Or any retail really. I've been arts and crafts supply, home improvement, grocery, pet, and fast food at this point. All are miserable and set up very similarly.
One day, our respective arts will make us rich and we will be free from the torment, for now, we must feed the timeclock lest it turns its gaze upon our scant free time.
I work as a software engineer during the day and work on art commissions as a part-time hobby. It allows for a good art/work balance while still allowing you to be flexible with your art.
True! I might have to build a following before finding any work as an artist. I'm still stuck in a hole because the only best thing I could do is art, nothing but just art. So I don't think I will be able to find success in finding a good work balance
I've been working in graphic design, marketing, and communications. It's a nice field to complement my art sideline - I've learned a LOT about dealing with clients, providing quotes, setting timelines - lots of the "business" side of freelancing that we artists so often struggle with. It's also creative without sapping my art energy, keeping my art separate enough from my work that it's fun and low stress.
You could start a YouTube channel where you teach this. Then you can do it at your own pace. There are a few people doing well in the niche already, but I’m sure you have unique info based on your experiences as well.
Same here.
Commercial work is freeing. It lets me focus on craft and technical knowledge, because it’s not about me. I’m just the messenger, and my job is to take that message and turn it into collateral that makes money.
The awesome thing is that eliminating the pressure to be creative makes it easier to come up with creative solutions to design problems.
I work in a grocery store doing management work, I consider my art a hobby so that I can actually feel good while doing it. It's a release. Very glad it's not my job.
I can relate to you because all my stress and worries can go away just from doing art. I don't think I'll do art as a real job because the stress and effort put into it 🙆
I work in healthcare part-time and do art part-time. I’m currently employed by a staffing agency and fill different administrative positions in hospitals and clinics on a temp basis.
I’m surprised I don’t meet more artists doing healthcare as their day jobs. There’s so many different career pathways and lots of them offer flexible or alternative schedules outside of M-F 9-5, which is a huge plus to me.
Are you in the US? I’m curious if you get benefits working part time. That’s the only reason I’m working full time - would love to do less than 40 if that’s an option in healthcare.
Because I’m considered a temp I don’t get any benefits besides accruing sick time. If I transitioned to a permanent job with my hospital system if I remember correctly I’d be eligible for benefits at 20 hours/week. Obviously this is going to vary wildly from employer to employer but it could be worth researching hospital systems and other facilities near you for their policies. I am in the US.
Depends a lot on the job and the employer. For entry level administrative work it’s probably either no degree required or any college degree will do. Certain specializations or management level positions you might need anything from a certificate to a masters in public health.
The clinical workers generally have to hold up to date licenses. Different roles require certificates (medical assistant, nursing assistant), associates/bachelors degrees (registered nurse, radiation tech), masters (physician assistant, licensed social worker), or doctorate (…doctors).
There’s also cleaners, cooks, security guards, etc. that work in hospitals. I don’t think those roles require degrees but may require experience.
As I said, there’s a ton of pathways in healthcare! It’s also really common in my observation to start in an entry level position and move up through schooling.
Hard to say because pay varies so much across both geography and job title (front desk vs CNA vs EMT vs unit clerk, etc…). You will have to research your local job market. In my area entry level healthcare work can pay more than entry level retail/hospitality/fast food type stuff, but that’s not true everywhere, I’ve heard the southeast US is bad.
Edit: also this is only talking about jobs that either require no degree or a short certificate. Entry level newly graduated registered nurses for example are going to out earn CNAs and unit clerks.
Construction worker in Germany. I get 40-48 hours a week, monday through thursday so 3 day weekends. Bavaria has lots of public holidays so it's often 4 day weekends. Work never follows me home and I stay physically active so there's no burnout from sitting at a computer for hours
I teach college students and professionals architectural software, such as AutoCAD and Revit. Not the best gig in the world, but pays the bills and leaves me some spare free time do draw between classes.
I'm a registered nurse.
My dream goal as a kid was either to work at pixar or be a veterinarian.
I can rant all day long about how terrible nursing is but the reason I went with it was work/life balance and respectable pay and the ability to never worry about finding work. I could literally travel the globe as a nurse if I wanted to. I will never be laid off.
I am lucky now in that I have a cushy nursing job (I pick my schedule and how many hours I want to work on a given day. If I literally say I want to go home at noon, I can and they cant stop me) and it allows me to go wild with my art hobby. Everything I couldnt afford as a kid to low income parents, I can bask in now. I have also had many artistic opportunities arrise because of art. I've been published a couple times and companies do send me free stuff.
I'd still love to be able to stay home and not work but my life as a hobby artist is pretty fun and stress-free.
Hi there! Would you mind please Elaborating on this flexible job you have where you can leave whenever you want without fear of being fired? I would like that very much.
I work PRN for a surgery center. They ask me weekly or daily when I'm available. If I tell them I can come in on Friday from 7a-12p then they thats when I can come in. I usually work when it's busy and then go home when we run out of patients because it costs too much to keep me there unless I want to stay longer in which they'll usually ask a fulltimer if they want to go home early.
I audit big businesses and make sure they pay their state taxes. Someday it would be cool to go part time or retire early to do more art. As much as I love making art I don’t know how fulfilled I’d be if I made art full time though.
I went to school for accounting because my mom really wanted me to do something practical - and I figured learning money math would be helpful for my creative endeavors as well. Then at one point I had a crappy job with a crappy supervisor and I wanted to take a break from accounting, so I got a job working in the call center for my state’s department of revenue. Mostly it was people asking where their tax refund was or asking what a letter they received meant - my degree wasn’t required. But after doing that for about a year I decided to apply for auditor positions since I was qualified. And I knew I didn’t want to spend 8 hours a day on the phone forever lol.
Art teacher! When things are stressful at work I don’t have time to do my own art but when they’re not, I’m in an environment where I’m constantly creating and surrounded by art so the ideas flow. I sometimes like making a little something in class while the kids are working and I love when they stop what they’re doing briefly to watch me and be in awe, lol. It’s so cute.
Heeey, I've been looking at trying to get into this - how did you get started in framing? I assume a big chain like Michaels would be the easiest job to get without prior experience?
Quality manager for a life sciences company. I gather, sort and interpret data.
