25 careers for creatives in Malaysia

Do you love the idea of using your creativity in the workplace? Whether you prefer to express yourself through words, design, film or beauty services, there are plenty of different careers that will take you in a creative direction.

In this article, we take a look at some different creative careers, provide a list of creative jobs, and outline some of the qualifications and skills you’ll need to succeed. If creativity is in your blood, this article will help you find a career that pays you to do what you’re passionate about.

What are creative careers?

Creative careers cover a wide range of professions, each requiring their own unique skills. However, there’s one thing they all have in common: they all involve innovative thinking and imagination. Creative careers all need you to be able to think outside the box, come up with inventive solutions to problems, and bring new ideas to life.

Career paths you can take as a creative

When considering the best creative job for you, start by identifying what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing. It’s also important to consider what types of creative jobs are most in demand for full-time work and which are more appropriate as a side-hustle. Here are some of the most popular creative career paths out there.

1. Freelance creative

A freelance creative is someone who is self-employed, meaning they are their own boss and work with clients that they choose. They can work on a wide variety of projects, which can be short one-off jobs or long-term, ongoing contracts. The most common creative freelance fields are: writing, graphic design, web design and video editing. However, freelancing can be a viable career path for anyone with marketable skills.

Here are some of the pros and cons of working as a freelancer:

Pros:

• Flexibility over work hours and location
• Freedom to choose the projects you work on
• Variety of work and clients
• Control over your income by taking more projects or raising rates
• Opportunities to collaborate with businesses anywhere

Cons:

• Finding consistent work
• Unpredictable income
• Requires strong self-management skills
• Isolation, especially if you don’t have a strong network
• No professional support for growth and development

Important skills for a freelance creative

• Communication skills: whether it’s pitching or discussing a brief, being able to clearly communicate your thoughts is an important skill for freelancers.
• Time-management skills: managing deadlines, especially if you’re working on multiple projects, is a crucial part of being a freelancer.
• Adaptability: being open and flexible to changing deadlines or projects is important for success as a freelancer.
• Networking: building a strong network is at the core of freelancing. You’ll need to know how to identify opportunities and market yourself to potential clients.

2. In-house creative

An in-house creative works as permanent staff for an employer. They may be employed on a part-time or full-time basis and use their skills to create whatever their role dictates, as outlined by their employer. This can include working on projects for their employer’s business or for different clients, if working at an agency.

Here are some pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

• Stability with regular working hours and income
• Professional development and support
• Work in a collaborative environment within a team
• Opportunities for career progression
• Structured work environment

Cons:

• Limited creative control
• Must adhere to company policies
• Limited flexibility around working hours and location
• Usually working in a structured role, with limited variety of duties and projects
• No control over deadlines or timeframes
• No choice of who you get to work with

Important skills for employed creatives

• Problem solving: in-house creatives may need to overcome challenges like conflicting deadlines or limited resources.
• Conflict-resolution skills: the ability to work within a team and resolve conflicts as they arise is essential for the overall success of projects and to maintain a good work culture.
• Attention to detail: paying attention to the finer details is an important skill for in-house creatives.
• Communication skills: being able to communicate with team members, managers and clients is important for collaborating effectively.

3. Creative side hustle

A creative side hustle is a job you do in addition to your primary job or studies, to earn extra income. It includes making and selling your own products, writing, hair styling, photography and illustration. While it can be challenging to balance your commitments with a creative side hustle, if you have the time, it’s a great creative outlet that also supplements your income.

Pros:

• Maintain a creative practice alongside regular work
• Turn your creative skills into a source of additional income
• Explore a creative career path before fully committing
• Develop and expand on your creative skills
• Expand your professional network

Cons:

• Add stress through increasing your workload
• Marketing efforts may be required
• Other work may be impacted
• Reduced work-life balance

Best careers for creatives in Malaysia

There’s a range of high-paying creative jobs that allow you to use your skills and experience. Here are some of the best creative jobs across a range of industries, to give you inspiration for your own creative career path.

