Maybe you love to paint or draw; maybe your friends always come to you to come up with the most exciting party ideas; maybe you’re the one who always suggests karaoke or craft nights. You’re creative — that’s incredible! If you want to use that creativity in the workplace, there are so many creative careers out there — including creative careers that pay well.
Creative careers are roles where people focus on developing, innovating, and expressing ideas. But what are the main types of creative careers, what job titles should you look for, and how do you know which one is right for you?
This guide will tell you everything you need to know about different creative careers — including a fun, free quiz to help you decide on your path and advice on how to get there.
What Are Creative Careers?
Creative careers are roles that use creativity in their everyday work, whether that’s outside-of-the-box thinking for a marketing campaign or using artistic skills to design a website. There are a few different main types of creative careers
Creative Careers in the Written Word
Careers in the written word focus on expressing creativity through writing. These career paths require impeccable editing and writing skills and the ability to translate complex concepts into easy-to-understand articles, essays, or other written content.
Job titles include:
- Journalist: investigates and reports on news and current events for newspapers, magazines, television, and other online publications
- Author: creates original literary works, such as novels, short stories, or poetry
- Screenwriter: writes scripts for movies, television shows, and other forms of screen media
- Copywriter: develops persuasive written content for advertising and marketing campaigns
Creative Careers in Marketing
These careers use creativity to develop campaigns to help promote a brand, person, company, or product. Creative careers in marketing require empathy and analytical thinking to understand what audiences are looking for and a strategic mindset to determine how to match their needs.
Job titles include:
- Brand strategist: develops and manages a brand’s overall image and message across all channels
- Advertising creative: creates engaging advertising campaigns, including slogans, visuals, and storylines
- Public relations specialist: manages a company’s public image and reputation through media relations, press releases, and other communication strategies
- Social media manager: strategizes and executes social media marketing campaigns to engage audiences and build brand awareness
- Marketing manager: oversees all aspects of a company’s marketing efforts, including market research, product launches, and campaign development
Creative Careers in the Visual Arts
Careers in the visual arts focus on expressing creativity in art which is appreciated by sight, such as painting, sculpture, and film (unlike music, for example, which is appreciated by hearing). These career paths require an artistic eye and the ability to transform abstract ideas into visual masterpieces.
Job titles include:
- Graphic designer: creates visual concepts using computer software to communicate ideas that inform, inspire, and captivate consumers
- Photographer: captures images using various techniques and equipment for artistic expression, commercial purposes, or journalism
- UX designer: Designs user experiences for websites, mobile apps, and other digital products
- Animator: creates moving images using traditional animation, 3D animation, motion graphics, and other techniques
- Illustrator: creates original illustrations for books, magazines, websites, and other media
Creative Careers in Performance
These careers focus on expressing creativity for an audience, whether that’s on a Broadway stage or at a local music festival. These career paths require musical, theatrical, or comedic talent and impeccable stage presence.
Job titles include:
- Actor: performs in plays, films, television shows, and other live or recorded media
- Musician: performs music as a singer, instrumentalist, or composer
- Dancer: performs a variety of dance styles, including ballet, modern, jazz, and hip-hop
- Comedian: performs comedy through stand-up routines, sketches, or other forms of comedic entertainment
- Theater director: oversees the artistic and technical aspects of theatrical productions
Creative Careers That Pay Well
Creative careers often get a bad rap for low pay. We won’t sugarcoat it — many creative careers don’t pay as well as jobs in technology or finance, for example. However, that doesn’t mean you need to settle for low wages! Tons of creative careers pay well.
“Banish the ‘starving artist mentality,'” says Caley Rose, Billboard-charting singer and the creator and CEO of Music with a Message. “The creative field has often gotten a bad rep as a field where people can’t earn a living. That idea can get stuck in creative’s heads and become a limiting belief. To rid yourself of these thoughts, make it a habit of studying successful artists. There are creatives out there in your field making great money. Find them, study them.”
What does “pay well” mean? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the annual mean wage for all occupations was $65,470 as of May 2023. Here’s a list of creative careers that pay higher than that average wage.
| Job title | What They Do | Average salary* | Job outlook* |
| Graphic designers | Create visual concepts using computer software to engage customers | $64,700 | 2% (slower than average) |
| Fine artists (including painters, sculptors, and illustrators) | Create original works of art, including paintings, sculptors, and illustrators | $71,420 | 3% (as fast as average) |
| Public relations specialists | Enhance a person or company’s public image through media relations, press campaigns, and more | $77,720 | 6% (faster than average) |
| Film and video editors and camera operators | Edit film or video content into a finished product, or operate cameras on sets to record film | $71,890 | 3% (as fast as average) |
| Commercial and industrial designers | Develop concepts for manufactured products, like toys or cars | $81,870 | 3% (as fast as average) |
| Editors | Review and revise written material | $85,110 | -2% (decline) |
| Producers and directors | Oversee the production of films, television shows, plays, and other creative projects | $107,170 | 8% (faster than average) |
| Fashion designers | Create original clothing and accessories | $97,030 | 5% (as fast as average) |
| News analysts, reporters, and journalists | Write stories and report about current events | $101,430 | -3% (decline) |
| Technical writers | Create technical documentation for products, like user manuals or software guides | $86,620 | 4% (as fast as average) |
| Writers and authors | Create original literary works, like novels or poetry | $87,590 | 5% (as fast as average) |
| Music directors and composers | Plan, direct, and oversee the musical aspects of theatrical productions, concerts, and other performances | $87,840 | 3% (as fast as average) |
| Web developers and digital designers | Design and develop web apps and sites | $108,820 | 8% (faster than average) |
| Special effects artists and animators | Create visual effects for films, television shows, video games, and other media | $109,630 | 4% (as fast as average) |
| Art directors | Oversee the visual style and presentation of magazines, newspapers, websites, and other media | $125,920 | 5% (as fast as average) |
| Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers | Plan, direct, and coordinate marketing activities and campaigns to promote products or services | $152,620 | 8% (faster than average) |
*According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What Creative Careers Are Right for Me? Quiz
So, what creative careers are right for you? Take this quiz to find out. It’s completely free — you’ll just need to sign up to get your results!
