Creative Careers: Paths for Aspiring Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers

354 Pages·2009·2.08 MB·English

by  Elaina Loveland

Praise for Creative Careers
“Creative Careers is a practical tool that will help you begin to see how to turn
your creative inkling into a career—not just something you wish you could have
some day.”
—Andrea Kay, syndicated columnist and author of Life’s a Bitch and Then You
Change Careers and Work’s a Bitch and Then You Make It Work
“Creative Careers is an outstanding resource for up-and-coming young artists and
their families. As we move into a new, creative economy the information on these
pages thoroughly debunks the old stereotype of the ‘starving artist.’ Opportuni-
ties abound like never before and employers are in hot pursuit of the best and
brightest creative talent.
The profi les of real artists on the job included in this book are particularly inter-
esting and add an important real world component to the information. This is a
‘must-have’ for any library, career resource center or prospective art student.”
—Sue Hinkin, Dean of Career Services, Savannah College of Art and Design
“This book is a unique resource for artists in all disciplines, as it provides valu-
able insight into creative careers via real-life professional profi les.”
—Elisa Seeherman, Director of Career Services, The University of the Arts
“This book is a valuable resource for those aspiring to a career in Arts and Let-
ters. It’s chock full of real-world advice from people who have been there and
done that. Not only would it make a perfect graduation gift, it’s the quintessen-
tial remedy for those stuck in jobs that pay the bills but make it a chore to get out
of bed every Monday morning.”
—Scott Hoffman, Managing Member, Folio Literary Management, LLC

