skills to get the job done; and
• make informed training and career decisions

For more information call us at 705.328.0180 or come into VCCS at 370 Kent Street, West, Whitney Town Centre, for more information.

For more information: http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/pepg/audiences/colleges/progstan/essential.html

TheStar Nearly 700 federal job cuts coming at Public Works: unions

TheStar Nearly 700 federal job cuts coming at Public Works: unions

What do you think about this? the article states that the new majority Conservative government expected nearly 80, 000 public sector employees to retire over the next few years where the union heads think that number is closer to 40,000 public servants.

Comment below and let us know what you think. With the economy in recovery we are still seeing pockets of the recession and people losing work. Public Service positions were once considered very permanent and secure jobs, what do we think now?

Highlights of Qualifications

Are your “Highlights of Qualifications” reflecting your most relevant skills or are they “fluff” on your resume?

Highlights of Qualifications or Skills Summary, is an extremely important section on your resume; however most job seekers are not utilizing this opportunity to sell their best skills to an employer and place themselves ahead of the competition.

Highlights of Qualifications or Skills Summary is located near the top of the resume usually below the job objective. Unfortunately, many job seekers use this section to place generic skills which take up space and do not promote their skills adequately for the job in which they are applying. It only takes a few minutes but this section of the resume should change to reflect the position in which you are applying. When deciding what to incorporate in to the Highlights or Qualifications or Skills Summary section, ask yourself: “Am I targeting the position in which I am applying?” “Is my resume standing out from the competition?” “Will employers notice my resume?”

If you are not sure if your resume is selling your skills effectively, come into VCCS Employment Services and we can show you how to best effectively sell your skills.