Creative Arts, Design and Communication· Beginner level
- Takes
- 2-4 weeks
- Work
- 9–15 hours
- Steps
- 5
This pathway is for students who draw, design, write, shoot, edit, build or perform, and want to know whether it can be a living. It covers design, media production, writing and journalism, communications, and craft and fine art.
Almost all paid creative work is solving someone else's problem to a deadline, inside a budget, with feedback you did not ask for. The people who last are the ones who finish things and take criticism without falling apart.
By the end you will have named real roles, understood what a portfolio actually is, made three finished pieces, and prepared questions for a mentor who works in the field.
What you will be able to do
- Name at least six creative jobs that people are paid to do, and say who pays for each of them.
- Explain what a portfolio is, and what schools and employers look at first when they open one.
- Identify which Ghanaian SHS programme and which Canadian Grade 12 courses support the creative route you want.
- Finish three pieces of work, photographed or recorded properly, with a note on how each was made.
- Ask a mentor for critique of one specific piece, without sending originals or personal details.
Steps
1The jobs behind the word "creative"
30-45 minutes
The jobs behind the word "creative"
30-45 minutes
Creative work is a set of jobs, not a mood. Graphic designer. Motion and video editor. Photographer. Sound engineer. Animator. Journalist. Communications officer at an NGO, a bank or a hospital. Copywriter. Fashion and textile designer. Interface designer for apps. Arts teacher. Events and festival coordinator.
In Ghana, the people paying for this work are advertising and media houses, radio and television stations, churches, print and signage businesses, event companies, telecoms, NGOs, and a large number of individual clients.
In Canada, it is agencies, in-house marketing and communications teams, studios, publishers, broadcasters, and freelance clients.
Pick three roles. For each, write down who pays for it and what the deadline pressure looks like.
Do this
- Write six creative job titles and who pays for each one.
- For three of them, note what a client is actually buying.
- Find one person doing each of your three roles and look at their published work.
- Write down which one you would still want on a bad week.
2Subjects, and what a portfolio really is
1-2 hours
Subjects, and what a portfolio really is
1-2 hours
A portfolio is a small set of finished work that shows what you can do and how you think. It is not everything you have ever made. Schools and employers usually look at the first three pieces and decide.
In Ghana, the Visual Arts programme at SHS covers General Knowledge in Art alongside practical electives such as Graphic Design, Picture Making, Ceramics, Sculpture, Textiles, Leatherwork and Basketry. The General Arts programme, with subjects such as Literature in English, Government, History and French, suits writing, media and communications routes. Music is available as an elective. Credits in English Language and Core Mathematics still matter for tertiary entry, so do not drop them.
In Canada, English at the Grade 12 university-preparation level is almost always required, and visual arts, media arts and music courses support your application. Many art and design programmes admit largely on a portfolio and run portfolio review sessions; music programmes audition.
Portfolio rules change year to year. Read the requirement on the school's own admissions page.
Do this
- Write down your current subjects and which creative route they support.
- Find two schools and copy out exactly what their portfolio or audition asks for.
- Note the number of pieces, the format and whether process work is required.
- Ask an art, music or English teacher whether your subject choices match your plan.
3Make three finished things
6-10 hours over three weeks
Make three finished things
6-10 hours over three weeks
Finished beats clever. Three complete pieces are worth more than twenty half-started ones.
Pick briefs you can actually complete. Design a poster for a real school or church event and get it printed. Shoot and edit a sixty-second video with clean sound. Write six hundred words about something happening in your town, and let a teacher edit it hard. Record and mix one song. Make one textile, ceramic or sculptural piece and photograph it properly.
Photograph work square-on, in daylight, against a plain background. Bad photographs of good work lose places at art school every year.
Before you post anything showing a person, ask their permission. If they are under 18, ask their guardian. This is not optional.
Do this
- Choose three briefs you can finish within a month.
- Finish and photograph or record each one properly.
- Write two or three lines on each: the brief, the tools, what you would redo.
- Get permission before sharing any image or recording that includes another person.
4Ask for critique, not compliments
30-45 minutes
Ask for critique, not compliments
30-45 minutes
Family will tell you it is lovely. That does not help. A mentor in this field can tell you what a client or an admissions tutor would say.
Bring three pieces and ask them to pick the weakest and explain why. Ask how they get work. Ask what they would remove from your set and what they would want to see instead. Ask what software or equipment actually matters and what does not.
Protect your work and yourself. Send flattened images or a link, not editable originals or your only copy. Do not send your home address, school ID or phone number. If you are between 12 and 18, review the plan with your guardian first.
Do this
- Choose one piece and ask specifically what is wrong with it.
- Ask how the mentor finds clients or gets hired.
- Send flattened files or a link, never your only copy.
- If you are 12 to 18, agree the plan with a guardian before the session.
5A 30-day plan for the next three pieces
45-60 minutes
A 30-day plan for the next three pieces
45-60 minutes
Creative skill comes from volume plus feedback. Plan the next month around finishing, not starting.
A realistic month: redo the piece the mentor criticised, add one new piece in a different form, photograph everything properly, and read the portfolio requirements of two schools in full.
Put the four things on a calendar. Show someone the calendar.
Do this
- Redo one piece using the criticism you were given.
- Add one new piece in a form you have not tried.
- Rephotograph or re-record everything to a consistent standard.
- Book your next review with a mentor, teacher or guardian.
Ready to start this pathway?
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This route at other levels
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