How to Land a Creative Career
Landing a creative career can often be more complex than finding a role in a more popular field, like software engineering or investment banking. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible — far from it.
Get Crafty With Your Job Titles…
Creative roles often don’t have standard job titles, especially compared to other industries.
For example, when applying for roles to try to be a writer, I didn’t just search “writer” online. I looked at job descriptions for roles that sounded similar to what I wanted to do, then made an extensive list of terms to look for, from “content strategist” and “journalist” to “copywriter.” Some “assistant editor” positions even required a lot of writing!
Looking at a job description to understand the role’s responsibilities and skills can often be more helpful than looking for specific titles.
…and Your Job Boards
Not all job boards list creative careers, especially if they’re more general, one-size-fits-all boards like LinkedIn or Indeed. Sites specifically for creative careers include:
- Behance: both freelance and full-time creative jobs
- Dribbble: job board for designers
- Freelance writing gigs: job board for freelance writing positions
- Authentic jobs: job board for designers, developers, and other creative positions
- American Marketing Association Jobs: job board for marketing roles
- MarketingHire: job board for marketing roles
- Playbill: job board for roles in theater
- Doors Open: job board for roles in the music industry
- MusicCareers: job board for roles in the music industry
>>MORE: The 85 Best Job Search Sites and Apps in 2024
Search for the Right Work Environment
Creative careers might utilize the same skill set, but have very different work environments — which can completely change your experience at a job. For example, there’s a big difference between a photographer who works internally for a company and a travel photographer whose job requires them to be in a new country every month.
Oana Borcoman, creative entrepreneur and CEO and founder of EVOKE: An Experience Agency, recommends asking yourself what kind of work environment you’d like to help narrow your search.
“Do you want a fast-paced, thrilling, ‘every day is different’ career, or one that is predictable and steady? Or, do you want to wear a uniform to work or dress freely? Do you see yourself in an office building, outdoors, or prefer working from home? A lot of those questions can be answered just based on our life preferences and personality type. The idea of an office job may make a creative nauseous who would love a job photographing things in nature. The introverted personality that enjoys a predictable day and steady job may look towards a graphic design type job where they can work from home at their own pace.”
Talk to People
It’s cliché advice, but it’s true: talking to people about their careers can be incredibly enlightening. Whether you speak to someone in your university’s alumni network, a professor’s friend, an aunt’s hairdresser’s sister, or someone you find on LinkedIn, talking to people who have already established themselves in creative careers can help you understand how they found their role.
Ask them questions like:
- How did you decide on your current career?
- What would you be doing if you weren’t doing your current role?
- How did you find your current role?
- What are the day-to-day responsibilities of your role?
- What’s your work schedule like?
- What are some of your favorite work projects?
- What are your career goals?
- What’s the most challenging part of your role?
- Who else in the field should I talk to?
>>MORE: Learn how to ask and prepare for informational interviews.
Create a Portfolio
Creative careers lend exceptionally well to online portfolios, or collections of work you share online. These portfolios can be a real asset to your applications as they demonstrate your creative talent. Most job applications will have a spot to share a link to your portfolio, but you can also feature it on your LinkedIn.
Here are examples of portfolio ideas for each creative career type:
- Creative careers in the written word: a website showcasing your top articles, essays, or short stories
- Creative careers in marketing: a website showcasing social media campaigns or pictures and summaries from events you’ve worked on
- Creative careers in visual arts: a website showcasing your photography, graphic design, or pictures of fashion design
- Creative careers in performance: a reel of your best acting, singing, or musical performances
Believe in Yourself
It’s cheesy, but it’s true: you need to have perseverance, dedication, and optimism to land a creative career. You also need to rally a community around you to support your career goals.
“Start telling everyone you see about your dream creative career,” Rose says. “Don’t be quiet about what you really want to do for a living. The more you share your desired career, the more opportunities will present themselves to you. Your mom’s friend might know someone who you can job shadow, which could turn into an internship or paid opportunity. Your old friend from high school who you run into in the grocery store could have a great connection for you. Figure out what you want to do, and then tell everyone.”
Creative Careers: The Bottom Line
If you’re a creative person who wants to apply that skill set to your professional life, there are many different types of opportunities that aren’t just “artist.” Choosing the best creative career for you means identifying what aspect of your creativity you want to pursue the most — applying writing skills, artistic vision, strategic storytelling, or your impeccable stage presence — and finding roles that allow you to flex that creative muscle.
“Creative jobs are everywhere,” Borcoman says. “Even the most mundane-seeming company or industry has creative opportunities within it, so don’t overthink exactly what the job you want to find is and think more about your skill set, personality type, and what type of work environment you will love living your day-to-day life in.”
Searching for the best creative careers requires determination and perseverance, but don’t be discouraged if it takes you a little longer than, for example, your classmate who’s trying to be a financial analyst. That’s normal, and it doesn’t mean you won’t find and land a role that fits your creative passion! There are so many different types of roles that require creativity daily. You might just have to get a little creative in your job search.
Image credit: Canva
