Street artist to conceptual artist
A street artist already meets 57% of what the conceptual artist role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
49.1/ 100
1 How much of what a conceptual artist is expected to do is already part of a street artist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the conceptual artist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A conceptual artist role treats 11 of its required skills as things a street artist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt artistic plan to location
- art history
- contextualise artistic work
- create artwork
- discuss artwork
- gather reference materials for artwork
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A conceptual artist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a street artist background worth leading with.
- already held study artistic techniques information skills
- already held create artwork communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use artistic materials for drawing communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held plan art educational activities management skills
- already held discuss artwork communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain an artistic portfolio communication, collaboration and creativity
All 20 carried skills, including the 11 the conceptual artist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn define artistic approach required
- still to learn define creative components required
- still to learn develop an artistic framework required
- still to learn identify artistic niche required
- still to learn make artistic processes explicit required
- optional, not held assess each stage of the creative process optional
- optional, not held create pen-and-paper images optional
- optional, not held design greeting cards optional
- optional, not held develop animations optional
- optional, not held provide input to collaborators to guide their work optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- still to learn monitor art scene developments required
- optional, not held monitor sociological trends optional
- still to learn iconography required
- optional, not held manage artistic project optional
- optional, not held manage personal professional development optional
- optional, not held ensure safety of exercise environment optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a conceptual artist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 iconography study this
- 02 define artistic approach practise this
- 03 define creative components practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 20 skills that carry over
- already held adapt artistic plan to location skill
- already held art history knowledge
- already held contextualise artistic work skill
- already held create artwork skill
- already held discuss artwork skill
- already held gather reference materials for artwork skill
- already held intellectual property law knowledge
- already held labour legislation knowledge
- already held maintain an artistic portfolio skill
- already held select artistic materials to create artworks skill
- already held study artistic techniques skill
- already held assess conservation needs skill
- already held develop artistic educational activities skill
- already held develop artistic project budgets skill
- already held develop educational resources skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held participate in artistic mediation activities skill
- already held plan art educational activities skill
- already held present exhibition skill
- already held use artistic materials for drawing skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess each stage of the creative process optional
- optional, not held create pen-and-paper images optional
- optional, not held design greeting cards optional
- optional, not held develop animations optional
- optional, not held ensure safety of exercise environment optional
- optional, not held manage artistic project optional
- optional, not held monitor sociological trends optional
- optional, not held provide input to collaborators to guide their work optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- optional, not held manage personal professional development optional
11 held skills the conceptual artist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productions skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate with designers skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate with technical experts on artworks skill
- not needed by the target role create digital images skill
- not needed by the target role create original drawings skill
- not needed by the target role determine visual concepts skill
- not needed by the target role ensure visual quality of the set skill
- not needed by the target role graffiti removal techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage logistics skill
- not needed by the target role study artworks skill
- not needed by the target role use genre painting techniques skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn iconography required
Common questions about this move
Can a street artist become a conceptual artist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A street artist already covers 57% of what a conceptual artist is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 11 of which the conceptual artist role treats as required.
What skills does a street artist need to become a conceptual artist?
7 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is iconography.
How hard is the move from street artist to conceptual artist?
Its learning distance is 49.1 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.