Beauty careers

1. Beauty therapist

Beauty therapists provide face and body treatments, such as facials, manicures, pedicures, massages, waxing, electrolysis and more. It’s a job that allows creatives to have an active role in making people look and feel their best, which can be both creatively fulfilling and personally rewarding.

To become a beauty therapist, you’ll need a formal qualification like a Degree in Beauty Therapy.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM3700

2. Makeup artist

Makeup artistry covers a broad range of careers that involves applying cosmetics, and sometimes prosthetics, to change the way people look. Using their creative eye skills, makeup artists might find a niche in bridal or formal makeup, stage makeup or special effects makeup for movies and more.

Aspiring makeup artists can get formal training with a Diploma in Cosmetics or a Degree in Cosmetic Science. A qualification generally isn’t required, but will help you break into the industry with solid foundational skills.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM3100

Photography and videography careers

3. Photographer

Photography is a popular career path for creatives, offering a wide range of opportunities for freelancers. Niche areas include wedding and family photography, film and TV stills photography, travel and wildlife photography, corporate and events photography and more.

There aren’t any mandatory qualifications needed to be a professional photographer, but a Diploma or Degree in Visual Arts and photography courses will build your skill set and expand your network.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM3100

4. Videographer

Videographers capture video footage, whether for weddings and events, marketing purposes, TV and movies, or even real estate listings. They can work on a TV production as a camera operator or work on movies to eventually become a director of photography. They use their creative skills to frame shots, position cameras and lighting, and make sure there’s enough footage for the editor and director to use later on.

You don’t need a formal qualification to become a videographer, but studies in media arts and production will help build your skill set and credibility.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM2500

5. Photo editor

Photo editors review, select and edit photos to meet the needs of the project or job. While they usually don’t take the photos, they use their creative eye to enhance photos and provide the best imagery, which may be used in magazines, ad campaigns, social media and more.

A portfolio and testimonials will be useful in gaining photo editing jobs, but taking a course in media, photography or visual arts can help you get the technical skills you need.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM2100

6. Film producer

Film producers are project managers for movies. They’re responsible for overseeing the entire production, from the budgeting and planning stages to the marketing and distribution of the film after it’s complete. While the director of the film usually makes all the creative decisions on set, a producer keeps the production on track.

Studying a Degree in Digital Film Production or Cinematic Arts is a good first step to a career in film production, providing technical knowledge and networking.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM8300

7. Video editor

Video editors use creativity to transform raw video footage into finished ‘films’, whether that’s movies, television shows, wedding videos, social media clips or TV ads. They need technical skills and creative abilities to use editing tools to smoothly edit together footage to a storyboard, then add any sound, visual effects and graphics.

A diploma or a degree in media or production can be a great way to start your career in this field, helping you develop the skills you need.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM3750

Design careers

8. Art director

Art directors are senior creatives who oversee the design and creation of different projects: TV, film, stage productions, ads, video games and more. As the director, they are in charge of coming up with a concept (or approving one), choosing the artists, guiding the creative work, then signing off on the final designs.

Most designers and art directors have a degree or diploma, where they learn design fundamentals as well as technical skills. Someone at art director level usually has several years of experience as a graphic designer or illustrator.

Average monthly salary: approximately RM7300

9. Graphic design

Graphic designers turn their love for drawing and painting into a career, creating things like posters, ads, magazines, books, company logos and branding, and marketing and advertising materials (and more). A high level of creativity is needed to come up with different design concepts, balanced by a sense of function and knowledge of commercial appeal.

Graphic design can be a high-paying job for creative people that doesn’t need a degree, though the more skilled you are, the safer you will be from developments in AI. A Diploma Motion Design or a Degree in Graphic Design can help you learn basic visual communication principles.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM3300

10. Jewellery designer

Technology has made jewellery design a more accessible career path for creatives, with software that allows designers to visualise designs before production, and online platforms for marketing and selling products. Beyond gemstones and precious metals, today’s jewellery designers have resin, leather, stone and other natural materials to work with, allowing them to truly flex their creative abilities. Jewellery designers can work for a business creating designs, as a freelancer making designs to brief for clients, or as independent designers with their own brands.