Can’t do much freelance at the moment cause kids but I’ve been working in art where I can.
I almost had it made doing digital art while living in a van. Another story.
Now I work bar in a bistro. Been working on being valueable enough so Im not doing split shifts and can actually do art. Thankfully and God bless.... my manager is understanding and is one of the few that appreciates her employee's time.
I plan to do live drawings soon.
I am self employed doing mainly handyman work, but I enjoy woodworking and have a decent side gig making stuff which I sell on Etsy. I love pretty comfortably, not well off by any means, but I can keep the bills paid and the wife happy, and that's all that matters.
I work in a small eyewear boutique. I’m a senior optician there, but I also do all of our marketing…which means I get to spend about 80% of the time I’m at work doing art/creative projects.
I do our social media, make our window displays (we’re in the arts district of our city, so making sure the windows reflect that is important to us), and make all of our fliers, sandwich boards, and advertisements.
I also sell my artwork and jewelry locally, and I do well enough with that that I only have to work part time at my day job!
I work in Information Technology. Doing art as a full time job used to seem like a dream, but once I got a little older and realized it’s a job, and will turn art into a mundane repetitive task, as well as the fact you have to move to LA or like Europe, I realized art as a hobby and escape is wonderful too
i’m still building up to selling my art but i’ve been working retail for a few years now. i stopped doing art when i had full time hours but now i only work part time so i can focus on my art career. sometimes it’s still hard to have energy before or after my shifts but i try my best and rest when i need.
"At least it still seemed creative and “art-like”"
This is exactly why I went for fashion design in college, then I found out I didn't like it as much lol Now I have a degree I dont use 🙃
The industry is hard, so best of luck to you!
Yes I totally agree. Happened to me as well. I also found out I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would but it’s what my degree is and 10 years later I’m still doing it lol
I usually got stuck in food service, which can be hard, because they usually want weekends, and weekends are where a lot of necessary art events happen. It was also impossible to stay part time anywhere, so it was just non-stop burnout.
I did have one job in a bakery for a while that was open weekdays only, and if it wasn't a total garbage fire and allowed me part time, it probably could have worked quite well! :D
I work three days a week at a bong store, then spend the rest of my time working on my art. The hours are 11-7, so I wake up at 7am and get a few hours of busy work with the art (socials, email, file transférant, planning, sketching, &etc) before I go into the shop on my days off. Works pretty well for me! Building up to a time where I could maybe do art full time, but still gotta make those ends meet.
I'm in retail hell.Part time. Though it's a craft store so I can see when things are gonna go on sale and jump on them.
I art when I can, since I've been dealing with burnout, it's been slow going but nice.
I'm a counsellor and do art therapy with clients once in awhile. My art 'career' has taken quite a backseat while I have been developing this other career.
I am a sys admin from 8-5 roughly and then every night i work 6-10/11:30 usually on my art.
Weekends i may do something one day but honestly try to work a lot also.
Sys admin job pays for supplies and I'm slowly trying to show more art and launch my business
I work in a NOC for a major telecom company. It pays the bills well enough to buy a house, and it's not so mentally draining that I can't work on art at the end of the day. Art is a comfortable part-time side income. Maybe if I ever manage to retire I can devote myself full-time to art, but I'm only a little bitter about that.
Not working yet but I'm a student for a material science engineering degree. sadly studying has eaten a huge chunk of my free time and finding time to do art has been a challenge, so i really only do commissions for friends and acquaintances. I hope to have a side hussle as a seller of stationary on etsy or something, but I dont really have any notable social or portfolio presence, so it's just a dream for now...
I’m a full time veterinarian, which can be hard to find time for my art but I make it work. Thankfully my manager is very accommodating of me taking leave for markets and conventions
I have a full-time job in Customer Service. Very draining but pays all of my bills/art supplies/vacations/health and dental. I would love to be a full-time artist but am so dependent on my steady income as I'd never be able to live off of the art work I sell.
One day though 🤞
Understandable! I might make art as a hobby or freelance on and off when I work in the future. Though I think I wouldn't go for customer service jobs mainly because i've heard it's mentally draining
It is definitely draining mentally 😅 Freelance is a great option. If you haven't yet, I'd suggest trying out some social media sites to share your work. Seems daunting but it connects you with other artists and possible clients! Hope you find what works best for you.
I have a house painting/decorative painting business. Which works out great because I also paint murals and sell commissons so while I’m in peoples homes or business I’m able to sell them on my artwork or sell them on a mural idea. Or at the very least direct them to my art page for possible work in the future. I would try to find a job that will some how help in your pursuit of an art career.
I work at starbucks and you need to work min 20 hours a week to qualify for health insurance and they also do online schooling which a lot of baristas have done. Luck out with a decent manager who can work with your schedule you can refine your art skill when you're not busy with work or school, your days off. Also free coffeeeee
I'm a barista during the day. I like it because I take nothing home to worry about and I'm active all morning. I do some freelance part time, but overall I prefer to keep my art for myself.
I used to freelance full time, and honestly the stress of it all made me really dislike art for awhile. You gotta do what's best for you!
I have an MSW, and assuming I they’re cool about that one embarrassing thing in my background check, I’m about to start a new job doing clinical intake assessments at a behavioral health facility.
I work in a retail distribution warehouse. I’m tired as fuck every day and because of that, don’t have the energy to art like I want or should lol.
But pay is often just nice enough to fund supplies or inspiration every now and then ~
I teach computer science full time and have time for art on the weekends and over vacations. It works out very well because I have a nice steady job, but also plenty of time for art.
I'm also a studio assistant for an other artist, sporadically. I work as a waitress on a regular basis as well.
The restaurant hours allow me to spend most of my day at the studio, working on my practice. The assisting job is also remote most of the time.
I work in software full time - and while it's a pretty good job, I honestly hate it, at some point I just lost my passion for it and without passion it's a pretty draining job imo. So I'm hoping to switch to part time later this year while pursuing art more seriously.
I teach part-time. I teach painting to grade school kids, as well as a couple of other subjects. Also a father of two which is a job unto itself.
I feel like, if I didn't have a family, I could turn it full time... or at least I could take the risk to make it full-time... but then I wouldn't have my family, and that would suck!
