Craft Artists
Create or reproduce handmade objects for sale and exhibition using a variety of techniques, such as welding, weaving, pottery, and needlecraft.
Sample of reported job titles:
Artist, Ceramic Artist, Designer, Fiber Artist, Fine Craft Artist, Furniture Maker, Glass Artist, Glass Blower, Goldsmith, Hand-Weaver
Occupation-Specific Information
Tasks
- Create functional or decorative objects by hand, using a variety of methods and materials.
- Cut, shape, fit, join, mold, or otherwise process materials, using hand tools, power tools, or machinery.
- Select materials for use based on strength, color, texture, balance, weight, size, malleability and other characteristics.
- Apply finishes to objects being crafted.
- Develop concepts or creative ideas for craft objects.
Technology Skills
- Analytical or scientific software:John Hesselberth and Ron Roy GlazeMaster
- Computer aided design CAD software:DRAWSTITCH Artistic Sewing Suite,Electric Quilt Quilt Design Wizard,Embroidery design software,Floriani MDQ My Decorative Quilter,Pattern design software
- Electronic mail software:Email software
- Graphics or photo imaging software:SmugMug Flickr
- Instant messaging software:Twitter
Occupational Requirements
Work Activities
- Thinking Creatively:Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
- Handling and Moving Objects:Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
- Performing General Physical Activities:Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work:Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
- Selling or Influencing Others:Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
Detailed Work Activities
- Apply finishes to artwork, crafts, or displays.
- Build models, patterns, or templates.
- Confer with clients to determine needs.
- Construct distinctive physical objects for artistic, functional, or commercial purposes.
- Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
Work Context
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls:68% responded"Continually or almost continually"
- Electronic Mail:64% responded"Every day"
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets:52% responded"Every day"
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate:52% responded"Very important"
- Telephone:48% responded"Once a week or more but not every day"
Worker Requirements
Skills
- Active Listening:Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Reading Comprehension:Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Social Perceptiveness:Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking:Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Knowledge
- Fine Arts:Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
- Sales and Marketing:Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
- Customer and Personal Service:Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Production and Processing:Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
- Design:Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Education
How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:
- 24%Bachelor's Degree
- 20%Less than a High School Diploma
- 16%High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
- 16%Some College Courses
- 12%Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
- 8%Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
Worker Characteristics
Abilities
- Finger Dexterity:The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Originality:The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness:The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Manual Dexterity:The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Fluency of Ideas:The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Interests
- Artistic:Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
- Realistic:Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
- Enterprising:Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Work Values
- Achievement:Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
- Independence:Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
- Working Conditions:Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Work Styles
- Attention to Detail:Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
- Independence:Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
- Achievement/Effort:Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
- Innovation:Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
- Persistence:Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Get yourself a new skill