Jewellery design courses, like a Diploma or Degree in Jewellery Design can give you the foundational skills you need to launch your career.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM5400

11. Web designer

Website design is a career path that seems set to be in demand for the foreseeable future. They create the look and feel of websites, including the overall design of the user interface and the entire layout of the website. They don’t usually code, but they do need in-depth knowledge of how websites work and what makes a good user experience – as well as digital design principles.

A Degree in Design (Digital Media) can give you all the practical skills you need to use your creativity to help businesses design a website that properly reflects their brand and values.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM4100

12. UX designer

User experience (UX) designers are similar to web designers, but focus more on making a website (or app or software) easy to use. They think about design from the perspective of getting a user to do something specific, like make a purchase or booking. For this they need the creativity of a designer with analytical and problem-solving skills.

There are formal diplomas and courses for UX design, or you could complete a Bachelor of Design or Certificate in User Experience Design.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM9000

13. Fashion designer

Fashion design is one of the more glamorised creative industries, and is highly competitive and difficult to break into. Depending on your niche, you might find a permanent position at a large clothing brand or be an independent designer with your own fashion label/s. You need a creative mind to come up with ideas for new designs, combined with knowledge of fashion trends, consumer behaviour, and the garment manufacturing process.

There are no minimum qualification requirements for fashion designers, but a Bachelor of Fashion Design will give you practical and technical skills.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM3700

14. Animator

Animation is another industry that has expanded thanks to technological advancements and cultural shifts. You could be an animator working on original films or in an ad or creative agency, working on different client campaigns. Animation encompasses more than just ‘cartoons’ to include any type of motion graphics, like moving logos, video transitions, 2D and 3D model making, movie CGI and more.

While you don’t need a qualification, a Diploma or Degree in Design & Media or Motion Graphics will help you learn the right technical skills and animation principles.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM3950

Music careers

15. Music producer

Music producers oversee and direct the recording of music, helping artists develop songs and lyrics, adapting arrangements and coaching artists on what would produce a better sound. They also produce music for radio, TV, and movies; in-house for larger companies; and as an independent artist, composing their own original music. If you love music, becoming a producer allows you to be creative and work on a range of different projects, with different people.

While there aren’t any specific qualifications, it’s essential that you have mastered an instrument or several, and that you’re proficient in music production and sound recording equipment. A related diploma or degree can help with the technical side of things.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM4800

16. Music teacher

Music teachers can work in schools, colleges or camps, or might tutor students through an agency or on a freelance basis. They need knowledge of music theory and should be able to read sheet music and play an instrument.

You need a Degree in Education (Music) or simply a Degree in Music Studies to teach. Be sure to check whether the job requires education to be a part of your degree.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM3000

*Varies depending on public or private schools.

Arts and crafts careers

17. Visual artist (painter)

A visual artist has many different career paths they can take, such as producing art for galleries, painting murals, selling artwork or creations, taking commissions for custom pieces and more. Artists have the freedom to choose the art they like to create, whether that’s painting, working with textiles, sculpting or wherever their creative passions lead.

While a Visual Arts Degree may help you refine or learn new skills, you don’t need a degree to become a visual artist. But learning how to market yourself and your work will be very important in your success.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM2600

18. Illustrator

Illustrators are professional drawers, who create all types of hand-drawn graphics for commercial purposes. They might create illustrations for books or websites, infographics or diagrams for textbooks, or digital designs for video games. Illustrators can work in traditional media, using a computer or a mix of the two.

You don’t need any qualifications, but a Degree in Fine Arts or Illustrations can help fastrack your career.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM3500

19. Online craft seller

Online craft sellers make their own creations and sell them through an established e-commerce platform like Etsy and/or through their own website. It’s a side-hustle type of job, commonly used to earn additional income. Selling crafts online can be a good way to enjoy a hobby while mitigating the costs that hobbies usually come with.

Arts and crafts you can sell online include: knitted or crocheted goods, needlecraft patterns, woodwork products, original paintings, t-shirt designs, prints, dolls/miniatures, etc.