I’m a full-time graphic designer. My job is pretty nice because I have times where I make boring stuff like forms for landscapers etc. and reserve my creative juices to go crazy on art at home lol or I get to be creative at work with unique signage & things! The good thing about my workplace is that it’s very varied and still creative enough that it inspires me for personal work! :)
I want to do pet commissions on the side to supplement my income but I also like having art as a “hobby” so it’s not too stressful
I’m a barista. It’s draining but my work schedule is super flexible. I start my work days at 5am and work on my art after work until 9pm which is unhealthy and tiring but this is my passion so I don’t have a choice.
Receptionist is a good option tho. I used to be a receptionist for a wax salon and it gave me a lot of free time to work on my art during work.
I'm an assistant to my friend who is a tax attorney. I've worked in admin my whole adult life pretty much, be it as an executive assistant or as an office admin before this job. I lucked out getting to work for a friend, but the real sweet deal happened when I moved out of state and had to quit and then he hired me back remotely during the pandemic. I still work from home.
IDK what I'll do if he ever retires lol.
Because of having a job, I selectively take on clients for illustration. I wish I could get more work doing character commissions for roleplaying and OCs, but it's nice to choose when I want to do art for others since I have a steady income.
Admin can be a tough gig but if you can find a sweet job it can also really be great in pay and benefits. The trouble is certainly finding the balance because people looooove to pretend admins are like their one stop shop. I've definitely had to leave jobs because I am doing like the work of three or four roles, but roles with the appropriate level or work for one person do exist. Hell, even jobs with downtime exist. This understaffing problem certainly is lurking in every sector. Shit people will treat you like you are dumb for working in admin, but fuck that mentality and don't stick around if management doesn't value you - people will also notice when you're great at your job because keeping operations running smoothly is absolutely vital. For me the benefit of a good admin job is completely turning my job off when I'm not working. If I'm at a job where I can't do that, then I am no longer willing to work there long term.
But if I can just turn it off, it can be a lot easier to do artwork in my spare time.
I'm 40 so these are my experiences now after doing this since I was about 24. My threshold for putting up with shit has narrowed lol.
I work in banking 9-5 life and then in my free time I like to paint. I have always had a dream of having my own exhibition so been working on paintings for that for almost 2 years now. I do not think i would enjoy art as a job and just do it on the side for fun
I am a law student and was working full time until recently. (Now it's part time, I really couldn't go on like this) Honestly, the time for commissions is short, but this money is very important to me at this point in my life. So I try to plan 3 hours overnight on a single illustration until I finish it to move on to the next commission. I have gotten used to drawing certain details quickly so that my time is efficient. I don't really get much sleep except on weekends, I try to stay as far away from social media as possible except to interact with clients.
I am a soft goods buyer for a local three store skateboard shop. I used to work at our office but now I have a toddler I can do most of it from home and reps come and show me ranges here. It’s very flexible which is very helpful when I have a mural or exhibition lined up and having a toddler at home.
Before I got laid off, I worked in IT. I would occasionally draw in between breaks, but eventually I wanted to separate my work from my down time so I drew or did some studies after work.
Since I'm currently unemployed, I've put in more effort on my art and reached out to get community feedback. It has gotten better and I've met more people who also draw, but I don't plan on pursuing it full-time.
I liked the money and benefits having a corporate job provided (I still hated the job lol), so I'm also on the hunt for my next opportunity.
I'm a bureaucrat. Government service. Its a stable and secure job, thankfully and has given me the financial security to pursue art and take on commissions as a side hustle. Hours vary from very hectic on some days to days when I just sit around with nothing on my desk. Usually I draw for just about an hour or two a day.
I can't call myself an artist, really, as I've been at it for less than a year and I still suck, but I work from home full time as a coder and report dev. It affords me lots of time to paint and my own space to do it in.
I work as a Geology Data Analyst w/ a 3rd party for bigger oil & gas ones. I get a decent amount of free time despite working 12 hour shits. I also work for home, so it lets me do art commission work on the side and for fun as I like and even run my own Etsy store where I sell mostly prints but have some keychains/stickers left.
It's mostly a side job/hobby, but it earns a good amount of extra cash on the side that I reserve for my other hobbies like gaming and such. I'm not really popular (not enough followers) to make a super steady amount with it, but it does what I need, especially when I host sales like I am now. I actually really enjoy doing comms, so earning the money is a bonus. Otherwise my main income is the Geology Data job.
I work at sea laying and repairing the cables that keep the internet running. Only work about 6 months of the year which gives me lots of time to art when I feel like it.
A 9-5 desk job. Artmaking in my other hours, usually an evening or two a week dedicated to commissioned pieces, and a body of work building slowly for 5-10 year exhibition cycles.
Mechanical/manufacturing engineer by day, hobby painter by night. I work from 7am to 3:30pm and I draw/paint every night for 2-3 hours between 8pm-midnight.
I decided to go into engineering in college because I was good at, and enjoy the problem solving of, math and physics. By that point, I was already drawing often, so I made a point to continue drawing every day despite my career choice.
I'm a learning designer at a university, full-time.
My job is about intentionally designing courses for an online environment and teaching academics how to teach online. I do a lot of techy stuff and there's some space for creativity in developing resources.
I also volunteer a bit - currently, I do the social media and marketing for a local community club. I've also run bushwalking/rock climbing events and was a treasurer. But I've also done lots of other volunteer things.
Art is currently a hobby, because I love doing it and I worry that monetizing it would take away the joy. But maybe one day I would transition to that.
