i was just wondering...
i really don't know what to do when i'm out of high school. i don't know what to do with my art. so i was just wondering, what does everybody else plan to do with their lifes? and if you're already out of high school, what are you doing with ur art careers? tell me everything!! is it enough to survive on? will i have to marry for money???? lol???

Once I get out of high school, I will go to a University of Art somewhere. Then I guess I will move to Tokyo and get a apartment there.

i want to move to Tokyo too....

I once heard about a young woman who married a very old man for the money and on their first night the old man had a heart attack! That was funny! >:D
|XOD|

art is pretty hard to get into and be successful at. depends on right place right time right attitude really. you may need to get a part time job as something different depending on whether you're a freelance artist or not. It takes a while before you get recognised but its worth it in the end, so they tell me. If you were lucky in the industry...say like if you were a graphic designer and designed something that would be advertised in magazines, on the tv, on billboards etc you could get around £40'000 for a few months work. :) but really it all depends on the company or person you work for.

I am going to go to Japan, and then I'll go to art school there, and then become a manga artist, and move to Tokyo with ILK, and if seaanemone wants to tag along, then go ahead! ;D And then, we will get a dojo, and be roomates, and be far, far away from nightmare. XD

hate to burst anyones bubble, but to be an artist and not live in a box in the street you need to be really really good. really. my school offered AP art (but the teacher was a nazi so i refused to sign up) and it was bruuutal. they did huge paintings every night plus other school work plus jobs. but they were amazing. i think im decent at art and all through junior high i was set on being an artist. i was so intent to do it. then i realized how unproffessional i was and how much id need to improve. and while i'd love to do that. just take years of art classes and improve, there'd still be a chance id suck and fail miserably and live out on the street.

my reccomendation? have a backup plan. right now im doing a bachelor of kinesiology and when i graduate im going to university of toronto to do physiotherapy (i hope..). but thats not to say i'll never draw a picture ever again. i just need a stable job with a steady income before i hop into something so unreliable as an art career. when i get enough money to pay bills and have a little leftover, sure i might save it and do a few art courses on the side. but im definately not depending on *just* art to do that.

what i did in highschool was take career 1101. crappy course. i aced the entire course and got a 100%. but it taught me a lot. theres a site somewhere (that i cant remember for the life of me and the course isnt offered anymore and the link isnt on the website) that does a little survey/quiz thing that gives you 10-15 careers that you might like and then provides links to information about those careers. really good site. id advise something like that.

of course this is all just personal opinion. do whatever you want. but its gunna be tough for some to make their way just on art. for instance my friends mom is an artist. shes divorced, currently on welfare and has agoraphobia (fear of crowds/public/open spaces) and sits in her house all day doing nothing. shes a huge drug addict and id bet makes some money that way. her paintings are really good, but they dont provide anything for her.

ok extreme example, but still. mazi says: remember kids, drugs are bad.

XD Yeah.. I know.. I probably won't get a career in art.. But.. that is the only thing I want.. Maybe I will just be a bum and live off my parents all my life. :D Or I wll start a band and become rich! hahahaa.. yeah right.. >_<

I'm aiming to be an author and a cartoonist

I'm aiming to be a bastard. and evil.

"We were raised on television to believe that we'd all be millionares, movie gods, rock stars, but we won't. And we're starting to figure that out."

It's hard to become a professional artist. I'm gonna’ go to the community college where I’m at for a semester or two. Then I plan on going to Hartford School of Art, or some art school down in Savannah, but I’d only go to Georgia if I got a fat scholarship and my lady decided to go there. Which she's doing this weekend. Man, I hope she hates Georgia. Anyway, I figure I’ll pick up some new skills and make some connections and finally make up my mind as to what type of art I wanna do. And if I don't make enough money off of whatever artist job I take, I’ll get a second job. And I’ll work real hard and save my money up. And I’ll buy a suit of armor. And I’ll wear that suit of armor and climb to the top of the empire state building during a lighting storm. Because I will have failed in my life’s goal. Be dying "Powder" style.

Fightclub quote, eh Zack?

