Fine art

These are the few artists who decide to go it alone... as painters, sculptors or, to reflect the more ‘modern’ media, as video artists. The core of the work involves working alone to create pieces completely from scratch, which you’ll try to sell. Exhibitions are the lifeblood for fine artists – to build their reputation, their work must be seen, so courting galleries and, in particular, gallery curators who put on the exhibitions, is of crucial importance. ‘Open’ exhibitions, which display the work of new artists whose work is selected from an open application process (artists must apply, sometimes pay an entry fee, and submit their work for scrutiny), advertise in the key art magazines, for example The Artist. In between exhibitions, however, artists often turn their hand to commercial work (such as producing illustrations for magazines) to earn a living.

The conditions

Being self-employed may, in theory, mean that you can set your own hours, and avoid the daily commute, but in reality, it means that you won’t have the security of a regular monthly salary, and will only be paid for what you sell.

The upside: this is probably the height of creative freedom that would suit the independent-minded.

The downside: talent rules – for every Damien Hirst, there are dozens of didn’t-quite-make-its.