Performing Arts is one of the most popular forms of creative careers. It comprises thousands of performers spread all across the globe. ‘Performers’ are professionals who use their body, face and voice to express themselves or to entertain an audience. Performing Arts is a very wide field, and consists of many different professions such as Actors, Singers, Dancers, Music Composers, Magicians, Puppetry, Comedians and many more. What is common to all these professions is the ability to ‘perform’, to enthrall the audience through their talent. Performing Artists or Performers use their skills, talent, voice, body and face to narrate stories, to express emotions and to evoke the desired response in the audience / viewer.
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Performers have one of the most creative jobs in the world. They have the freedom to try something completely new and innovative. They can use their performances to express themselves. Their basic aim is to entertain the audience in a way that the Performer finds suitable. As the job generally involves a lot of interaction with the audience, there is a lot of scope for Performers to improvise and innovate keeping the taste of the audience in mind. Performing Artists have to face a lot of rejection in their lives and are often not paid well till they become famous. But success in these careers can be very rewarding, as it brings along glamour, fame, money and even more creative freedom. Such careers do not rely on educational qualifications but rather on talent, originality, training and discipline.
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Writers use their words and thoughts to convey emotions and opinions, evoke responses and narrate stories. It is one of the oldest forms of art and is one of the most popular creative careers in the world. All you need to become a Writer is a paper, a pen and talent. Writers work in a variety of fields and the nature of their work varies greatly as per the field they work in. They work as copywriters in advertising agencies, as Journalists for newspapers and magazines, as authors of books/novels/short stories in the Publishing Industry, as Scriptwriters in films, as online writers for websites, as poets and so on.
Many Writers go on to work as Editors and oversee the writings of other Writers. This job includes proofreading, modifying the style of the write up, decreasing the length etc. All forms of Writers survive on creativity and originality.
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Unlike Performing Artists, who use their faces and body apart from words, Writers only use their words to entertain and engage the audience, which requires a lot of talent and creative expression. They use descriptive words to convey their message clearly and innovatively. Writers are often responsible for creating awareness, evoking responses and entertaining the audience. Even though the business of print media is declining, the growth of E – books has ensured that Writing as a profession is always going to survive. Please keep in mind that there are millions of writers all over the world, but only a handful of them become successful. This is due to their unique way of thinking and observing life and creative ways of expression. It can be a very difficult profession to survive in if you’re not successful, but if you do, then expect a lot of money, creative freedom, fame and respect. Educational qualifications do not matter as a Writer, but a degree in English or Mass Communication might help. More importantly, you need to be disciplined, talented, original and expressive in your writing.
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Essentially, anybody who creates the structure of any intangible or tangible object/service is a Designer. Designers use their creativity and visual thinking skills to solve structure – related problems and come up with aesthetically pleasing designs. They have a lot of knowledge about what are the aesthetics of a good design and can modify these designs as per the needs of the client and the product/service. Designers can be of various kinds and broadly include Architects, Graphic Designers, Fashion Designers, Interior Designers and Jewelry Designers etc. Painters and Cartoonists are also forms of Designers. The job of a Designer includes using creativity and innovative thinking to not only make a product / service look more aesthetically pleasing, but also become easier and more convenient to use.
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More often than not, Designers are required to solve structure related problems that deal more with the usability of the product/service rather than its visual look. For example, the design of a clock might make it look visually pleasing, but if the visual look causes it to not show the time accurately, then the design is not good. Designers use their artistic abilities combined with their knowledge of a good functional design in their creations. It is a very creative career that allows a lot of freedom of expression and thought. Designers often use their creations to convey messages and evoke responses. If you’re successful in this profession, you can expect a lot of money and fame. A Bachelor’s degree in the specific form of design can be a good starting point to become a professional. You can go onto to do a Master’s in the same/different field of design as well. Keep in mind that educational qualifications are not necessary, but what will matter is an impressive body of work (portfolio), originality and innovative thinking.
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Directors are professionals who are responsible for the final outcome of artworks that use visual mediums like Films, Television, and Theater etc. They are multi – talented personalities and are responsible for each and every aspect of the final show, including the story, the performances, the lighting, the sound and the overall flow. Directors can be of various kinds and work in a variety of settings that includes Motion Pictures, Animation Films, Television Programs, Non – Fiction Programs (News & Debates), Plays, Musicals, Documentaries etc. The job of a Director has some basic responsibilities that are common to all these settings, such as giving directions to the Actors regarding how to perform, supervising the camera work and lighting, using sound to convey the right emotions and entertaining/informing the audience.