Yep. The most disturbing thing about that movie is how much sense it makes.

To make a living with art You have to have a thick skin . Be able to handle criticism, whether harsh or kind, you'll get both, and be able to learn from it. You also have to know how to promote yourself and make connections, knowing how to do this is especially important. Its important with any job but even more so when it comes to a career in art. You've got to have that drive, you can be the greatest artist there is, but if nobody sees it and you don't know how to get your work out there, it won't matter.
You also have to learn, and diversify your abilities. Learn different techniques, materials, styles, a lot of cartoonists might have simple styles, but most of them have gone through school and know how to do realism/landscape/portrait/figure drawing and are usually quite good at it. Believe it or not, people who can draw well are a dime a dozen, you have to be something special to make a living selling fine art. If you choose commercial art/graphic design, you've got to make a name for yourself, network, and start off as someone's bitch being told what to do, everyone starts at the bottom.
You also have to learn how to compromise, especially if you want to be a commercial artist/graphic designer. Just because you like something you did and think its appropriate doesn't mean your client will. A lot of the time you'll be asked to do something you hate, or know doesn't look good but if you expect to get paid, or get repeat business, you do what you're told.

this is all really great! i'm in a courispondence program so i'm learning lots of new techniques. i'm taking japanese so if i want to work there i wont have a language barrier. i want to become an animator. i am a writer too so i could write storys then animate them.

Being an undertaker is the most succesful occupation. People just always die! >:D
|XOD|

Brainspiller, Mazi and Kejoco make good points and observations.

When I was 16 I wanted to be an animator, so I took an internship at CalArts in California and I found it to be very monotonous, especially computer animation. When I graduated high school I decided I wanted to be an illustrator. I went to 2 different art schools as an illustration major, RSAD in Florida and RMCAD in Colorado. I also joined the Arts Students League and rented an art studio in Colorado Springs. So far I've concluded that being a freelance illustrator is not very profitable (duh), at least not in the beginning. An art career is indeed a labor of love, if you don't love drawing, animating or whatever you choose to do, you're wasting your time and money. I've completed illustrations for magazines, catalogs, albums covers, advertising, digital publishing, production design and I still have what is considered a "rookie portfolio". It will probably take me another 2-3 years before I get callbacks form larger clients.

When you choose to have an art career, you're entering one of the most competitive industries in the world. Even if you're a kick ass artist, you have to have a head for business and you must have good social skills. There are so many things they don't teach you in art school, things you can only learn when you're working in the real world. Good luck to you, you're going to need it.

Mary for the money. It's all prostitution anyway.

Yeah, so true... but be sure the guy is really old and do him really good on the first night so he'll kick it and you can spend the money without the hassle.

Yes, find a man and kill him.

Even better, become an assistant or apprentice to a very successful artist, that way you'll have a job and all you have to do is flirt with him (sometimes more) for him to keep you around, no marriage required. As well, he'll get you in the industry, it'll work, I'd put money on it and I'm hardly wealthy.

actually, it's not very dificult at all for a decent artist to make a living doing what he/she loves. people forget... u don't have to be extraordinarily talented or creative and make 50K a contract to be 'succesful'. In fact, if you desire to be a graphic artist you are aiming at a prety reasonable market. any rural area with a tv station or newspaper to call it's own require proffessional artists. also realize that in most of htose cases u will never be rich or famous, but u will also never be dirt poor. Self emplyment is an excellent venture in the graphic design world, so long as you aren't in direct competition with mega-corporations that have their own staff of artist. any small busines man who wants to advertise his/her product needs someone affordable... and guess what? they'll be stuck with you!
as far as animation goes, you'll probably get dragged through the dirt.

basically, there are many people who we've never heard of who make a decent, if not extravegant, living doing things like recording, acting, etc.