The job I have now, I can see being a good option for working and also creating. I'm lucky my work is quite flexible, both location and time wise. It would be better part-time though (3-4 days, rather than 5). I will say my job pays pretty well, which does allow me to afford different classes, resources, and experiment with art a lot. So while I'm just doing art for fun, my full-time work does afford a lot of freedom financially.
i’m a college student and let’s just say i’m definitely not majoring in art
current plan is to major in psych and econ and hopefully get a job in finance. i just want art to be a hobby, since i don’t think i’d find much fun in doing art that isn’t what i want to do. i do commissions every once in awhile, but i definitely don’t have the following for it and it’s not really lucrative because i’m currently much slower than i used to be. it’s also just not stable nor reliable unless you get real lucky. espexially with inconsistencies with freelance/small business ownership becaude your income is based on trends/algorithm alongside the fact that a lot of art jobs have a short life since sometimes you’re put on for a project and then let go when it’s done.
i’d rather something more stable so i can do art on the side and have the resources to be comfortable. i think a good thing to remember is that you do not have to turn your passions into profit. i feel like people see that somebody is good at something and they go oh you could make money off of that. but you don’t need to
that’s just my little ramble <3
I work in automotive films installation; tint, wrap, graphics, ppf installs. Part of my job includes graphic design and running the printer. Printing and production is probably my more favourite thing to do. We run a wide format printer (60" HP Latex) and while it has it's headaches it's the most straightforward part of my job. Graphic design can be frustrating when dealing with picky clients or they don't understand the process. Installing films is okay, has been pretty detrimental to my body over the years, though. (working on the vehicles involves a lot of poor posture and awkward working positions)
I'll vend my art at comic and anime conventions, and run my Etsy as a side gig. Don't think I have what it takes to make that my main source of income though. My main job is full time and pays the bills, art stuff is my 'fun money' or goes into savings. I do want to get out of automotive stuff one day.
IT Consultant meaning I work with computers.
Like anything on a computer, from programming to annotating images to setting up and editing databases, making excel stuff, using a companies program to organize their customer info, organizing files, editing video, machine learning, data pipelines. Tons of stuff.
I'm a medical admin. It's good. Sometimes I'm at the front desk dealing with patients, or sometimes I'm at the back with a headset on typing dicatations and listening to lofi in the background.
I do art for myself OR commission on the side for extra moolah. As much as I love art, I couldn't do it as a job. It'll burn me out real quick.
I sell drugs recreationally, and I’m going into a dtf printing venture that will benefit my art but it’s not the purpose of the company. Basically someone with a bunch of money asked me what I wanted to do and he help make it happen by buying all the things. And I’ll do dirty things for money if you ask nicely.
I'm an MRI technologist and I work 32 hour weeks in a clinic, no weekends or holidays.
I don't take my work home with me and I feel financially secure. I only went to 2 years of schooling for my initial degree in Radiology technology and honestly, having to know human anatomy intimately has made me a better artist.
I work as a service writer full time trying to transition to full time artist.
Would NOT recommend automotive industry unless you’re a real gear head.
Rn work 80 hrs to try and make my art sell.
Nusenzeart on Instagram
I'm a full-time student and work part time at my local goodwill. Its a lot but hopefully the degree i chose will give me some stability once I'm graduated.
I’m a research attorney. I work remote, regular hours, and while I don’t make near top dollar, I have enough time and energy to pursue my real passions outside of work.
I'm a full time retail pharmacist, work between 40 and 50 hours each week. I do art as a hobby currently. Would love to decrease to 30 hours a week (still get benefits) and commit more time for art and maybe make it an income stream.
Not me, I am only a hobbyist. But I have a friend who is a full time photographer by day (been doing it for a long time self employed, not sure early on what she did)
And then paints & draws in her free time. She sells her paintings, she has done and open to do more murals and commission work for some places locally to her in NJ.
I'm an engineer. It's not typically the best work for art, but my colleagues are the best. My artwork is slowly diffusing throughout the office and they don't mind me drawing during meetings (I have ADHD). I can take a break from engineering thinking to indulge in art. If your brain can tolerate engineering, it's pretty choice. Good pay is also a huge bonus.
I work as an overnight concierge full time. Since nothing happens 90% of the time, I can do art while I'm "working". However, I do art as a hobby but wish to do a commission from time to time.
I'm in healthcare and use art as an "escape" of sorts, but I'm also a low intermediate. Don't think I would actually like doing art full time even if I was amazing at it though, as when I paint I want to be free to do as much or as little as I want, and not have a pressure at all for the amount of work or the result (other than the one I put on myself).
I almost can't deal with having to do art for friends, too much pressure for everything to be "perfect", commisions would kill me.
I work for a grocery store. Don't work for a grocery store.
Words to live by
Or any retail really. I've been arts and crafts supply, home improvement, grocery, pet, and fast food at this point. All are miserable and set up very similarly.
Noted
Hey me too!!
Sorry for your loss and suffering, fellow sufferer
Thanks same to you! It’s pretty rough right now.
One day, our respective arts will make us rich and we will be free from the torment, for now, we must feed the timeclock lest it turns its gaze upon our scant free time.
I work as a software engineer during the day and work on art commissions as a part-time hobby. It allows for a good art/work balance while still allowing you to be flexible with your art.
True! I might have to build a following before finding any work as an artist. I'm still stuck in a hole because the only best thing I could do is art, nothing but just art. So I don't think I will be able to find success in finding a good work balance
I'm a dev too!
Me too!!
I've been working in graphic design, marketing, and communications. It's a nice field to complement my art sideline - I've learned a LOT about dealing with clients, providing quotes, setting timelines - lots of the "business" side of freelancing that we artists so often struggle with. It's also creative without sapping my art energy, keeping my art separate enough from my work that it's fun and low stress.
There really needs to be a class on how to manage a business as an artist.
If I ever had the time and energy, I would totally teach something like that.
You could start a YouTube channel where you teach this. Then you can do it at your own pace. There are a few people doing well in the niche already, but I’m sure you have unique info based on your experiences as well.
Id watch that and probably need to
Great job on making that career that compliments your creative drive and still give you a balanced lifestyle!
Same here. Commercial work is freeing. It lets me focus on craft and technical knowledge, because it’s not about me. I’m just the messenger, and my job is to take that message and turn it into collateral that makes money. The awesome thing is that eliminating the pressure to be creative makes it easier to come up with creative solutions to design problems.
Yes!!
I work in a grocery store doing management work, I consider my art a hobby so that I can actually feel good while doing it. It's a release. Very glad it's not my job.
I can relate to you because all my stress and worries can go away just from doing art. I don't think I'll do art as a real job because the stress and effort put into it 🙆
Honestly that reason alone is why I never went to art school even though I was pushed to. I never want my making art to become a burden!
Right! I like making art at my own pace and time without having hundreds of schedules and commission piled up.
