Creative Careers on the Rise

Technological Advancements Lead to Changes in the Art Industry

In today’s modern world, artists can choose from a variety of creative careers within the industry due to the expansion and increasing implications of technology.

Many talented individuals seek artistic careers because they recognize how changes to the industry could help them become successful as professionals. The rise in digital culture created a wave of new opportunities for artists: the ability to work remotely but communicate instantly; having all artistic supplies contained on one device; scholastic programs that train the artists in high-demand skills such as Adobe Photoshop, In-Design and Premiere. Students pursuing their bachelor’s degree in graphic design, game art, computer animation and other creative areas take courses related to filming and editing, digital lighting, drawing and motion graphics, all of which can be used for other career-based skills like marketing.

“Art and designing are on the go now,” said Alex Reyes, a senior graphic design student in Lynn’s College of Communications and Design. “There is [the] opportunity to create what you have in mind on the spot. Freelancing work is easier because I don’t have to meet my clients. With one client, I got paid via CashApp.”

Similar to Reyes’s experience, many artists selling their work find themselves needing less in-person interaction to communicate with and solicit to clients. By emailing, texting, video chatting, using online storage clouds and using digital money transfers, artists can ask clients for feedback on an art piece’s progress, send digital copies of the final piece and get paid.

A common misconception is that the only way to make an income as an artist is to sell traditional paintings or become an art teacher. Fortunately, with the constant innovations of technology, more creative opportunities continuously emerge. One such opportunity is the development of video games.

“With technology and art came the art of interactivity, which is video games,” said Dorian Piloto, a junior game art student. “With video games there is a whole level [of] interactivity that is easily forgotten because [people] think of the art and music as separate aspects, but they are all one. Level of interactivity is something that has changed.”

Digital artist David Belliveau, an online instructor at Paintable, created the workbook “Digital Painting Jobs and Projects” in which he shared 47 creative career paths for digital artists. He listed several projects that artists can create to earn an income, including the creation of portraiture, fashion illustrations, greeting cards, card games, book and album covers, posters, logos, medical illustrations, vehicle design, character and environmental design for video games, 2D and 3D animations, film storyboards and graphic novels.

“With digital [art], there is a lot of shortcuts and the work can come out with more polished looks,” said Kianju Roberts, a junior animation student. “A lot of work is being computer generated. You can also take what you learn from traditional skills and apply them to digital.”

With the development of technology like drawing tablets and artistic software, many of traditionally challenging and time-consuming projects have become easier to produce. Technology has also allowed for artists to gain exposure quicker with social media. Large corporations are no longer essential for obtaining recognition.

Students and postgraduates that seek jobs in creative fields now have more opportunities to earn an income in the art industry than ever before.

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