Money vs. Satisfaction
If the choice is between monetary or creative satisfaction, UK art students, more often than not, will opt for the latter.
For the research project “Creative Graduates Creative Futures” 3,500 art, design, crafts and media graduates were asked about their working lives, income and satisfaction in work. Half of the respondents said they earn under £20,000, one third earns £15,000 or less, which is well below the average starting salary for a new graduate in the UK.
Almost half of those questioned practice portfolio working, which means that they combine two or more jobs to get working experience, and they still earn less than the average graduates. However, for most art graduates, the worth of creative work is irrelevant because the creative practice and quality of experience is more important than money.
Despite short-term and freelance contracts and despite earning less than average, three quarters of the questioned painters, fashion designers and other art graduates are happy and satisfied in their work.
