Occupation

Craft Artists

Human Advantage 61%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Moderate Risk
3.8 / 10

Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.

Create or reproduce handmade objects for sale and exhibition using a variety of techniques, such as welding, weaving, pottery, and needlecraft.

Also Known As: Art Objects Repairer, Artisan, Artist, Calligrapher, Candle Maker, Ceramic Artist, Ceramics Artist, China Painter +46 more

Video

Core Tasks

  1. Create functional or decorative objects by hand, using a variety of methods and materials.
  2. Cut, shape, fit, join, mold, or otherwise process materials, using hand tools, power tools, or machinery.
  3. Apply finishes to objects being crafted.
  4. Develop concepts or creative ideas for craft objects.
  5. Select materials for use based on strength, color, texture, balance, weight, size, malleability and other characteristics.
  6. Advertise products and work, using media such as internet advertising and brochures.
  7. Set specifications for materials, dimensions, and finishes.
  8. Plan and attend craft shows to market products.
  9. Create prototypes or models of objects to be crafted.
  10. Confer with customers to assess customer needs or obtain feedback.
  11. Fabricate patterns or templates to guide craft production.
  12. Develop product packaging, display, and pricing strategies.
  13. Research craft trends, venues, and customer buying patterns to inspire designs and marketing strategies.
  14. Sketch or draw objects to be crafted.

Supplemental Tasks (1)

  1. Develop designs using specialized computer software.

Emerging Tasks

New and evolving responsibilities for this role:

  • Pack products for shipping.

Education & Training

Job Zone 3 Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
On-the-Job Training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

Bachelor's Degree
24%
Less than a High School Diploma
20%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
16%
Some College Courses
16%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
12%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
8%
Master's Degree
4%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Facebook

Software (12)

  • DRAWSTITCH Artistic Sewing Suite
  • Electric Quilt Quilt Design Wizard
  • Email software
  • Embroidery design software
  • Floriani MDQ My Decorative Quilter
  • John Hesselberth and Ron Roy GlazeMaster
  • Pattern design software
  • Sales management software
  • SmugMug Flickr
  • Twitter
  • Web browser software

Tools & Equipment (264)

