Graphhics and Art Jobs

I absolutely love it when people are inspired by my videos and/or my art and take the time to comment. Here is a recent comment on Google+ that made me smile.

Check out the comment and video below.

“Watching you and listening to you has rekindled my interesting in art--I've been feeling lost and was starting to doubt whether or not I should continue majoring in graphic design while in college--but you reminded me that there is so much to be done with graphic design and art. I especially love that you mentioned how you liked working with people because I do too!! Thanks and I'll check out AmeriCorps”

Wow, this comment was so kind. I really hope to share valuable lessons that I have learned from my own experience. I am currently editing a series of videos based on my volunteer experiences and what I learned. If there are any other questions out there, please let me know as I would love to create some video responses to your questions.

How to Make your Humanities Degree Stand Out

I share my experience with using my humanities degree to rock my resume. I talk about how I wrote about my humanities degree when applying for jobs and discuss some of the skills that people who study in the realm of the humanities fields possess.

Just as a reference I had an Art degree, a Humantities and Fine Arts degree (with areas of emphasis in Philosophy, Religious Studies, and African American Studies, and a Graphic Design minor. This combination was not only a ton of fun to complete but it offeres a wide variety of skill sets for what I want to so it is perfect.

After watching this video you will have a better understanding of one way that I used my Humanities degree to my advantage.


If you enjoy this video be sure to check out my other Art Jobs Videos:
Debt
Humanities Degrees and Resumes
Life After Art

I have two more that I have not posted yet. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see the last ones.

Life After an Art Degree

In this video I talk about my experience of being fresh out of college and some of the challenges that I am currently facing. I have two other videos from this Art Jobs series posted and at least two more to come. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see them all.

Also if you have any life or art vide requests please let me know. I currently check my YouTube account more than my blog so that is a better way to reach me.



Thanks for watching!

Art In Haiti

Me sharing a a Paper Bead Lesson

Here is a post from my religion blog. I talk about my experience teaching art in Haiti leading art lessons. I will edit the post a bit. To see the original and more about the religions of Haiti and my spiritual experience check out my SckRlgn Blog.

As many of you know I was fortunate to be able to take a trip to Haiti last summer (2011). The goal of our group was to build a chicken coupe in a small village community while spreading the Good News.

One of the cultural differences led to the Haitian males taking away most of the American women’s jobs while working on the chicken house (polaye in Creole). Though frustrating for some of the ladies in our group, this was a good thing for two reasons. First, I strongly believe that it was our job to equip people rather than do for them. And second (third, fourth and fifth), this dynamic led to me being surrounded by tons of kids, and the opportunities to lead art lessons, learn some Creole, and having the chance to spend quality time with one of the older girls. One-on-one time with a role model of some sort is a major need for many young women in Haiti. In fact if I go again I plan to take nail polish to share with the young women (probably women of all ages).

The photo above is me teaching some of the order girls and young boys how to make paper beads. You can read more about the Upcycled paper beads in my tutorial. I also took around 60 friendship bracelet kits (just cut string ready to be braided or knotted) Using art to connect with people was a unique and beautiful experience. I went in with no Creole and some of the older kids knew how to count to 5 in English and say Miami. The art lessons allowed me to make friends with one of the families as well as some other kids and leaders in the community. Using art allowed us to teach each other basic language skills but also forces us to use sign language (actually having sign language experience was more beneficial than my Spanish) and other forms of communication such as body language and sounds.

I would love the opportunity to go back to the small village again, to show the kids that it was not a one-time event, but rather a sincere investment in their lives. I also have a small amount of money to take back from selling my art in response to the first trip.

Reminiscing About WOW

One of my past jobs involved working for Works of Wyoming (WOW) a non-profit with the purpose of helping artists turn their art into a career.  I had several positions in the two+ years there.  As a volunteer my roles included curating and hanging shows, graphic designer, teacher, retail clerk, marketer, and social media expert.  As the social media expert I created and ran the WOW blog for a short period of time.  Since the blog is no longer active, I would like to share some of my favorite blog posts with you via my art blog.

1. Work and Play - Using Social Media for Marketing
2. 12 Alternative Art Venues - Although many of these specific venues are in Laramie many cities have a variety of places that would fall in each category.
3. Beginner Twittering - Some simple tips
4. Top 10 Art Biz Blog Tips - This is by far my favorite business of art resource and certainly one of the best out there.
5. Websites - DIY website guides
6. $mArt$$Money$ - A list of resources where artists can apply for grants and fellowships for their art.

If you are ever in or around Laramie WOW is a fantastic source for Wyoming art.  Even though I am not at WOW nearly as often it is still a wonderful resource for artists and the arts community in WYO and I am proud to continue to promote them and their services.  Promote what you Love! and I do love WYO art and Artists.

The Career Options for an Artist are Endless

Art is fun, but it is also hard work. Honestly it is the hardest work I have ever done.

As artists we are constantly being told that “you can’t make money doing that” and “maybe you should get a real job.”

These sayings are misleading and quite honestly become obnoxious.  Of course, art can be a hobby and that may be best for some people, but for others, art is a real job that generates a steady income (yes there are also artists that make $30,000 every 4 – 6 months).  This article is for those of you who want to be a professional working studio artist, with a steady income, but are not quite there. It also applies to those of you who would like to create part-time, study art in a formal education setting or pursue one of several fields in the humanities.

Process of Becoming A Working Artist
 

If you are in the process of beginning a professional artist career, you may be interested in working part time while you figure out what exactly you need to do to get you art career/business up-and-running.  Which is what I am doing now. Below are some art related and non-art related jobs that could be inspiring but also can help with networking and learning necessary business skills. They could also be long term career options.

You can read about my art jobs here

Art vs. Non Art-Realted Jobs
There are benefits to both art and non-art related jobs.

A job in an arts related field can help “get your name out there” and be incredibly inspiring, while at the same time offer great networking opportunities and awareness of community events and/or venues that could use your skills.  A non arts related job could give you a needed break when you are feeling burnt out or you need some non-art inspiration.  Some of the places I listed below will hire people over Christmas or over the summer.  If you are interested in a short term job, be sure to specify that when you apply.

Continue reading for career lists.

Respect the Arts & Business of Arts Series

This series will feature discussions such as the famous Art vs. Craft debate, what are some good art careers/jobs, how to make a living as an artist, Marketing and Self-Promotional strategies, networking, organization, goal setting, and stereotypes that are believed about artists and by artists. 

I will begin this series by explaining some reasons why art is an integral part of society.  I will then move on to some of the topics above and some new ones of my own.  I do not plan to conclude my research in these specific and related topics, so I think I will continue posting to this series and not really have it end….

Is there anything that you want me to post about?  Please let me know below and I will try.