Creative
CAREERS
Paths for Aspiring Actors, Artists, Dancers,
Musicians and Writers
ELAINA LOVELAND
Author of Creative Colleges
Creative Careers: Paths for Aspiring Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers
(2nd Edition)
By Elaina Loveland
Published by SuperCollege, LLC
3286 Oak Court
Belmont, CA 94002
www.supercollege.com
Copyright © 2009 by SuperCollege, LLC
Previous edition © 2007
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without the written permission of SuperCollege. This book is protected under
International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Credits: Cover: TLC Graphics, www.TLCGraphics.com. Design: Monica Thomas
Layout: The Roberts Group, www.editorialservice.com
Trademarks: All brand names, product names and services used in this book are trademarks,
registered trademarks or trade names of their respective holders. SuperCollege is not associ-
ated with any college, university, product or vendor.
Disclaimers: The author and publisher have used their best efforts in preparing this book. It
is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter. Some narra-
tives and names have been modifi ed for illustrative purposes. SuperCollege and the author
make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the
contents of the book and specifi cally disclaim any implied warranties or merchantability or
fi tness for a particular purpose. There are no warranties which extend beyond the descrip-
tions contained in this paragraph. The accuracy and completeness of the information pro-
vided herein and the opinions stated herein are not guaranteed or warranted to produce any
particular results. SuperCollege and the author specifi cally disclaim any responsibility for
any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly
or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.
ISBN: 9781932662344
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Elaina Loveland
Creative Careers: Paths for Aspiring Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians, and Writers
2nd Edition
p. cm.
Includes appendices
ISBN 9781932662344
1. Careers I. Title
2. Reference 3. Education
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
WRITING A BOOK OFTEN TAKES ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN, and this
book would not have been possible without the assistance and support of the
many people whom I would like to thank here.
Thank you to all the people who so graciously took the time to share their
experiences about their careers. Your words of wisdom will hopefully make a
difference in a young person’s life as they examine what their path will be. Your
contributions for this book are its gems. Undoubtedly, your story will make a
difference to someone, somewhere, which was my purpose in embarking on this
book project in the fi rst place. Your personal touch makes me proud that I could
bring careers “to life” through showing your experience.
Sharon Ritchey, thank you for leading me to Kristen Ball, who assisted me
with research for this project.
Kristen Ball, I can’t thank you enough for being there for me whenever I
needed assistance throughout the stages of creating this book. You are an incred-
ible professional.
Julie Bogart, my friend and fellow writer, thank you for your help fi nding real
people who were willing to talk with me. I wouldn’t have found such fascinating
subjects without you.
Nancy Rasmussen, at the University of the Arts, and Linda Tierney and Seth
Michalak at Savannah College of Art and Design: thank you all for reaching out
to your alumni to inform them of this project so I could contact the most suc-
cessful alumni to be interviewed for this book. Your institutions should be proud
to have such successful people working in creative fi elds that can guide younger
generations toward a rewarding future.
Last, but not least, thank you to my family: my mother, father, and brother,
whose continual support never wavers. And to Robert Liddy, who has known me
since childhood and has always listened with a thoughtful ear about my writing.
Thanks for your support as well—you are also family to me.
v
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
THIS BOOK COMBINES STATISTICAL INFORMATION ON VARIOUS
CAREERS as well as advice from real people in creative jobs. Because facts alone
do not fully show what a career is actually like, real people shared their experi-
ence and advice through interviews about their career path. Hopefully, the com-
bination of the reference material about careers and the real-world perspective
will provide readers with a more complete picture of what creative jobs are actu-
ally like. This, in turn, should enable other individuals to make well-informed
career choices that will lead them on a more fulfi lling path in life.
Unless noted otherwise, career data and/or descriptions were obtained or
adapted from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Oc-
cupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition on the Internet at http://www.bls.
gov/oco (as of September 2008).
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements v
How to Use this Book vi
Introduction xiii
Chapter 1: Careers for Actors 15
Actor 16
Profi le: Actor 17
Camera Operator 20
Profi le: Cinematographer 21
Costume Designer 25
Profi le: Costume Designer 26
Director 28
Profi le: Director 29
Profi le: Documentary Filmmaker 31
Lighting Designer 34
Profi le: Lighting Designer 35
Producer (Film) 37
Profi le: Associate Producer 38
Profi le: Senior Writer/Producer 40
Profi le: Supervising Producer 43
Set Designer/Scenic Artist 45
Profi le: Set Decorator 46
Profi le: Scenic Artist 49
Voice-Over Artists 53
Profi le: Voice-Over Performer 54
Drama Education
Drama Teacher (K-12) 57
Profi le: Drama Teacher 58
vii
viii CREATIVE CAREERS
Drama Professor (Postsecondary) 60
Profi le: Drama Professor 61
Chapter 2: Careers for Artists 65
Animator 66
Profi le: Animator (Entry-Level) 67
Profi le: Animator 70
Profi le: Creative Manager for Universal Studios 73
Profi le: Digital Filmmaker 75
Profi le: Video Game Animator 78
Architect 80
Profi le: Architect 81
Landscape Architect 83
Profi le: Landscape Architect 84
Art Gallery Director 87
Profi le: Art Gallery Director 88
Art Therapist 90
Profi le: Art Therapist 91
Artist 93
Profi le: Artist 94
Illustrator 97
Profi le: Illustrator 98
Profi le: Magazine Illustrator 100
Photographer 102
Profi le: Assistant Fashion Photographer 103
Art Education
Art Teacher (K-12) 105
Profi le: Art Teacher 106
Art Professor (Postsecondary) 108
Profi le: Art Professor 109
Design
Art Director (Advertising and Publishing) 112
Profi le: Art Director - Magazine 113
Profi le: Art Director – Film &Television 115
TABLE OF CONTENTS ix
Commercial & Industrial Designer 118
Profi le: Industrial Design - Furniture Designer 119
Profi le: Industrial Design – Toy Designer 121
Profi le: Industrial Designer/Firm Owner 123
Floral Designer/Florist 125
Profi le: Floral Designer 126
Graphic Designer/Graphic Artist 128
Profi le: Graphic Designer – Non-profi t Organization 129
Profi le: Graphic Designer – Television News 131
Profi le: Graphic Design – Television 134
Profi le: Senior Graphic Designer – Fashion Industry 137
Interior Designer 139
Profi le: Interior Designer 140
Web Designer and Web User Experience Designer 142
Profi le: Web Designer/Director 143
Profi le: User Experience Designer 145
Fashion
Fashion Designer 148
Profi le: Fashion Designer 149
Profi le: Fashion Merchandiser 151
Profi le: Fashion Merchandising Manager 153
Profi le: Fashion Executive 156
Fashion Editor/Stylist 158
Profi le: Fashion Editor/Stylist 159
Jeweler 161
Profi le: Jewelry Designer 162
Museum
Conservator 164
Profi le: Conservator 165
Museum Curator/Museum Director 168
Profi le: Museum Curator 169
Profi le: Museum Preparator 171
Museum Educator 173
Profi le: Museum Educator 174