Though it would be preferable to leave university and be able to make a living from art immediately that is unfortunately unrealistic. An ArtQuest study on artists earning trends between 2022 and 2024 found that “20% fewer artists report regularly earning money from their practice”, showing a decrease in arts funding over the last few years. This statistic does slightly concern me, and what it might mean for my career aspirations, however, I am prepared with the idea of working to pay the bills whilst trying to work on my creative career aspirations externally. The uncertainty of the job market right now is off putting and daunting, but that is something which is out of my control and so I will have to try to overcome these feelings whilst looking for a job.
If I am lucky I might be able to get a creative day job, perhaps in radio production/ admin. I have over 3 years experience in radio which could be desirable for employers. It could be nice to work within a field that I enjoy and inspires me, however jobs in the radio sector are limited so I might have to volunteer for longer to improve my chances.
Something that has given a bit of hope for the livelihood of artists has been Irelands new funding trial. It is called basic income for the arts and provides people working within the arts with €325 a week to support with the finical struggle often associated with working creatively. Though I think it could be a long time before something like this is introduced in the UK, I think that this is a sign that of improvements to come for all artists. The Irish government help to support artist finically also through the Artists Tax Exemption Scheme, which allows for the profit from a work sold to be exempt from income tax. This shows that in Ireland artists are valued for there labour, and paid fairly because of it.
ArtQuest, (2025) ‘Artists’ earnings trends: 2022 to 2024’ Available at:https://artquest.org.uk/research/applied/applied-insights/artists-earnings