What world do you live in Turtlebuster? On a national level, most entry-level graphic designers will only make 25k-30k a year and that's with a real agency! On top of that you have to be one of the best because graphic designers are a dime a dozen. Midlevel graphic artists make maybe 10k-15k more than entry-level, "yay, now I can buy some cereal to go with my bread and water!" Senior level graphic artists might make 50k-80k a year, but it takes 10-15 years of being in the industry to get that title, a boring industry at that. Also, most graphic design jobs involve a lot of production design, long hours and are not all that creative. Anyone who's mastered Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark can apply for an entry-level graphic design position. In fact, most secretary jobs require you know Photoshop and Quark.

Where are these rural jobs you speak of? I've lived in a couple different rural areas, unless you want to join a printing company or marketing specialist team (which also pays very little), there is nothing out there for graphic artists. The creative careers, like illustration, fine art and animation are just as competitive but at least you can actually draw and create, which is why I became an illustrator.

Be a doctor or a lawyer..or an investment banker...then after 20 years , you retire on the money..and you can go draw any damned thing you want.

Me was going to school for graphic design, but now Iam in drafting which is very fun, but I hate putting the notes and meassurements. I mostly draw machine parts in ortho or in 3d. and I get to draw plots and plats of land and I draw the slope of the land and houses.

I have no desire to do anything that has to do with art as a career. I have always known that I just don't love it enough. To me, art is something I enjoy extremely, but only on my own time. I just took a community ed beginning drawing class. I might take an intermediete with the same instructor, or I might decide to take some guitar lessons. That's about how high art school is on my priority list, lol.

Music is my first true love, and I believe it is my only natural talent. I can draw because I've practiced alot. I can sing because I was born with it. That's just my opinion. Even though I'm a pretty damned good singer, I'm not stupid enough to invest my time in that either. I'm not skinny enough, I'm too white, there's probably even less demand than there is for graphical artists, and stupid young people get screwed everyday. I'm sticking to karaoke at the bar. At least I can impress the drunks. :D

I went to a semester of community college for Journalism, but that was a sham since of course I didn't want to do real work I just wanted to write stories. I enjoy writing very much, but I've reserved that to spare time as well. I've considered becoming a piercer, but just like art, it takes alot of effort and incredible talent if you want to make money at it. Piercing people at Claire's and even piercing my friends (which I have never done, just to note) just aren't good enough qualifications.

Since then I've just been working, and I'd consider myself a retail goddess, lol. Retail is one of the crappiest industries, but at least I'm damned good at it. Ever since my second job I've been a supervisor, or manager, or assistant manager, I don't take jobs that are for just plain "cashier". It's easy, whatever. But it doesn't give me enough money to afford to live, cos you know, food is kinda important, so I'm actually looking for a better job in a different kind of industry. My interviews today are for a metal stamping place and an administrative assistant job. Hey, at least chatting everyday ensures a high WPM. :P

Whatever you do, think realistically. Follow your dreams, but don't sacrifice too much for them if you can't afford it. More people fail than succeed. Wow I sound like such a pessimist. Oh well. ^__^

don't marry for money.... and starving artists are much more common than successful ones, 'round here anyway.. I still have not decided what to be when I grow up... but I will always enjoy the many gifts God has given me, they are great outlets... and when I find that perfect man to marry... if I ever do... money will not matter.. I do fine on my own and I am on welfare!

if you are goign go to an art school and try and make a living off of art i suggest also takinga course on some career that is more reliable than art. so you can have somethign to fall back on if your art career dotn work out

Gawd, Clox, I love your icon!

I suggest signing up to Association of Illustrators, they're really good and I know a few people who have already been members for several years and they always get work through them. Its an association based in London, UK. but i think there might be similar organisations in other countries.

I'm going to an art college and going to Japan to see my favorite director ever and make some anime series and manga. If you somehow remember me, i'll give you free stuff. ^_'
Remember my name. You'll see it again down the road.

Well, I too know that art is a very hard field to get into, but I'm willing to go at it anyway.I'm off to a good start with solid A's in my art classes so I haven't hit any bumps yet anyway.But then again, my field isn't quite as hard as fine artists cause I think I'm going into gaming design which would be the best thing ever if i got a job with a company I loved including some of the top names such as Squaresoft.

