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Creative Industries

Craft Artist

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

Annual openings

98

Median wage

$43,620

Typical education

High school (GED)

Growth 2026–2032

+16%

Median wage source: Colorado BLS OEWS (2025).

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Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

High school (GED)

Credential requirement

No certification is required or expected for this job.

Work experience

No previous work experience is required, though work experience or work-based learning in this or a similar occupation is expected.

Work-based learning

No information available

Employer competency information

  • Feedback from artists identifies the following competencies as being critical to success: Creativity and the ability to turn an idea into a work of art as well as entrepreneurship and the ability to promote that art to buyers.
Some Craft Artists, such as sculptors, benefit from training and experience in welding, fabrication, or other skilled trades.
Making a living as a creative artist requires a mix of skill, ability, and entrepreneurship - finding what you are passionate about and good at, and then finding a way to use that to create something that people want to buy.

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Work style

The type of work can vary by job and employer.

  • With childrenNo
  • On a computerMay vary
  • OutdoorsMay vary
  • With your handsYes

Interests it draws on

  • Arts, Design, and Entertainment
  • Arts and Design

Automation exposure

Moderate exposure

Some routine tasks may shift as tools improve, but the role is likely to adapt.

A typical day

  1. Select materials for use based on strength, color, texture, balance, weight, size, malleability and other characteristics.
  2. Create functional or decorative objects by hand, using a variety of methods and materials.
  3. Develop concepts or creative ideas for craft objects.
  4. Apply finishes to objects being crafted.
  5. Cut, shape, fit, join, mold, or otherwise process materials, using hand tools, power tools, or machinery.
  6. Sketch or draw objects to be crafted.
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