There are lots of other jobs in the arts where people do earn money, such as administration or marketing, but they are not usually artists themselves. Sydney painter Theresa Byrnes, who has built up a reputation over 12 years with regular exhibitions, says the essence of being an artist is to live for what you create rather than for what you think it may bring you. If I really monitored how successful I was by how much money I earn I would have given it up decades ago and now be chronically depressed. Competition for funding is stiff, however, with applicants having to prove the worth of their work against projects from all over the country. But for those who can find a commercial application for their talent, the financial rewards can be high.
Creativity is highly prized in any field, setting the achievers apart from the pedestrians.
Visual artists, such as painters and photographers, who are able to apply their skills to design and work with new technologies, are in high demand, says Tim Laurence, the associate dean of the Faculty of Design Architecture and Building at the University of Technology, Sydney. Graphic design is now a multimedia industry incorporating video, animation and photography, but it seems the biggest growth area for graduate employment is in the new technology fields such as designing Web pages and interactive programs. Design graduates are also found in communications and marketing related fields such as corporate public relations, advertising, television and film design and direction, fashion and textile design and in information design such as newspaper and magazine layout, signage and environmental design. Jacqueline Gothe, a senior lecturer in design at UTS, says new technology has transformed the visual communications industry. There are a lot of developments we dont fully understand the implications of, but we are working with it and enjoying it.