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Sub-Industries

  • Design & Digital Arts

  • Fashion & Interiors

  • Fine Arts

  • Lighting & Sound Technology

  • Media Production & Broadcasting

  • Performing Arts

Cool Jobs

  • Virtual Reality Experience Designer

  • Podcast Producer

  • Gameplay Animator

  • Digital Fashion Designer

  • Data Visualization Artist

  • Music Creator

Where People Work

  • Design studios and creative agencies

  • Film and video production companies

  • Theaters, music venues, and festivals

  • Fashion brands; Interior design firms

  • Streaming platforms and media outlets

  • Museums, galleries, and cultural institutions

  • Small businesses and freelance clients

Arts, Entertainment & Design

Inspiring Creativity, Innovation, and Artistry

Arts, Entertainment & Design is where creativity comes to life. This cluster brings together visual arts, performance, media production, fashion, interior design, and digital storytelling. Whether you're creating music, designing video games, editing a podcast, or choreographing a performance, this field is all about expressing ideas, emotions, and culture in new and inspiring ways. This industry blends imagination with technology - artists today use everything from paintbrushes to motion-capture suits to create immersive experiences and tell powerful stories across every medium.

Why We Love Arts, Entertainment & Design

An image representing the Arts, Entertainment & Design industry.

This cluster is for creatives who want to connect, inspire, and innovate. You can turn your passion into purpose, whether you're designing for social impact, performing on stage, or crafting brand visuals. There's room for both bold self-expression and deep collaboration, and the careers are as varied as the ideas behind them.

Arts, Entertainment & Design is a great fit for people who: 1) Love being creative, expressive, or artistic, 2) Enjoy telling stories through visuals, sound, or performance, 3) Like working in teams or collaborative environments, 4) Want to explore new technologies and tools (like AR, VR, or AI in art), and 5) Value beauty, originality, and emotional impact.

Example Career: Graphic Designer

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Good design makes people feel something. Whether I'm creating a brand identity or designing an album cover, I love the moment when a client says, "Yes, that's it." It's art with a purpose.

Luca T.

Freelance Graphic Designer & Illustrator

Top Tips

You don't need a traditional path to thrive.
While some careers require college degrees, many start with portfolios, experience, or specific technical training. For example, UX designers, podcast editors, and lighting technicians can all build strong careers through focused programs or apprenticeships.
You'll need persistence and flexibility.
Creative fields can be competitive, but they're also full of opportunity. Freelancing, gig work, and digital platforms give creators more ways than ever to showcase their work and reach audiences. Resilience, networking, and a strong personal style help you stand out.
Creative tech is reshaping the industry.
Designers and artists now work with AI, 3D modeling, virtual production, and other tools that blend art and science. Careers in this cluster are ideal for people who want to push boundaries and explore the future of creativity.
Cultivate a portfolio.
Almost every employer you work for will want samples of your work. Keeping them in a folder, digital or otherwise, will be important so you can find and display them easily. Many artists have personal websites where they display their work, or samples of it. You can build websites for online portfolios fairly easily with a platform like Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress.

Hear from Someone in Arts, Entertainment & Design



This content is based on the National Career Clusters® Framework, a national initiative led by Advance CTE. Advance CTE works to empower every learner to pursue career success through high-quality CTE programs. Their modernized framework helps connect education to real-world career opportunities and is used across the United States to guide career exploration and planning.

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