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Directors have very creative jobs as they have the final say on many other creative jobs involved in coming up with a final Film/T.V program/Stage show. They have a major impact on the sound effects, the lighting and camera positions, the performance of the actors, the overall story and the budget and scale of the whole performance/show. They have a lot of creative freedom and use their innovative and original thinking to entertain the audience and evoke the desired response. Directors visualize the whole film/program and then use that visualization as a blueprint to make the story/program come to life. Like all other creative careers, success brings along with a lot of fame, money and freedom. However, to become successful, one needs a lot of determination, patience and talent. A Diploma / Bachelor’s degree from a Film School in your specific field (films, T.V, theater etc.) can help you in gaining knowledge about the basic principles of Direction. However, experience in your field combined with an understanding of the story, observation skills, knowledge of sound, acting and lighting are some of the necessary attributes one needs to become successful as a Director.
Photographers (Still and Motion)
One of the most popular creative careers in the world is Photography. It is a visual medium that involves capturing a visual image through a camera or some other medium. Photographers are professionals who use cameras of various kinds to click visually and conceptually pleasing pictures. Even though the word ‘Photographers’ mainly refers to still photography, Cinematographers and Camera Operators can be considered to be Photographers who produce motion pictures, as the essentials of both these art forms is the same. Photographers use lighting, composition, texture, after effects, lenses etc. to convey messages, evoke responses and produce a visually/conceptually beautiful image. Their job is to capture images in their camera that viewers would want to see. Photographers work in a variety of fields and the nature of their work greatly depends on the field. They are employed by newspapers and magazines as ‘Photojournalists’. A lot of them work as Freelancers and choose to work in specific fields such as Wildlife Photography, Fashion Photography etc. Many Photographers work in the Film and Television Industry as Cinematographers and Video Operators.
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Photographers have a lot of creative freedom. They play with the various aspects of a photograph to come up with interesting and innovative images. They use their originality and innovative thinking during compositions, lighting and usage of lenses to create photographs that are effective visually and conceptually. They have a strong knowledge base in visual communication and use it to their advantage. Even though there is no necessary education qualification required to become a Photographer, a Diploma/Bachelor’s degree in Photography can be helpful. Moreover, you will need excellent visualization skills, innovative thinking and technical knowledge of cameras and lenses to become a successful Photographer. The recent boom in the IT sector has given rise to better cameras and after effect software that can be used to enhance images. A strong knowledge base in such type of software can be instrumental in your success.
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Animators are artists who produce several still images that when displayed in rapid succession, give the illusion of movement and fluidity. Contrary to popular perception, Animation is an ancient art form and the first instances of animation can be found as early as 180 A.D. Animators are professionals who use their drawing and visualization skills to create fictional objects and characters that were not present in the original shot or photograph. They are often involved in creating completely different worlds through their skills. Animators work in several fields, including Television Programs (Cartoons), Music Videos and Motion Pictures. The growth in the world of Information Technology has given rise to a completely different world for Animators to work in, i.e. Computer Gaming. Animators create complete worlds that offer flexibility and within animated characters can be controlled as per the wishes of the user.
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Animators also work as VFX artists in the Motion Picture industry where they are responsible for adding after effects to shots. They use a lot of image and video based software to create images and animate them. It is a very creative profession as it often allows an Animator along with the Director, complete control of an unreal world, where each and every aspect is created by the Animator. Animators use their works to narrate stories, evoke responses and entertain the audience. The recent growth in the fields of IT and Internet has given rise to a lot of new opportunities for Animators which in turn have transformed this profession into a well – paying and in – demand profession. Even though there are no educational qualifications required to become an Animator, you do require excellent visualization, story - telling and imagination skills, along with loads of creativity, determination and originality.
Engineers, Managers, Scientists and so on…
Even though the above 6 careers are more supportive of creativity as a personality trait, all careers require creativity to in order to become successful. Creativity is nothing but initiating a change. And every job in the world provides scope for that. Engineers are creative when they think of a new product, Managers are creative when they come up with a new distribution procedure and Scientists are creative when they come up with a new theory. All careers and jobs in the world become easier when someone comes up with a new method, a new way to do something. And you cannot create anything new until you’re creative.
So do not believe that creativity is something only people in Arts – related careers have. Every career requires creativity, and every field needs creative people. Learn to use your imagination in whatever you do, think of new ways to do things and use your creativity in whichever field you want to be a part of. Always remember, creativity is directly proportional to success.
