Painting Your Career in Art

Ever wanted to become an artist? An animator? A fashion designer? A graphic designer? A photographer? There are hundreds of career paths that are paved from Art and a range of subjects at Blackburn High School to guide you to these creative futures. 

Art is a subject that is taught throughout all year levels at BHS; from year 9-12, students are introduced to a range of different art electives/subjects such as photography, ceramics, visual communication, textiles,..ect. These subjects encourage self-expression and creativity, as well as help students build confidence through their creations. To find out more about this topic, we interviewed Ms. Angus and a few year 10 Ceramics students to ask about their opinions. 

Ms. Angus who specialises in textile revealed that she has industrial experiences working with fashion designers, theatre companies and opera companies. She shared that she has always wanted to become an art teacher and if she had gone to a different path, that pathway would be meteorology.

 When asked about the promotion of art careers at Blackburn High School, Ms. Angus replied with: “lots of opportunities, lots of potentials”. 

“I think we’ve got really good pathways for different students and I actually keep in contact with a lot of students out of school, so I know the sort of industry that they’re pursuing. Some of them, for instance, have been in the Archibald prize; there are others that have set up their private-owned photography company; and quite a large number of students got into design,” she said. 

When we asked the students about what they enjoy in art subjects, the majority stated that they liked “making things” and “being able to express [themselves] through art”. 

Lavi- one of the year 10 interviewees explained, “I picked ceramics because I really wanted to learn how to make and design new things. I enjoy creating things and having that individuality; having your own idea of whatever you interpret and make” 

      Blackburn High School students working on Ceramics project

However, only 20% of the students we interviewed consider art as a future career path. “I can’t depend on others’ opinions to give me money,” Ava revealed. 

Ms. Angus gave us more insight on this, stating that art is “a hard career” and the road to becoming an artist can be “crushing” sometimes. 

“You have to be thick-skinned since you are judged all the time. Even if you want to sell your own artwork, you’ll have to take it to a gallery for them to say yes or no”

Nonetheless,“It is a great life skill to be able to draw and do art. Even if it’s not your career, it’s definitely a great life skill,” she said.

A path that allows you to express your individuality but also a path of difficulty and judgement. Though art may not be for everyone, it is definitely a great pathway that opens up to numerous creative careers.