  • Alcohol lamps
  • Allen wrenches
  • Aluminum silkscreening screens
  • Angled paint brushes
  • Artists' air brushes
  • Artists' paint brushes
  • Artists' palette knives
  • Artists' palettes
  • Bail shaping pliers
  • Ball mills
  • Bastard hand files
  • Bead press machines
  • Bead shaping molds
  • Belt sanders
  • Bench anvils
  • Bench pins
  • Bench planes
  • Benchtop drill presses
  • Bevel tools
  • Bias tape machines
  • Biscuit joiners
  • Blowhoses
  • Brad nailers
  • Buffing tools
  • Bunsen burners
  • Burnishing tools
  • Bush hammers
  • Butane torches
  • C clamps
  • Calligraphy pens
  • Candle molds
  • Carving knives
  • Carving mallets
  • Center punches
  • Ceramic bead bars
  • Ceramic loop tools
  • Chasing hammers
  • Chop saws
  • Circular saws
  • Clay cutters
  • Clay mixers
  • Color inkjet printers
  • Compound miter saws
  • Conewinders
  • Coping saws
  • Cordless power drills
  • Corner clamps
  • Credit card machines
  • Crochet hooks
  • Cross-lock tweezers
  • Dead blow mallets
  • Degree gauges
  • Design templates
  • Detail carving tools
  • Diamond core drills
  • Digital angle gauges
  • Digital calipers
  • Digital hydrometers
  • Digital micrometers
  • Digital pyrometers
  • Digital scales
  • Digital thermometers
  • Digital viscosometers
  • Dipping tongs
  • Disc cutter dies
  • Disc cutters
  • Double-ended etching scribes
  • Dovetail jigs
  • Dressing wheels
  • Drum sanders
  • Drying cabinets
  • Dust and particulate respirators
  • Dust collectors
  • Dust masks
  • Edge banding machines
  • Edging tools
  • Electric air compressors
  • Electric heat guns
  • Electric kilns
  • Electric potters wheels
  • Electroplating machines
  • Encaustic scrapers
  • Encaustic spatulas
  • Engineers squares
  • Extruder dies
  • Fabric cutters
  • Face shields
  • Feltmaking machines
  • Fettling knives
  • Finishing tumblers
  • Flashdryers
  • Flexible ink spatulas
  • Floor looms
  • Floor mount drill presses
  • Flush cutters
  • Flux brushes
  • Gas kilns
  • Gas-powered air compressors
  • Glass cutting shears
  • Glass kilns
  • Glass rakes
  • Glass rod nippers
  • Glassworking lathes
  • Glue brushes
  • Graphic arts rulers
  • Graphite paddles
  • Graphite reamers
  • Half-round hand files
  • Half-round needle files
  • Half-round pliers
  • Hand glaze mixers
  • Hand planes
  • Handheld clay extruders
  • Handlemaker tools
  • Handsaws
  • Hearing protection plugs
  • Heat resistant gloves
  • Heat transfer printers
  • Heavy duty fixed base routers
  • Height gauges
  • Hold-down clamps
  • Hole-punching pliers
  • Hollow mandrels
  • Image sublimation printers
  • Inkle looms
  • Jewelers' chain-nose pliers
  • Jewelers' crimper pliers
  • Jewelers' flat nose pliers
  • Jewelers' forming pliers
  • Jewelers' link forming pliers
  • Jewelers' loupes
  • Jewelers' planishing hammers
  • Jewelers' prong-closing pliers
  • Jewelers' saws
  • Jewelers' solder cutting pliers
  • Jewelers' wire gauges
  • Jewelers' wire looping pliers
  • Jigsaws
  • Kick wheels
  • Kiln carts
  • Kiln oxygen probes
  • Kiln ventilation hoods
  • Lampworking torches
  • Lap looms
  • Laptop computers
  • Laser levels
  • Lathe burners
  • Layout T-squares
  • Line boring machines
  • Linoleum cutters
  • Machine quilters
  • Manual production printing presses
  • Marble molds
  • Mashing tweezers
  • Mini drill presses
  • Miter gauges
  • Modeling stands
  • Moisture monitors
  • Mold knives
  • Mortise and tenon jigs
  • Non-contact thermometers
  • Paint mixing pipettes
  • Paint scrapers
  • Paint spray guns
  • Panel saws
  • Paper drills
  • Parallel mashers
  • Personal computers
  • Phillips screwdrivers
  • Pin nailers
  • Pipe clamps
  • Planing equipment
  • Pneumatic chisels
  • Polishing bench lathes
  • Portable routers
  • Pot lifts
  • Potter's ribs
  • Pottery cleanup tools
  • Pottery duster brushes
  • Pottery kilns
  • Power screwdrivers
  • Power staple guns
  • Precision levels
  • Precision straightedges
  • Protective safety glasses
  • Protractors
  • Pry bars
  • Pugmills
  • Punch needles
  • Punch sets
  • Push and blow tubes
  • Quilting frames
  • Rabbeting routers
  • Raku kilns
  • Raku tongs
  • Rawhide mallets
  • Reciprocating lapping machines
  • Riffler rasps
  • Rigid heddle looms
  • Ring mandrels
  • Riveting hammers
  • Rotary cutters
  • Round hole punches
  • Round short handle brushes
  • Saber saws
  • Sandblasting guns
  • Scoring knives
  • Scribing tools
  • Scroll saws
  • Seam rippers
  • Sewing machines
  • Sewing rulers
  • Sgraffito tools
  • Shop vacuums
  • Silk screen exposure units
  • Silk-screening roller frames
  • Silk-screening squeegees
  • Slab mats
  • Slab rollers
  • Small hand looms
  • Smoothing planes
  • Soap molds
  • Solder tweezers
  • Soldering picks
  • Spring-loaded tubing cutters
  • Square hole cutters
  • Stainless steel mandrels
  • Steam bending tools
  • Steam irons
  • Steel rasps
  • Stencil brushes
  • Stone carving chisels
  • Stone carving knives
  • Stone or metal grinders
  • Straight screwdrivers
  • Strain viewers
  • Table saws
  • Tablet computers
  • Tabletop looms
  • Tabletop printing presses
  • Tapestry looms
  • Texturing hammers
  • Thermofaxes
  • Theromcouples
  • Thread bobbins
  • Tile cutters
  • Tile presses
  • Tile saws
  • Tool sharpeners
  • Tool sharpening stones
  • Torch igniters
  • Trim saws
  • Triple beam scales
  • Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners
  • Warping mills
  • Wick setters
  • Wood carving chisels
  • Wood carving gouges
  • Wood carving skews
  • Woodburning tool sets
  • Woodworking templates
  • Wool combs
  • Workbench vises
  • pH indicators

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Fine Arts Arts, Entertainment, & Design

Zone 3
Craft Artists You are here
Zone 4
Art Directors 73% match
Zone 5
Curators 75% match

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Real Talk

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