Top 10 Highest-Paid Jobs In The Arts Field

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What comes to mind when at the mention of the word Arts? I’ll go first, creativity! The Arts field encompasses diverse areas but one thing stands out in all of them and that is the avenue to explore your imagination and express your creativity. 

In addition to the opportunity to harness your creativity, majoring in the arts field also enhances your critical thinking and analytical skills. You will have to think outside the box many times and stretch yourself in the process. At first glance, the arts field might seem like a less serious field, especially considering some of the minor fields it entails but it also requires consistency, observation, and a systematic thinking process just like the science field. There are many benefits students stand to gain when they choose to major in the arts field. Furthermore, we have also listed out the top 10 profitable careers an arts major can specialize in after school. 

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Benefits of Majoring in the Arts Field

The benefits to standing to gain by exploring the arts field as a career path are listed below: 

1. Skill Development

Majoring in the arts field helps enhance personal and soft skills that are needed to thrive in the job market. You’ll learn how to properly enhance your creativity, leverage on your passion, how to be consistent and effective, how to solve problems, how you use what is around you to create amazing things, and so on. It also encourages hard work time management emotional judgment and excellent people skills. 

2. Enhances Creativity

Being an arts major will help you explore your imagination as has been stated above and leverage your creativity. Although there are guiding principles in the arts field, there is no defined rule that everyone must follow and this encourages fresh perspectives. For instance, majoring in a design major, or a music major has laid down principles to follow but there aren’t any stringent rules on how every design or music must sound or look. You are allowed to include your unique flavor to enhance the outlook of things. 

3. Encourages the Spirit of Entrepreneurship

Every artist can also be said to be an entrepreneur cos there is the business side of arts. Painters will learn to sell their paintings, fashion designers their designs, and singers/dancers will sell their performances. Additionally, with the advent of technological tools like the media, specifically social media, art majors get to market their products/services through these mediums. They also learn negotiation and marketing alongside. 

4. Facilitates Problem-Solving

Imagine having a hectic day and getting home with no means to exhale. Now imagine having to do this all year round without taking a break for entertainment. Well, it’s best imagined. In its way, arts contribute to relieving stress and enhancing the socio-economic outlook of a country in general. A music start hosting a concert in a city is sure to draw people from all over when people gather, economic activities take place and in turn, this generates revenue, that translates to the government getting funds to sponsor projects in the country. The same thing also goes to an art exhibition. 

Read also: Top 10 International Scholarships To Study Creative Arts And Design

Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in the Arts Field. 

Still in doubt as to whether you want to major in the arts field? Well, this might just be the encouragement you need. We have listed out the top 10 highest-paying jobs in the arts field and you might just find your passion listed among them: 

1. Movie Industry

The film industry deals with the production of movies. It is made up of the technological and commercial institutions that contribute to filmmaking including film studios, production companies, cinematography, animation, and film production among other aspects. The movie industry spans beyond television to include cinemas and online platforms like (Netflix). In 2019, the global box office was said to be worth about $42.2 billion while the global film industry in 2018 was worth $136 billion. Some of the highest-paid  jobs (yearly) in the film industry can be seen in the table below:

JobsUnited StatesCanadaUnited Kingdom
Directors$171,301 CA$163,149 £120,950 
Producers$112,942CA$109,841£61,439 
Videographers$55,726CA$54,529£37,045
Screenwriters$79,040CA$64,828£38,575

2. Music Industry

Just like the name implies, the music industry is a sub-field in the arts field that consists of individuals and organizations who earn money through different means as it bothers on music like songwriting, song composition, creation, and sales of recorded music, and music sheets, organization of concerts, training musically inclined people and others. There are various areas opened in this industry that people can specialize in including songwriters, composers, singers, musicians, audio engineers, audio editors, producers, and many more. In 2022, the Nigerian music industry generated over $2 billion. Additionally, the American music industry generated $26.2 billion.  Some of the highest-paid  jobs (yearly) in the music industry can be seen in the table below:

JobsUnited StatesCanadaUnited Kingdom
Songwriters$92,297CA$64,828 £38,575 
Musicians$67,719 CA$62,069£37,798
Audio Editors$64,504 CA$60,438£28,909
Music Producers$65,685CA$63,642£48,470