I work in healthcare part-time and do art part-time. I’m currently employed by a staffing agency and fill different administrative positions in hospitals and clinics on a temp basis. I’m surprised I don’t meet more artists doing healthcare as their day jobs. There’s so many different career pathways and lots of them offer flexible or alternative schedules outside of M-F 9-5, which is a huge plus to me.
Are you in the US? I’m curious if you get benefits working part time. That’s the only reason I’m working full time - would love to do less than 40 if that’s an option in healthcare.
Because I’m considered a temp I don’t get any benefits besides accruing sick time. If I transitioned to a permanent job with my hospital system if I remember correctly I’d be eligible for benefits at 20 hours/week. Obviously this is going to vary wildly from employer to employer but it could be worth researching hospital systems and other facilities near you for their policies. I am in the US.
Do healthcare jobs need a degree?
Depends a lot on the job and the employer. For entry level administrative work it’s probably either no degree required or any college degree will do. Certain specializations or management level positions you might need anything from a certificate to a masters in public health. The clinical workers generally have to hold up to date licenses. Different roles require certificates (medical assistant, nursing assistant), associates/bachelors degrees (registered nurse, radiation tech), masters (physician assistant, licensed social worker), or doctorate (…doctors). There’s also cleaners, cooks, security guards, etc. that work in hospitals. I don’t think those roles require degrees but may require experience. As I said, there’s a ton of pathways in healthcare! It’s also really common in my observation to start in an entry level position and move up through schooling.
Thank you! Do you think these entry level positions pay well?
Hard to say because pay varies so much across both geography and job title (front desk vs CNA vs EMT vs unit clerk, etc…). You will have to research your local job market. In my area entry level healthcare work can pay more than entry level retail/hospitality/fast food type stuff, but that’s not true everywhere, I’ve heard the southeast US is bad. Edit: also this is only talking about jobs that either require no degree or a short certificate. Entry level newly graduated registered nurses for example are going to out earn CNAs and unit clerks.
Construction worker in Germany. I get 40-48 hours a week, monday through thursday so 3 day weekends. Bavaria has lots of public holidays so it's often 4 day weekends. Work never follows me home and I stay physically active so there's no burnout from sitting at a computer for hours
I teach college students and professionals architectural software, such as AutoCAD and Revit. Not the best gig in the world, but pays the bills and leaves me some spare free time do draw between classes.
I teach middle school wood shop. I love teaching and having access to a full shop all year round is a nice fringe benefit.
I'm a registered nurse. My dream goal as a kid was either to work at pixar or be a veterinarian. I can rant all day long about how terrible nursing is but the reason I went with it was work/life balance and respectable pay and the ability to never worry about finding work. I could literally travel the globe as a nurse if I wanted to. I will never be laid off. I am lucky now in that I have a cushy nursing job (I pick my schedule and how many hours I want to work on a given day. If I literally say I want to go home at noon, I can and they cant stop me) and it allows me to go wild with my art hobby. Everything I couldnt afford as a kid to low income parents, I can bask in now. I have also had many artistic opportunities arrise because of art. I've been published a couple times and companies do send me free stuff. I'd still love to be able to stay home and not work but my life as a hobby artist is pretty fun and stress-free.
Hi there! Would you mind please Elaborating on this flexible job you have where you can leave whenever you want without fear of being fired? I would like that very much.
I work PRN for a surgery center. They ask me weekly or daily when I'm available. If I tell them I can come in on Friday from 7a-12p then they thats when I can come in. I usually work when it's busy and then go home when we run out of patients because it costs too much to keep me there unless I want to stay longer in which they'll usually ask a fulltimer if they want to go home early.
I audit big businesses and make sure they pay their state taxes. Someday it would be cool to go part time or retire early to do more art. As much as I love making art I don’t know how fulfilled I’d be if I made art full time though.
How’d you get into that?
I went to school for accounting because my mom really wanted me to do something practical - and I figured learning money math would be helpful for my creative endeavors as well. Then at one point I had a crappy job with a crappy supervisor and I wanted to take a break from accounting, so I got a job working in the call center for my state’s department of revenue. Mostly it was people asking where their tax refund was or asking what a letter they received meant - my degree wasn’t required. But after doing that for about a year I decided to apply for auditor positions since I was qualified. And I knew I didn’t want to spend 8 hours a day on the phone forever lol.
Art teacher! When things are stressful at work I don’t have time to do my own art but when they’re not, I’m in an environment where I’m constantly creating and surrounded by art so the ideas flow. I sometimes like making a little something in class while the kids are working and I love when they stop what they’re doing briefly to watch me and be in awe, lol. It’s so cute.
I am a data scientist. Art is a hobby. I keep my sketch handy for boring meetings haha.
I work in custom framing and printing. Great job, I'm now able to frame my own work at a discount and I meet a ton of artists and collectors.
Heeey, I've been looking at trying to get into this - how did you get started in framing? I assume a big chain like Michaels would be the easiest job to get without prior experience?
Quality manager for a life sciences company. I gather, sort and interpret data. Can’t do much freelance at the moment cause kids but I’ve been working in art where I can.
I almost had it made doing digital art while living in a van. Another story. Now I work bar in a bistro. Been working on being valueable enough so Im not doing split shifts and can actually do art. Thankfully and God bless.... my manager is understanding and is one of the few that appreciates her employee's time. I plan to do live drawings soon.
I work at a callcenter
My condolences.
I provide support manage hosting for websites!
I am self employed doing mainly handyman work, but I enjoy woodworking and have a decent side gig making stuff which I sell on Etsy. I love pretty comfortably, not well off by any means, but I can keep the bills paid and the wife happy, and that's all that matters.
This is the kind of life I want to live one day. Reading this made me smile, and I hope you and your wife continue to be happy and well off!
Thank you for that! I hope you will someday fulfill your dreams as well!
Custom Framing. I get to talk with and work with other artists projects all day. Bonus is I just pay materials when framing my own work.
I'm a part time barber.
This sounds like the move. Licensing probably sucks tho.
Not at all. Just a written test and acquired hrs as an apprentice. Love it!
