Getting started in crafts…

Thinking of a career in the crafts industry? At the most basic level, you need to be interested in making things, in materials and in the processes involved.

Many people come into crafts after making things for a hobby or an evening class. According to Beatrice Mayfield, maker development manager at the Crafts Council, the beauty of a career in crafts is the diversity:

“It's one that you can come into from lots of different directions. That means that there's no real set career route ... It starts as an interest. Then they've found that this is how they want to direct their life.”

It is an industry that often attracts people wanting a second career, who have done a job entirely unrelated to crafts and have decided to move in a completely different direction.

"What does link all of them, and what you do need, are very strong skills in making, strong ideas and strong originality. Those are the things that will give you real success."

Crossing over into crafts

Fewer people get to experiment with materials like clay or textiles at school. But you can still find out if you are suited for a career in the crafts industry.

“There is an awful lot of crossover,” explains Ms Mayfield. “If you are good at maths, you could equally be a very good weaver. A lot of weavers have that same way of thinking, because it's the same kind of logic that you need."

The same goes for those interested in science. Chemistry comes into working with ceramics and glazes, as they require an understanding of firings and the chemical reactions involved.

But the decision to enter a career in crafts often just comes by instinct.

“People just say that it's what they had to do. It’s that need to create, to explore, and that real love of understanding how to push a process, or a material, to do new things.”

Career options for crafts

In terms of career pathways, prospective crafters have a variety of options open to them:

Many go through the formal route of getting a degree – a BA or an MA – often in an applied arts subject. There are students who study fine art first, then follow up with a postgraduate qualification in a practical crafts subject.

“More and more people are doing MAs now on top of the BA,” Ms Mayfield says, “but you can come into it through an apprenticeship or undertaking short courses, on a route that might be more self-taught.”

This is an equally strong model of career development. The route you take often depends on what materials you are interested in, or the discipline you choose.

“If you want to become a stone carver or work in contemporary basketry or calligraphy, for example, those aren't taught in many of the formal academic routes and you tend to do work experience with another maker or you might do short courses.”

Professional development

There is more to a career in crafts than just using your hands. Crafters employ a variety of skills on a daily basis, combining creativity with business acumen.

Once you have established yourself within the industry, there is plenty of opportunity for career development.

“You can teach, you can do research,” explains Ms Mayfield, “a really broad range of other different income streams.”

One way to develop as a crafter is to get your work known and build a profile by doing shows and exhibiting, such as the Craft Council's Origin at Somerset House.

“It's seen as one of the key shows that, if you're in there, it's a mark of quality. So you've had to get yourself a group of collectors, you've had to reach a certain point in your career. Those kind of shows will open you up to a vast amount of opportunities from galleries, to press, to the general public, teaching, all kinds of things.”

Many people also go on to do research, getting PhDs or working with architects and commissioners in the public realm.

“It's good for people who are interested in working in that way and perhaps having a more flexible career and a more flexible life.”

Further information

The Crafts Council is the national development agency for contemporary crafts. It aims to position the UK as the global centre for the making, seeing and collecting of contemporary craft.