PROCESS
1. Select three different art/design categories for research.
A) Jeweler
Jewellers design and make jewellery and small objects using a wide range of materials including metals, stones, woods, plastics and fibres.
B) Art Therapist
Art therapists use art as a medium to help clients. They encourage clients to express their thoughts and feelings through art, using materials such as paint, paper and clay.
C) Multi-Media artists
2. Select the career of your choice to investigate in more depth, including an artist interview.
a) Job title : Art therapist
b) Job description before/after research (What you thought the job was and what you learned about the job. Reflect on the difference between what you thought the job entailed and what you learned.
Before researching about art therapy, I thought that art therapists are artists who draw pictures that are mentally-enhancing to help cure mentally ill patients. However, art therapy is more about the patients doing the art and the art therapist observing their art to detect patterns to cure emotional, cognitive, physical, and developmental disorders. I also thought that art therapy only applies to mentally ill people, but I found out that art therapy also help anybody who needs help to cope better with stress, rehabilitate from traumatic experiences, improve friend or family relationship, and to increase insight and judgement. Throught the research I learned that other professionals, such as psychologist, social worker, mental health counselors and play therapists also apply art as a method to treat their patients. Also, I thought art therapy uses only drawings but it also utilizes variety forms of art, including painting, sculpture and photography. Moreover, art therapists’ payments are higher than I thought, maybe because most people are self-employed rather than joining workplaces.
c) Education needed for the job
Art therapy certification can be earned by completing core curriculum assigned by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) Education Standards. In order to become a professional art therapist, one has to complete a master’s degree in art therapy or at least 24 units of art therapy courseworks. Other at therapy certification requirements are listed on the Art Therapy Credential Boards and the Registered Art Therapist (ATR) organization. Lastly, prospective art therapist must experience at least 1,000 hours of direct client contact after graduating from an art therapy school.
d) Search for a projected salary
The graph below illustrates that depending on years of experience, the pay would be different. For example, an art therapist with less than 1 year of experience would receive only $30,300 each year but an art therapist with more than 20 years of experience would get $46,250 each year. But this data is from investigating art therapists only in United States, thus payment would differ in other countries.
Median Salary by Years Experience - Job: Art Therapist (United States) e) Insert 3 interesting images related to the job field.A collection of patients' drawings
- An art therapist examining drawings of her clients
- Art therapy invovles not only drawing, but also painting, sculpting and other forms of art