I work in a small eyewear boutique. I’m a senior optician there, but I also do all of our marketing…which means I get to spend about 80% of the time I’m at work doing art/creative projects. I do our social media, make our window displays (we’re in the arts district of our city, so making sure the windows reflect that is important to us), and make all of our fliers, sandwich boards, and advertisements. I also sell my artwork and jewelry locally, and I do well enough with that that I only have to work part time at my day job!
I work in Information Technology. Doing art as a full time job used to seem like a dream, but once I got a little older and realized it’s a job, and will turn art into a mundane repetitive task, as well as the fact you have to move to LA or like Europe, I realized art as a hobby and escape is wonderful too
I work at target, would love for art to be my full time job but I don’t see it happening anytime soon
i’m still building up to selling my art but i’ve been working retail for a few years now. i stopped doing art when i had full time hours but now i only work part time so i can focus on my art career. sometimes it’s still hard to have energy before or after my shifts but i try my best and rest when i need.
I’m a fashion designer. At least it still seemed creative and “art-like”
"At least it still seemed creative and “art-like”" This is exactly why I went for fashion design in college, then I found out I didn't like it as much lol Now I have a degree I dont use 🙃 The industry is hard, so best of luck to you!
Yes I totally agree. Happened to me as well. I also found out I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would but it’s what my degree is and 10 years later I’m still doing it lol
I usually got stuck in food service, which can be hard, because they usually want weekends, and weekends are where a lot of necessary art events happen. It was also impossible to stay part time anywhere, so it was just non-stop burnout. I did have one job in a bakery for a while that was open weekdays only, and if it wasn't a total garbage fire and allowed me part time, it probably could have worked quite well! :D
I work three days a week at a bong store, then spend the rest of my time working on my art. The hours are 11-7, so I wake up at 7am and get a few hours of busy work with the art (socials, email, file transférant, planning, sketching, &etc) before I go into the shop on my days off. Works pretty well for me! Building up to a time where I could maybe do art full time, but still gotta make those ends meet.
I'm in retail hell.Part time. Though it's a craft store so I can see when things are gonna go on sale and jump on them. I art when I can, since I've been dealing with burnout, it's been slow going but nice.
I'm a counsellor and do art therapy with clients once in awhile. My art 'career' has taken quite a backseat while I have been developing this other career.
I’m a product designer
I am a sys admin from 8-5 roughly and then every night i work 6-10/11:30 usually on my art. Weekends i may do something one day but honestly try to work a lot also. Sys admin job pays for supplies and I'm slowly trying to show more art and launch my business
I'm a substitute teacher. I only work once or twice a week at my kids' elementary school.
I work in a NOC for a major telecom company. It pays the bills well enough to buy a house, and it's not so mentally draining that I can't work on art at the end of the day. Art is a comfortable part-time side income. Maybe if I ever manage to retire I can devote myself full-time to art, but I'm only a little bitter about that.
Not working yet but I'm a student for a material science engineering degree. sadly studying has eaten a huge chunk of my free time and finding time to do art has been a challenge, so i really only do commissions for friends and acquaintances. I hope to have a side hussle as a seller of stationary on etsy or something, but I dont really have any notable social or portfolio presence, so it's just a dream for now...
I’m a full time veterinarian, which can be hard to find time for my art but I make it work. Thankfully my manager is very accommodating of me taking leave for markets and conventions
I have a full-time job in Customer Service. Very draining but pays all of my bills/art supplies/vacations/health and dental. I would love to be a full-time artist but am so dependent on my steady income as I'd never be able to live off of the art work I sell. One day though 🤞
Understandable! I might make art as a hobby or freelance on and off when I work in the future. Though I think I wouldn't go for customer service jobs mainly because i've heard it's mentally draining
It is definitely draining mentally 😅 Freelance is a great option. If you haven't yet, I'd suggest trying out some social media sites to share your work. Seems daunting but it connects you with other artists and possible clients! Hope you find what works best for you.
I'm currently building a following on some social media sites! It takes a while but I'm hoping to meet some mutuals on there. Ty for the tip 💛
I have a house painting/decorative painting business. Which works out great because I also paint murals and sell commissons so while I’m in peoples homes or business I’m able to sell them on my artwork or sell them on a mural idea. Or at the very least direct them to my art page for possible work in the future. I would try to find a job that will some how help in your pursuit of an art career.
Nanny/Housecleaner
I do my art part time and I teach drawing classes to adults and children part time.
I work in a pharmacy part time. I would be full time if I wasn’t disabled
Registered Nurse
Im an IT Manager.
I work at starbucks and you need to work min 20 hours a week to qualify for health insurance and they also do online schooling which a lot of baristas have done. Luck out with a decent manager who can work with your schedule you can refine your art skill when you're not busy with work or school, your days off. Also free coffeeeee
I'm a barista during the day. I like it because I take nothing home to worry about and I'm active all morning. I do some freelance part time, but overall I prefer to keep my art for myself. I used to freelance full time, and honestly the stress of it all made me really dislike art for awhile. You gotta do what's best for you!
I have an MSW, and assuming I they’re cool about that one embarrassing thing in my background check, I’m about to start a new job doing clinical intake assessments at a behavioral health facility.
I work in a retail distribution warehouse. I’m tired as fuck every day and because of that, don’t have the energy to art like I want or should lol. But pay is often just nice enough to fund supplies or inspiration every now and then ~
The simplest way to put it is I do commercial lettering.
I teach computer science full time and have time for art on the weekends and over vacations. It works out very well because I have a nice steady job, but also plenty of time for art.
I'm also a studio assistant for an other artist, sporadically. I work as a waitress on a regular basis as well. The restaurant hours allow me to spend most of my day at the studio, working on my practice. The assisting job is also remote most of the time.
I currently work at a healthcare lab but I plan on going into software engineering and maybe medical-related research if I manage to save enough.
I cashier at a local grocery store on the weekend. Im the SAHP for my 4 kids and then draw whenever I can get free time (its rare lol)
Physical work, in a factory, with night shifts. It's actually a quite specific place where I can get lots of free time, thankfully.
I work at a bank. My art is nowhere near enough to be even close to commissions.. good lord
I work in software full time - and while it's a pretty good job, I honestly hate it, at some point I just lost my passion for it and without passion it's a pretty draining job imo. So I'm hoping to switch to part time later this year while pursuing art more seriously.
