If you’re a creative person, then the concept of working in a non creative job can feel like a fate worse than death. Luckily, there are some creative jobs out there that are practical and money-making as well as artistic.

Here are some options that you could go for…

Event Planner

If you want to combine creativity with business, then event planning might just be for you. Planning weddings, birthday parties and other events takes a great level of skill and organisation – but it also takes a heck of a lot of incredible ideas, because let’s face it: people are picky, and your clients will turn down some of them.

Try working for a company to pick up some tips and contacts before starting your own business with your incredible portfolio.

Florist

If you’ve always been creative and good with your hands then floristry might just be your calling. One of the most fragrant and aesthetically appealing jobs, florists are in high demand at certain times of year, particularly Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Go on a floristry course to get yourself trained to a good standard and then make sure you practise by yourself to get your creative juices running. Make sure that you talk to all your customers about what exactly they want. Whether it’s wedding flowers or funeral flowers, bear in mind that you’re making an important and beautiful contribution to some of the most important days of your clients’ lives.

Vlogger

Vlogging is one of the newest jobs on the block but it’s also one of the most interesting, independent and creative. Young people design and create their own content for their audiences, bypassing any more traditional forms of media like TV companies and studios to get their words and views out there.

Vlogging is a new form of media that older folks need to start to get their heads around – people like Zoella are absolutely here to stay and they’re influencing young people a whole lot more than anyone else. If you want to get your words out there then vlogging is a great place to start.

Teaching

‘Those who can’t do, teach’. Right? No – wrong! Teachers are some of the most skilled people in the world and should be considerably more valued than they are. If you have plenty of energy and you want to do something that will truly help people, then consider teaching. It takes a lot of creativity to get kids motivated, and you’ll have to think of a million different ways to sell To Kill A Mockingbird and Of Mice And Men to your too cool for school teens, along with staying after hours to create gorgeous wall displays.

Visual Merchandiser

Being a visual merchandiser brings together retail, business and design. You need to consider what area you’re in and what your specific customers are looking for before going crazy with your artistic skills. Remember that you can’t be too unsubtle here – you want to grab the attention of the people walking past, so make sure that you follow the tone of the area and that you theme your windows to the time of year to make it seasonal.

Inside the store, make sure that you add flow to the way the shop runs – make it a logical walk through the store and intuitive instead of confusing.

Artist

There are a thousand different ways to become an artist, although for many it isn’t their full-time job but rather a supplement to their ‘real’ income. Never fear – you can absolutely make art a part of your life if you make sure that you prioritize it, even if that means missing out on a few social engagements. You will keep creating art if you make sure that it remains important to you and that you carve out time and space for it. Talk to fellow artists and do your best to contribute to local exhibitions, while continuing to take pleasure in the process of creating art rather than the expectation that you’ll get rich from it.

Musician

Don’t we all want to be rock stars? It’s every small child’s dream, but if you’ve soldiered away practising your art for a long time, then being a professional musician could be a reality for you.

If you’re the absolute best in your field then you could travel the world with a veteran singer or a band, or you could become a session musician and play on people’s albums and songs alongside making your own creations. You could compose music for adverts or even become a music teacher at a school.

Photographer

A lot of photographers have day jobs, like photographing weddings and other special occasions, and other jobs that they do more for love than money. Make sure that you find what you enjoy during the day, whether that’s music or event photography, and make a professional business out of it: set up a website with your portfolio on it, and get business cards printed with all your information on. If your photography business is a success, then you’ll have plenty of money to get away on weekends for wildlife photography or whatever it is that’s your real passion.

Writer

Whether you want to be a novelist or a journalist, there is a writing niche out there for you. Not many people turn out to be the next JK Rowling, so make sure that you put the notion of fame and millions in the bank out of your head.

People write novels for love, and because they must write in order to be sane – the finished product is the reward rather than the money. When you’ve finished your novel, set it aside for a couple of months before editing and sending it to an agent – you need agent representation before you can get it published. I

f you want to be a journalist, make sure that you’re interested in and curious about the world around you. Getting out and about will provide you with more interesting stories and angles than staring at your computer could ever produce.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.