When most people think of creative careers, they often think of “actors, musicians, or artists”. Yes, these are creative professions, but they are extremely hard to break into and often mean lives of uncertainty.
Luckily, if you’re a creative individual trying to determine what field to pursue, several careers have emerged recently that allow you to exercise your creativity while still making a living wage.
If you’re looking to pursue your art but not go broke, we’ve outlined a list of 5 overlooked creative jobs that are well paid, fulfilling, and will satisfy those creative urges.
What are the Best Careers for Creative Individuals?
1. Graphic Designer
This job is great for a creative professional, especially if you like communicating stories through images.
Graphic designers are in high demand and can work on anything from social media graphics, flyers, billboards, brochures, product packaging and so much more.
Basically, anything that requires any sort of graphic usually means a graphic designer is involved. This means there’s always room for growth.
Although many graphic designers work for agencies or companies, it’s an extremely popular field amongst freelancers.
According to Glassdoor, the annual salary of a Graphic Designer in Los Angeles is $51,649.
2. Web Developer/Designer
Similar to a graphic designer, this role is in charge of design, but specifically for websites or apps.
This role is a little more involved than graphic design as it often requires the person to understand coding. Most web designers use basic coding programs including HTML, CSS, Javascript.
From there, several of them go on to specialize in different languages, which makes them even more valuable in their field.
Although this might not seem like the most creative job on the surface, coding is actually a great way to exercise creativity. There’s no one way to code, which means you get to be creative when crafting your code and come up with your own signature style.
According to Glassdoor, the annual salary of a Web Developer/Designer in Los Angeles is $55,333.
3. UX Designer
One of the more popular jobs to emerge recently with the boom in apps is a UX designer. A UX designer is basically an offshoot of a Web Designer.
‘UX’ stands for “user experience”. This role is in charge of the user interface and how easy it is for users to operate a platform.
Instead of design, this role mainly deals with functionality and the user’s overall experience with the website or app.
This job is suited to any creative soul as it requires creative problem solving, strategy, and thinking.
According to Glassdoor, the annual salary of a UX Designer in Los Angeles is $86,267.
4. Illustrator
If you’ve got drawing skills, consider this career path as it allows for both creativity and ingenuity.
Usually, a company or client will hire an illustrator for a specific project to bring their vision to life.
Most illustrators have the particular style they specialize in and clients will choose specific illustrators based on that specialty. Some will use paints and oils, others might purely illustrate digitally, using programs like Illustrator.
An Illustrator could be hired to illustrate children’s books, craft creative assets for marketing campaigns, or to draw for magazines, books, or other publications.
Most illustrators are freelancers and often work closely with clients in the design space or at advertising agencies.
According to Glassdoor, the annual salary of an Illustrator in Los Angeles is $48,556.
5. Copywriter
Contrary to popular belief, this job is full of creativity!
Copywriters are in charge of bringing the brand to life with their words. Often, they help craft the entire brand voice and are responsible for writing engaging and compelling copy that will draw a potential customer in.
Copywriters are needed in virtually every field -- marketing, tech, medical, advertising, etc. Every field has its own unique requirements of what they need from a copywriter, but because this job is needed in virtually every profession, there’s always work to be done.
Just think! The world is full of words, and copywriters get to come up with those words. There’s room for endless creativity here.
According to Glassdoor, the annual salary of a Copywriter in Los Angeles is $67,670.
If you’re a creative person looking for a fulfilling career path that pays well, don’t overlook the 5 above creative fields.
Many of these jobs will require additional schooling, but if you love being creative, this just gives you another excuse to continue learning and perfecting your craft.