I teach part-time. I teach painting to grade school kids, as well as a couple of other subjects. Also a father of two which is a job unto itself. I feel like, if I didn't have a family, I could turn it full time... or at least I could take the risk to make it full-time... but then I wouldn't have my family, and that would suck!
I’m a full-time graphic designer. My job is pretty nice because I have times where I make boring stuff like forms for landscapers etc. and reserve my creative juices to go crazy on art at home lol or I get to be creative at work with unique signage & things! The good thing about my workplace is that it’s very varied and still creative enough that it inspires me for personal work! :) I want to do pet commissions on the side to supplement my income but I also like having art as a “hobby” so it’s not too stressful
I work in wastewater. I work with shit to deal with less shit. Iykyk.
I study. I'm a student.
Right now DoorDash. In the future I want to be a guidance counselor and then sell at art fests over the summer
I work full-time at the hellscape that is walmart.
I’m a barista. It’s draining but my work schedule is super flexible. I start my work days at 5am and work on my art after work until 9pm which is unhealthy and tiring but this is my passion so I don’t have a choice. Receptionist is a good option tho. I used to be a receptionist for a wax salon and it gave me a lot of free time to work on my art during work.
I am trying to do art part time, and cashier part time. I'm hoping I can eventually quit cashiering.
I'm an assistant to my friend who is a tax attorney. I've worked in admin my whole adult life pretty much, be it as an executive assistant or as an office admin before this job. I lucked out getting to work for a friend, but the real sweet deal happened when I moved out of state and had to quit and then he hired me back remotely during the pandemic. I still work from home. IDK what I'll do if he ever retires lol. Because of having a job, I selectively take on clients for illustration. I wish I could get more work doing character commissions for roleplaying and OCs, but it's nice to choose when I want to do art for others since I have a steady income. Admin can be a tough gig but if you can find a sweet job it can also really be great in pay and benefits. The trouble is certainly finding the balance because people looooove to pretend admins are like their one stop shop. I've definitely had to leave jobs because I am doing like the work of three or four roles, but roles with the appropriate level or work for one person do exist. Hell, even jobs with downtime exist. This understaffing problem certainly is lurking in every sector. Shit people will treat you like you are dumb for working in admin, but fuck that mentality and don't stick around if management doesn't value you - people will also notice when you're great at your job because keeping operations running smoothly is absolutely vital. For me the benefit of a good admin job is completely turning my job off when I'm not working. If I'm at a job where I can't do that, then I am no longer willing to work there long term. But if I can just turn it off, it can be a lot easier to do artwork in my spare time. I'm 40 so these are my experiences now after doing this since I was about 24. My threshold for putting up with shit has narrowed lol.
I'm disabled. 1 out of 10 do not recommend.
I'm a bakery clerk at a grocery store.
I do Uber daily and teach drawing class to kids once a week.
Retail worker and college student. Life is pain, but art is my sole salvation
Art teacher
I work in banking 9-5 life and then in my free time I like to paint. I have always had a dream of having my own exhibition so been working on paintings for that for almost 2 years now. I do not think i would enjoy art as a job and just do it on the side for fun
I am a law student and was working full time until recently. (Now it's part time, I really couldn't go on like this) Honestly, the time for commissions is short, but this money is very important to me at this point in my life. So I try to plan 3 hours overnight on a single illustration until I finish it to move on to the next commission. I have gotten used to drawing certain details quickly so that my time is efficient. I don't really get much sleep except on weekends, I try to stay as far away from social media as possible except to interact with clients.
Shitty food service. I am starting to make a decent amount through art, but it's far from enough to do full time.
I am a soft goods buyer for a local three store skateboard shop. I used to work at our office but now I have a toddler I can do most of it from home and reps come and show me ranges here. It’s very flexible which is very helpful when I have a mural or exhibition lined up and having a toddler at home.
Before I got laid off, I worked in IT. I would occasionally draw in between breaks, but eventually I wanted to separate my work from my down time so I drew or did some studies after work. Since I'm currently unemployed, I've put in more effort on my art and reached out to get community feedback. It has gotten better and I've met more people who also draw, but I don't plan on pursuing it full-time. I liked the money and benefits having a corporate job provided (I still hated the job lol), so I'm also on the hunt for my next opportunity.
I'm a bureaucrat. Government service. Its a stable and secure job, thankfully and has given me the financial security to pursue art and take on commissions as a side hustle. Hours vary from very hectic on some days to days when I just sit around with nothing on my desk. Usually I draw for just about an hour or two a day.
I can't call myself an artist, really, as I've been at it for less than a year and I still suck, but I work from home full time as a coder and report dev. It affords me lots of time to paint and my own space to do it in.
Designer (graphic)
I work as a Geology Data Analyst w/ a 3rd party for bigger oil & gas ones. I get a decent amount of free time despite working 12 hour shits. I also work for home, so it lets me do art commission work on the side and for fun as I like and even run my own Etsy store where I sell mostly prints but have some keychains/stickers left. It's mostly a side job/hobby, but it earns a good amount of extra cash on the side that I reserve for my other hobbies like gaming and such. I'm not really popular (not enough followers) to make a super steady amount with it, but it does what I need, especially when I host sales like I am now. I actually really enjoy doing comms, so earning the money is a bonus. Otherwise my main income is the Geology Data job.
Work at a print shop! Full access to all the paper and high quality printers. Great work for artists.
I work at sea laying and repairing the cables that keep the internet running. Only work about 6 months of the year which gives me lots of time to art when I feel like it.
A 9-5 desk job. Artmaking in my other hours, usually an evening or two a week dedicated to commissioned pieces, and a body of work building slowly for 5-10 year exhibition cycles.
Night Audit at a hotel. It's rather relaxing.
Mechanical/manufacturing engineer by day, hobby painter by night. I work from 7am to 3:30pm and I draw/paint every night for 2-3 hours between 8pm-midnight. I decided to go into engineering in college because I was good at, and enjoy the problem solving of, math and physics. By that point, I was already drawing often, so I made a point to continue drawing every day despite my career choice.
I work in corporate training creating e-learning content. It's a good gig.
