CPATH - Creativity: The Path

You’ll need some combination of skills, education
and training, and experience to get started in a
creative career. Networking and promoting your
work are also important.
Skill significance

Creative workers need technical skill relevant to
their occupation, which may involve use of
certain equipment. For example, a craft artist
who specializes in woodworking needs to be able
to make bevel and groove cuts with a saw and a
chisel, among other tools.
Communication skills are also important for
creative workers. Having ideas is not enough;
workers must be able to share those ideas
through writing or speaking. “The single most
important skill in a creative field is to learn how
to use words to describe what you’re doing so
others can understand your vision,” says Triola.
And for many people in creative occupations,
business skills are pivotal to success—especially
for those who are self-employed. “A lot of artists
struggle because they’re more concerned with
their art than their accounts,” Carnes says.
According to BLS, most creative workers
typically need a bachelor’s degree to qualify for
entry-level jobs. And workers in about half of
these occupations receive on-the-job training to
help them hone their craft.
Employment Projections program.
Getting an education helps workers build a solid
technical and artistic foundation—and may
improve employment prospects, even in
occupations that don’t typically require a formal
program. “My  education really helped
me,” says Dufford. “It taught me how to have the
discipline to sit down and work on something
continuously.”
The more technical the occupation, the more
important a degree may be. For example,
beginning art directors, multimedia artists, and
industrial designers typically need a bachelor’s
degree in a field related to their specialty.
Additional coursework in math, the sciences,
information technology, and other disciplines—
such as psychology and sociology—may help
jobseekers stand out from other candidates.
Creative occupations that usually require a high
school diploma at the entry level, such as craft
and fine artists and floral designers , also
typically require on-the-job training. For example,
a fine artist might work under the supervision of
a master painter for several years to learn a
variety of styles and techniques.
Creative workers in a few of these occupations,
such as illustrators and photographers , may gain
experience by starting out as assistants or
apprentices. “Journeying with different people is
really useful because you get to see how they
work,” says Carnes.
Still other creative workers learn from library or
Internet resources or by studying others’ work.
But whatever path creative workers take to their
career, a common bond is the need for lifelong
learning. As with workers in many fields, workers
in creative jobs need to keep up with changes in
technology and styles, such as by acquiring new
skills, taking classes, or following blogs. “You
have to constantly work on improving your skills,”
Dufford says. “Keep learning until the day you
die.”
Experience and networking
 most creative
occupations don’t require work experience in a
related occupation to qualify for entry-level
positions. Among the few who do need
experience are editors, who typically gain
experience by working in a related occupation,
such as editorial assistant , writer , or reporter.
Even if experience is not required, however,
creative workers usually benefit from hands-on
learning, whether paid or unpaid. For example,
some workers start out as hobbyists, then turn
their passion into a career after discovering a
market for their work.
More importantly, gaining experience helps
workers gain professional connections. Creative
workers must often take the initiative to network
with peers and employers. This process is often
difficult in the beginning, when these workers
don’t have a large portfolio or many professional
connections. But networking gets easier as they
build a reputation.
And networking should include potential clients
as well as employers. “You must constantly
market yourself,” says Dufford. “I mail out
promotional posters to studios and then try to
make appointments to meet people at those
studios. Ninety-nine percent of the time I won’t
hear back, but I live off the work that I get from
the 1 percent of people who do respond.”
Having an online portfolio and a social media
presence may help potential clients find your
work. Keep in mind that developing a solid career
might take years, so be proactive—and patient.
“Each year builds on the one before,” Triola
says. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”