3. Visual Arts

This is another career that can be explored in the arts field, visual arts entail different art forms like paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, crafts, and so on. Additionally, it combines performing arts, conceptual arts, applied arts, decorates arts song other disciplines. When it comes to promoting culture and cultural products, the visual arts field is in the top roles because it ensures that the sustainable crafts method in the olden days is passed on to the new generation even though there will be some modifications due to the changing types. According to the Guardian, “Cultural and creative industries (CCIs) generate yearly revenues of $2.250 billion and global exports of over $250 billion.” Some of the highest-paid  jobs (yearly) in the music industry can be seen in the table below:

JobsUnited StatesCanadaUnited Kingdom
Sculptor $64,633CA$59,219 £38,575
Painter$41,625CA$62,069£33,419
Artist$59,354CA$60,438£41,938
Read also: 5 Countries To Further Your Career In Arts & Design

4. Theater and Performing Arts

Performing arts entails the fields of music, dance, and drama that are performed in front of an audience. While theatre involves the inclusion of history in the presentation. The presentation is usually done in theatres. Workers in this include actors, scriptwriters, choreographers, comedians, stage managers, and so on. Artists who perform in this field are often called performers. Kindly see the table for the salaries in the film industry. 

5. Writing and Publishing

Writing is a creative art that also involves the use of your cognitive skills. A writer can diversify in different areas like screenplay which is writing for television and film. Copywriting, creative writing, book writing and publishing, freelance writing, editors and proofreaders, and others. Additionally, writing is an art that will not be obsolete because as long as there are readers, there will be writers.  Some of the highest-paid  jobs (yearly) in the writing industry can be seen in the table below:

JobsUnited StatesCanadaUnited Kingdom
Copywriters$70,155CA$61,194£32,397
Freelancers$57,756CA$47,098£29,592
Screenwriters$79,040CA$64,828£38,575

6. Graphics Design

Graphics design is an academic discipline that involves projecting visual communications that are intended to transmit specific messages to different social groups that add specific objectives. A graphics designer seeks to communicate messages that are easy to decode and understand with texts and pictures. A graphics designer’s salary is seen below: 

JobsUnited StatesCanadaUnited Kingdom
Graphics designer$61,127CA$50,804 £27,426

7. Advertising

Advertising involves the practices employed to draw the public attention to a product or a service. It is also a job description in the arts field. It involves how products and services are brought to the notice of its consumers to the end that it encourages them to buy. It is very common today to see brands and even organizations explore this field. They do it to get the attention of their target audience. An advertiser’s salary is seen below: 

JobsUnited StatesCanadaUnited Kingdom
Graphics designer$48,574CA$72,678 £38,575
Copywriter$70,155CA$61,194£32,397

8. Gaming and Animation: 

Animation is the process by which still images are manipulated to create moving images. In layman’s terms, they are called “cartoons”. According to Statista, in 2022, the value of the global animation market will add up to $391 billion and it is targeted to surpass $587 billion by 2030. It is seen as an artistic medium and is often used in the entertainment industry and the gaming industry.  An animator is seen below: 

JobsUnited StatesCanadaUnited Kingdom
Animator$60,484 CA$67,288£35,731

Read also: How To Get Admission Into US Universities Without Travel Agents

9. Digital Arts and Content Creation

This career is an emerging one in the arts field especially as it employs the new media; that is social media. Content creation entails producing and sharing information for your target audience particularly using digital media (social media). It can be in various forms like blogging, video creation, podcasts, pictures, and so on. Social media influencers and YouTubers also fall under this category. A content creator is seen below: 

JobsUnited StatesCanadaUnited Kingdom
Content creator $58,235 CA$55,446 £29,590

10. Television Industry

The television industry is similar to the movie industry but it entails the production of television programs. While the two industries have similar characteristics, the television industry is only focused on creating programs for TV viewership. The movie industry on the other hand spans beyond television to include cinemas and online platforms like (Netflix). Some of the highest-paid  jobs in the film industry in the US can be seen in the table below:

JobsUnited StatesCanadaUnited Kingdom
Directors$171,301 CA$163,149 £120,950 
Producers$112,942CA$109,841£61,439 
Videographers$55,726CA$54,529£37,045
Screenwriters$79,040CA$64,828£38,575
Still confused about what career to pursue in the arts field? We hope this list will help guide you and your journey!

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