Cloxboy, i make 10k a year and live quite comfortably. And as for finding a designer job... think of it as a buisiness venture of your own. I mentioned that privaete business of such nature aren't a bad way to go about things, and that is if u appeal to some small business in your area that needs tto commercialize. so... i didn't say the positions were easy to see, i said the posistions are there, just like with any other job type.

I'm really not sure. I'm one of those people who do want to pursue Art as an career. It just seems to be one of the things I could do in a long term basis. I mean, there are other things I can do but Art is really the only thing I"m passionate about. But it's true, you need a backup plan. Sometimes I wish I was like Pablo Picasso or Salvador Dali; become famous for my art and also sell my art... make money etc. etc. etc. but of course, for me, it would take years to accomplish that. I have all these goals that I want to achieve and the only real question is HOW, WHERE, and WHEN. I guess what I really need to figure out now is what I really want as a career. I can't just be "painting"for the rest of my life. Too risky. Anyhow, good luck to you too, snow child.

Turtlebuster: 10K a year? Comfortable? I can only imagine you're married to or going out with a sugar daddy!

Let's break this down, assuming you have had no financial breaks from anyone and you're paying your own way:

I assume you live in an apartment, which you're paying at least $500-2,000 a month for (in the real world anyway) but let's say for you, $400. Now, you're looking at least $300 a month for food, toiletries, cleaning supplies and utilities (assuming they're not free). You probably need to get around, so assuming you have a car, you need to pay car insurance, which I'll say is at least $100 a month (it's usually much more) and gas which could be like $100-$200 a month depending on how much you drive. LOOK, I've yet to mention your many other bills like clothing, house & car maintenance, medical costs, as well many other bills and you've only got $100 left! Mathematically, living on 10k a year is inconceivable! Hmmm, it would appear your "10k La-La Land" couldn't exist. But hey, maybe you can explain yourself? I'm curious?

And as far as your other comments about graphic design jobs, you should try supporting your claims because right now, what you're saying is a bunch of dribble. You're ranting at someone who's been in the commercial arts, the current industry, for 5 years! That's not including all the work I did as a teenager. Speaking of teenagers, you're only 18, not only am I older than you but obviously more experienced in the matters of financial independence.

I've got to back up up clox on that one...
I hope your definition of "comfortable" is actually "scraping by" cause if you actually live comfortably on 10k a year I want you as my financial planner.
Clox, you also left out the fact that he probably has to PAY for the car over and above the gas and insurance.
The shittiest thing for me right now is i work in a call center that pays FAR more than any graphic design job I qualify for right now. So even if I did get a G/D job, chances are I'd be taking a cut of at Least half.

i have no money coming in from anyone but myself, i am paid 6.75 an hour and i work roughly 45 hours a week. i do have low rent and utilities because i have roomates, but realize that 5.25 is the missouri minimum wage, and unlike the west coast, where i'm from, inflation is drastically less noticeable. ciggarette tax is a shining example. i paid 400 dollars rent with my last job, where i worked for nearly a year at 5.35 for 60 hours a week, no overtime pay. i lived confortably there as well. when i say comfortably, maybe i just budget well or seomthing, although i blew 900$ from tigerdirect fro this comp i'm using... from living all my life in california, i know that the same basic things are necessary in any business anywhere. business drawn towards advertising:
priceyflashy work< cost effectivework

ps. i don't have a car anymore. i sold it for 50$ and now i drive a pocket rocket. very SEXY and gas cheap. although i usually carpool anyway.

i think living comfortably on 10k would be living comfortably with your parents (or more than 1 person to share living costs). My bro earns around £10K as a chef in a village restaurant, and he has no qualifications.

There are some people in the "developing" countries that earn more or less 50 dollars each month. And they live with 5 more families in the same house. And their drinking water is almost the same as the water from the sewers. I was always wondering, why does my tablet say in the bottom "Made in Japan" and my mouse that goes together with the tablet says "Made in China"?
|XOD|

I'm doing multimedia after this year at university.
I don't know where I want to go from there... Web Design in flash maybe... :)
Fun! Marcello probably knows more than I will ever know about scripting a site like this.

never thought about it now I'm ....old. DAMN.