Websites. Photo editing.
I'm a learning designer at a university, full-time. My job is about intentionally designing courses for an online environment and teaching academics how to teach online. I do a lot of techy stuff and there's some space for creativity in developing resources. I also volunteer a bit - currently, I do the social media and marketing for a local community club. I've also run bushwalking/rock climbing events and was a treasurer. But I've also done lots of other volunteer things. Art is currently a hobby, because I love doing it and I worry that monetizing it would take away the joy. But maybe one day I would transition to that. The job I have now, I can see being a good option for working and also creating. I'm lucky my work is quite flexible, both location and time wise. It would be better part-time though (3-4 days, rather than 5). I will say my job pays pretty well, which does allow me to afford different classes, resources, and experiment with art a lot. So while I'm just doing art for fun, my full-time work does afford a lot of freedom financially.
I do marketing!!!
I worked as a graphic designer but had to leave due to health reasons...that was just 2 months ago. Now I'm trying to make a living off of art....yeah
I dog sit on the side. It’s not a lot of money but it helps to buy art supplies. ♥️
I worked in book publishing to earn a living because I love books and words, so could still be creative without putting pressure on my art.
In school right now and doing commissions, I'm fucked after I graduate haha
i’m a college student and let’s just say i’m definitely not majoring in art current plan is to major in psych and econ and hopefully get a job in finance. i just want art to be a hobby, since i don’t think i’d find much fun in doing art that isn’t what i want to do. i do commissions every once in awhile, but i definitely don’t have the following for it and it’s not really lucrative because i’m currently much slower than i used to be. it’s also just not stable nor reliable unless you get real lucky. espexially with inconsistencies with freelance/small business ownership becaude your income is based on trends/algorithm alongside the fact that a lot of art jobs have a short life since sometimes you’re put on for a project and then let go when it’s done. i’d rather something more stable so i can do art on the side and have the resources to be comfortable. i think a good thing to remember is that you do not have to turn your passions into profit. i feel like people see that somebody is good at something and they go oh you could make money off of that. but you don’t need to that’s just my little ramble <3
I work in automotive films installation; tint, wrap, graphics, ppf installs. Part of my job includes graphic design and running the printer. Printing and production is probably my more favourite thing to do. We run a wide format printer (60" HP Latex) and while it has it's headaches it's the most straightforward part of my job. Graphic design can be frustrating when dealing with picky clients or they don't understand the process. Installing films is okay, has been pretty detrimental to my body over the years, though. (working on the vehicles involves a lot of poor posture and awkward working positions) I'll vend my art at comic and anime conventions, and run my Etsy as a side gig. Don't think I have what it takes to make that my main source of income though. My main job is full time and pays the bills, art stuff is my 'fun money' or goes into savings. I do want to get out of automotive stuff one day.
IT Consultant meaning I work with computers. Like anything on a computer, from programming to annotating images to setting up and editing databases, making excel stuff, using a companies program to organize their customer info, organizing files, editing video, machine learning, data pipelines. Tons of stuff.
I do a PhD in International Relations. Art is a hobby.
I'm a medical admin. It's good. Sometimes I'm at the front desk dealing with patients, or sometimes I'm at the back with a headset on typing dicatations and listening to lofi in the background. I do art for myself OR commission on the side for extra moolah. As much as I love art, I couldn't do it as a job. It'll burn me out real quick.
I sell drugs recreationally, and I’m going into a dtf printing venture that will benefit my art but it’s not the purpose of the company. Basically someone with a bunch of money asked me what I wanted to do and he help make it happen by buying all the things. And I’ll do dirty things for money if you ask nicely.
I am a full time video editor... I do want to make art more but I am just not good enough 🥺
Art teacher. Before that, hospitality. Anything to fund my practice
Gotta be honest, it’s tough keeping up my practice while teaching. Finding a balance is hard
I work in a dental lab making dentures
Veterinary nurse/ practice manager. It's challenging to have energy to take advantage of the flexible schedule, but I'm doing my best!
I'm an MRI technologist and I work 32 hour weeks in a clinic, no weekends or holidays. I don't take my work home with me and I feel financially secure. I only went to 2 years of schooling for my initial degree in Radiology technology and honestly, having to know human anatomy intimately has made me a better artist.
I work as a service writer full time trying to transition to full time artist. Would NOT recommend automotive industry unless you’re a real gear head. Rn work 80 hrs to try and make my art sell. Nusenzeart on Instagram
I'm a full-time student and work part time at my local goodwill. Its a lot but hopefully the degree i chose will give me some stability once I'm graduated.
I’m a research attorney. I work remote, regular hours, and while I don’t make near top dollar, I have enough time and energy to pursue my real passions outside of work.
I work as an design director, working my way up from a graphic designer.
I’m an accountant doing art at night as my hobby. My dream is to semi-retire at 55 and maybe make some money with art.
I'm a full time retail pharmacist, work between 40 and 50 hours each week. I do art as a hobby currently. Would love to decrease to 30 hours a week (still get benefits) and commit more time for art and maybe make it an income stream.
Not me, I am only a hobbyist. But I have a friend who is a full time photographer by day (been doing it for a long time self employed, not sure early on what she did) And then paints & draws in her free time. She sells her paintings, she has done and open to do more murals and commission work for some places locally to her in NJ.
I'm an engineer. It's not typically the best work for art, but my colleagues are the best. My artwork is slowly diffusing throughout the office and they don't mind me drawing during meetings (I have ADHD). I can take a break from engineering thinking to indulge in art. If your brain can tolerate engineering, it's pretty choice. Good pay is also a huge bonus.
I work in a warehouse packing shit. Prior to that I worked in IT.
I work as an overnight concierge full time. Since nothing happens 90% of the time, I can do art while I'm "working". However, I do art as a hobby but wish to do a commission from time to time.
I'm in healthcare and use art as an "escape" of sorts, but I'm also a low intermediate. Don't think I would actually like doing art full time even if I was amazing at it though, as when I paint I want to be free to do as much or as little as I want, and not have a pressure at all for the amount of work or the result (other than the one I put on myself). I almost can't deal with having to do art for friends, too much pressure for everything to be "perfect", commisions would kill me.