Q. What is the career you are pursuing and why?

A. I am pursing a career as an Artist. I chose this path because I love doing art and it is something that I feel that I am good at. I have also had a lot of support from family and friends with this career path.

Q. What are the working conditions for this occupation?

A. This can vary a lot but, my personal goal, as an artist, is to work online digitally. I want to create an online graphic novel/s. I also want to create merchandise for my graphic novel. This will include things, such as, shirts, art prints, buttons, ect. I also want to take up art commissions on the side.

Q. What types of places does someone in this occupation work?

A. I want to mainly work from home but, I would also like to attend conventions where I can sell merchandise and advertise my graphic novel.

Q. What kind of training is required for this occupation, i.e., high school diploma, two year college, apprenticeship, bachelor’s degree, etc.?

A. Some level of education is mandatory for becoming a digital artist. As per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 years of education in a relevant field is mandatory as far as pursing a career as a digital artist goes.

Q. How much does someone in this occupation earn? What is the range of salaries? Does someone in this occupation earn bonuses or commissions?

A. This varies but the average is around $59,000. I hope to make enough to support myself and my animals financially.

Q. What are some related occupations?

A. There is a big selection of paths to choose from when becoming an artist. Some of these include Animators, Comic Book Artists, Art Professors, etc.

Q. Can someone in this occupation advance on the job? Describe.

A. You can advance in learning more and bettering your work. You can also advance by expanding your audience and gaining more supporters.

Q. What is the labor market outlook for this occupation? In Texas? In this part of the United States? Other?

A. The outlook for this occupation is expected to grow at an average rate of 8%, as indicated by the BLS (www.bls.gov).

Q. Does this occupation require travel?

A. No, but traveling may help sell your product and gain more supporters.

Q. Typically, does this occupation provide any benefits, such as health insurance, retirement plan, flexible work schedules, vacations with pay, etc.?

A. Benefits that you have from this type of career are things such as, freedom of creativity, working on your own, flexible work hours and a huge client base.

This is my personal analysis on the content posted by Starbucks (https://www.instagram.com/starbucks/), Little Tokyo (https://www.instagram.com/littletokyo6737/) and Gerard Way.(https://www.instagram.com/gerardway/)

For Little Tokyo, I like how they post high-quality photos of the sushi they create there. I think it is effective in bringing in customers for several reasons. One reason is that seeing the visual pictures of food makes you hungry and crave it. Another reason is that it shows off the quality sushi they use and work and care that they put into creating these sushi rolls, which makes you want to go there. I’ve noticed that the photos of sushi are the posts with most interactions. They also tend to post photos of customers who were eating there and enjoying their meals. I find that these don’t get as much attention and I think it is because it may appeal to a smaller audience. Whereas the sushi photos are for everyone, the ones of customers may only be liked by the family themselves whom are in the photo or friends of the customers in the photo.

For Starbucks, I like how they go way out of their way during the holidays. Their content during these times become super festive. I think this is a great way to bring in customers because it’s fun to see their decorations and try new limited holiday drinks. I believe it is a great way to spread some holiday fun and cheer for everyone. Although, all of their posts seem to do very well, I have noticed that these festive posts receive more love and attention. And I personally tend to favor those types of posts the most.

For Gerard Way, a lot of his posts are of his comics, his tv series The Umbrella Academy or for his now reformed band My Chemical Romance. I have personally been a long-time fan of his works and have followed him and his career for many years. I can not deny that I do prefer certain posts of his over others. Even though I am a fan of everything he does, I enjoy certain projects more than others. And I have found this to be true for all of his fans as well. Gerard’s most popular posts undoubtedly the ones to do with My Chemical Romance. Gerard is the singer of this band and they have become very famous and successful over the years.

What I would like to learn this semester is how to effectively use social media to sell my artwork and expand my followers. I hope to learn how to be successful in running an art business online and to expand my knowledge on social marketing it. I also want to learn how to bring in more customers and followers who will support my work.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.