Introvert Jobs For Artists Who Crave Creative Freedom
Introverted and creative people often need freedom and flexibility in their workday in order to feel content. Unfortunately, the majority of good-paying office jobs are rigid, high-pressured, and usually involve spending day after day wedged in a cubicle under fluorescent lighting.
It can be easy to despair for a creative trying to find introvert jobs in the world. The lethargy that comes from intense unhappiness can be misunderstood as laziness, apathy, or lack of motivation. However, once they find their niche, introverted and highly creative people can not only bring a tremendous amount of productivity and enthusiasm to their workplace but also experience a high level of satisfaction within themselves.
If you are a struggling introverted creative looking for intovert jobs, these 15 suggestions may help give you a nudge down the road to professional fulfillment.
Introvert Jobs in Books
Working in books is a great career for introvert or quiet people. And you may not realize just how many career paths are available in the industry. Let’s take a look at a few.
1. Rare Book Dealer
Yes, this is a real job and it’s a bit like panning for gold. Most books aren’t worth very much, but when you find one that is, you’ve hit the jackpot. Being a rare book dealer requires many hours of digging through piles and boxes at garage and estate sells looking for your literary four-leaf clover. Many rare book dealers own shops or operate their businesses digitally from their homes. The downsides to this line of work is returns are uncertain and there isn’t much in the way of formal training to learn the trade. The California Rare Book School in Los Angeles and the annual Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar in Colorado Springs offer some training, but the majority of rare book collectors have simply learned the trade by practicing it over many years.
(We conducted an interview with a rare book dealer to get his insights into the trade if you’d like to read about this introvert job in books further).
Average Salary: $40,000
2. Librarian
A quiet, relaxed atmosphere surrounded by books can be a heavenly introvert job. Librarians are highly knowledgeable and their skill set is in demand for jobs at schools, universities, nonprofits, and public establishments.
Libraries are bastions of knowledge but also safe havens and hubs for community resources, usually completely free, that offer help with job placement, tutoring, learning technology, and a huge host of other things.
Librarian jobs usually require a degree in Library and Information Sciences, though part-time and assistant jobs can sometimes be secured without a degree, especially if you are a University student working at the University library.
Average Salary: $77,101
3. Book Scout
This introvert job is very similar to being a Rare Book Dealer, only you deal with less expensive books in bulk.
Book scouts usually scour for used books and then sell them in bulk to used bookstores, as well as listing them online to all the major retailers.
As with any self-directed career for introverts, salary can fluctuate widely, but here is the average:
Average Salary: $56,816
4. Book Cover Designer
300 million self-published books are published each year. And every one of those books needed a cover designed.
If you are design savvy or are willing to learn, there’s a huge market out there waiting on you. You can work from home, set your own schedule, and work on some amazing products.
Average Salary: $57,113
Introverts Jobs in Writing
1. Copywriter
Copywriting is short, snappy writing designed to sell products and lead people into sales funnels. Copywriting usually involves writing headlines, ads, webpage copy, product descriptions, and many other bits of copy used in advertising.
Many copywriting jobs can be done from home, and as you advance, the pay is very good.
Average Salary: $66,636
2. Content Writer
Content writing is often confused with copywriting, but they’re actually two very different skill sets.
While copywriting is intended to provoke feelings and make sales quickly, content writing is usually more long-form, such as blog posts or email campaigns, that establish a brand as a thought leader in their industry.
Content writing is an awesome introvert job. It allows you to learn about all kinds of new things and create some work you can be really proud of.
Average Salary: $67,472
3. Author
Remember what we said about how many people are selling self-published books? You can be one too! Gone are the days when publishing your work was completely dependent on publishing houses. If you can dream it, you can write it.
Average Salary: $60,000
4. Professor
The creative and introverted person often has skills and qualities that seem custom-made for a life in academia. Though working as a Professor definitely involves some stress and challenges, it also offers a respite from the traditional workplace and allows you to spend a life devoted to your discipline and the pursuit of knowledge.
In the case of writing, you can not only write your own work but also teach it to the next generation.
Average Salary: $66,000
5. Social Media Manager
Managing social media accounts can be great for the introvert who also longs to connect. While engaging with the public is a large part of the job, the added pressure of face-to-face interaction is taken out of the equation, allowing you to respond after taking a moment to breathe and collect yourself. It can also be a lot of fun to get paid to browse and curate content for your favorite social networks!
Average Salary: $55,000
Introvert Jobs in Art & Music
1. Musician
Teaching, performing, conducting, composing, and recording are just a few ways a talented musician can think about monetizing their skills. If you don’t want to give up your day job quite yet, giving lessons privately or through a music store is a great way to establish a stream of passive income that also may lead to more opportunities to perform and connect with other musicians.
Average Salary: $53,000
2. Curator
Curators often work for galleries and museums and are responsible for a variety of tasks that involve selecting and organizing works of art to be displayed. If a passion and knowledge for art is what fuels your fire, art curating may be in your near future.
Average Salary: $70,000
3. Art or Music Therapist
Art and music therapists use their crafts to help people who have trauma or disabilities to be able to communicate through art. Qualifications for this field include training in education, psychology, and of course art or music. If you have this trifecta of gifts or training, you may find being an art or music therapist to be an incredibly rewarding use of your talents.
Average Salary: $78,000
4. Music Production
Certificates in music production are widely available, comparatively affordable, and offer you the flexibility to work for yourself or for a studio. If you love sound and layering melodies, have a high attention to detail, and don’t mind working in the evenings a lot, this could be a great introvert job option for a musically minded creative.
Average Salary: $56,000
5. Videography
Skills in videography and video editing can be utilized in a variety of ways, from starting your own media company to shooting wedding footage to working as a videographer for private schools and universities. If you love capturing the beauty of the moment on film, this may be a good path for you to explore.
Average Salary: $70,000
6. Archivist
An Archivist typically works in museums maintaining, preserving, and cataloging precious artifacts, documents, and works of art. They also create digital records and maintain databases in addition to helping acquire new items to add to the archives. If you enjoy organization and tasks that are quiet and detail-oriented, this may be the direction your career takes next.
Average Salary: $60,000
Conclusion
If you’re looking for introvert jobs, there are many out there. A career for introvert and quiet people that will give you everything you want out of your working life is definitely possible, even if it means carving your own way. Your dreams are completely within your own hands. Start building!
