Career in creative arts

Do you have it in you to become an artist?

If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint', yet, by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.

The story of art through the ages is the story of mankind's continuous search for appropriate forms to express its experience in the world and the aspirations of the human spirit.

Art forms are many. Colour and shape, sound and movement can all be used by the artist to shape his or her creative vision.

The finished work can be beautiful or harsh; some modern art is purposely intended to have an unsettling or disagreeable effect. Take a look at the works of Salvador Dali.

Through their work, artists share their experiences, and in doing so, affect the way other people experience the world.

This power to awaken in others a sense of personal involvement is a major reason for art's enduring value within human societies.

Communities without art are unknown; therefore art must be universal. Art is all about passion, more of something you have to do, that urge to create, than something you do to earn a living.

It is the study of literature, theatre, music, design, fine arts, photography and dance.

It is all about communicating a vision or a thought process for other people's appreciation. This is the only profession in which you attain pleasure by giving pleasure.

The best part of being in the creative field: Art is a way of expressing ideas and feelings in visual form. It is a manner of looking at the world through fresh, new eyes.

Many creative people initially face the difficulty of gaining popularity or wide acceptance as the public may sometimes not understand either your creative urges or the need for what you do.

Because whatever you communicate comes from within you, some might accuse you of wasting time. But do not let the perceptions of others deter you if you are convinced of your own creativity.

It is important to remember that the process of creating is more important than the product. Stay focused on your vision and it will come true.

If you feel a strong urge to create and thus express yourself, it is the artist in you trying to surface.

However, decide on your medium first and learn the skill well. You can be technically perfect, but unless you have a vision to share, a story to tell - and consistently at that - you won't achieve a thing.

Creative art means touching and exploring the emotions of your audience, be it their sense of beauty, joy, sorrow, pathos, anger or even the ugly. The medium can be anything - music, dance, clay, paints.

The main aim of art is to communicate, and communicate well. This is one field where you earn a living, work at something you love, be creative, and have a great time all at one go.

The creative roadmap: Creative Arts is the study of creating and performing works of art, music, dance and drama.

It includes the study of clothing design and creation, and the communication of messages through a variety of media.

The main purpose of this broad field of education is to develop an understanding of composition, performance, artistic production, choreography, design and creativity and technical production.

Where do you start if you want a career in creative arts? What kind of jobs can you expect to do once you finish your course? What are the traits a creative person must have to be good at his profession?

What is vitally important is some measure of innate talent. In most cases, talent is recognised at a very young age and nurtured through the years.

Those who are exceptionally good and wish to make a career in these fields should procure professional guidance and training.

Training in these fields is now provided by a large number of schools and institutions. There are no specific academic qualifications for entry into this line. However, certain institutions do have some specific eligibility criterion.

Different branches of creative arts prepare students for different kinds of activities. Quite simply, no one branch of creative art is superior or inferior to any other.

What you should be concerned about when choosing a branch, is what kind of work and what aspect of creativity appeals to you and your senses, and what you think you could be good at.

What it takes to be a creative person: You should be someone who loves to travel.

There's no better way of broadening your horizons and refreshing your outlook than travel. It exposes you to new people, customs, ideas and ways of living.

You should also be someone who loves to read and write. But not all reading is good creative exercise.

The key to using reading as a creative exercise is to read selectively and actively. Having a good sense of humour is always an advantage.

The writer is the head of the Dubai branch of Career Launcher, one of India's largest education companies