Art and creativity are often more practical and exacting than we normally think. It’s not all starving artists and writers pouring out their pain on stained paper in a drafty, rundown attic apartment. It could be helping someone decorate their new home or creating a floral arrangement for a wedding or, more sadly, a funeral. Creativity and practicality also work together in a field like Dressmaking and Design. If you’re a creative person who also wants to pay the bills and has an interest in fashion or clothing design, learning this craft may be a great career move for you. Take a look below at some of the ways taking up Dressmaking and Design can be both creative and practical!

• Where can you work? There are quite a few options! What you do depends on where your interests lie and how independent you want to be, as well as how much time you want to work. If you’re looking for something to be your side hustle, you may end up opening an etsy shop to sell your work and make a little extra money. Or, you can work at a formal wear shop or department store that offers alteration services when a customer buys a gown or other formal wear. You can also work for a playhouse or theater where you’d be responsible for fixing and sometimes even creating costumes for in-house productions.
• How is this profession creative? Being creative generally means imagining an idea and following through on the implementation or creation of the idea. Dressmaking and Design does exactly that. Whether you’re working in a playhouse crafting costumes from your imagination for the newest show or you’re altering a gown for a prospective bride, you’re coming up with an idea of how to best do the task at hand and then doing that task. If you open your own shop (online or in real life), you’ll also have the ability to create whatever you like! Most of your job would be imagining different designs and products you can offer to customers and then creating those ideas.
• How is this profession practical? It’s practical in that you have options for what kind of career you begin in the field. You can work for yourself by starting your own business. You can work part-time or full-time for an employer. You can just enjoy dressmaking and design for your personal use and create clothing designs for your friends and family and save money by not purchasing everything at a store. You can also repair your own clothing rather than take it to another tailor or seamstress!

Whether you’re interested in starting a new side hustle for some extra money each month or looking to take the first steps in the direction of the career of your dreams, dressmaking and design is a fulfilling, creative yet practical field. If you’re not sure where to get started or don’t know how to begin learning how to sew, take a moment to check out the online Dressmaking and Design course!