Average monthly salary: depends on your product and how much you sell

20. Ceramic artist

Ceramic artists work with clay, porcelain, bone china and stoneware to make products like cups, plates, bowls and original artworks. They can work in-house with a company, creating established products or designing new ones, or can work as independent artists. This is a good role for someone who likes to create things with their hands.

A Degree in Material Art & DesignCeramics Design or similar will help you hone your skills.

Average monthly salary: Can vary depending on work arrangement and level of experience

Creative writing careers

21. Copywriter

Copywriters work across almost all industries, filling in-house and agency positions, working as freelancers and also doing side hustles. They write to a client’s or project’s briefs, mainly for marketing purposes, coming up with concepts and writing copy for ad campaigns, websites, product packaging, and more.

Completing a Certificate in Writing or Editing, or a Bachelor in Communications and Copywriting is the minimum required to start working in a large company or creative agency.

Average monthly salary: starts from RM3650

22. Ghostwriter

A ghostwriter writes stories on behalf of another person, who takes credit for the work. While ghostwriters don’t create stories, they use their creative skills to bring the storyteller’s voice to life through the written word. They have the ability to bring structure and meaning to disconnected thoughts, creating a cohesive story.

A Bachelor’s Degree in English can help you enhance your technical language skills, as knowledge of storytelling techniques and grammar is essential.

Average annual salary: can vary depending on the project

23. Social media marketer

Social media marketers create strategies and outline content to be used on social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram. They may work freelance, for an agency, or directly for a business, planning what to post to drive visibility and engagement. They use their creative skills to come up with new ideas to make their content unique and worth sharing, to get their audience’s attention.

While a Bachelor of Marketing will help you learn the basics of social media, there are degrees, online courses and diplomas available for social media marketing. For example, a Diploma of Social Media Marketing, Content & Social Media Short Course or Social Media Marketing Online Course will help you learn more in-depth skills and help you stand out from other applicants.

Average annual salary: starts from RM2400

24. Journalist

Journalists write about events, issues and trends for newspapers, magazines, journals, and various digital media platforms. They investigate stories and gather information from people and field reporting, using their creative skills to first come up with the concept, then communicate it in writing (or in a podcast or documentary).

To become a journalist, you’ll need to study a Bachelor of Journalism, Broadcasting or Media and Communications. Other degrees like International Relations and Politics might be useful as well.

Average annual salary: starts from RM2500

25. Author

Authors are writers of books, whether print or digital, covering all genres and formats: kids’ books, recipe books, self-help, literature, textbooks, etc. Today’s authors have more opportunities than those before the internet made self-publishing more accessible. Being a successful author takes creativity, time management, and marketing abilities, though it is a difficult career to earn a living from and is best done as a side hustle.

There are no required qualifications, but writing courses can help you tell your stories in an engaging way that appeals to your audience. A digital marketing course can help you get your books seen.

Average annual salary: depends on book sales and publishing contracts

As you can see, there are so many places your creative skills can take you. Whether you love to write, create art, are great at coming up with out-of-the-box ideas or love the digital side of being creative, as long as you follow your passion, you’ll find a fulfilling career.

For more inspiration, be sure to check out job boards like jobstreet.com.my or companies you may like to work for in the future. With dedication and your creative skillset, you can explore a range of career paths that offer fulfilling creative work.

FAQs

1. What jobs allow you to be creative?

There are many different jobs that allow you to be creative, including:

• copywriting,
• graphic design,
• makeup artistry,
• social media marketing, and
• animation.
• These are just a few examples, with plenty of other careers to explore.

2. What is the most high paying creative job?

Freelance creative jobs, such as copywriter, graphic designer and illustrator are some of the highest paid creative roles. Successful authors and film producers also have some of the highest paying creative jobs in Malaysia.

3. How do I start a creative job?

A good way to start a creative career is by studying a creative degree to learn the skills and knowledge needed in your chosen area. Building a portfolio and gaining work experience will also help you get creative jobs.

4. How do I get a creative job with no experience?

A good way to get a creative job with no experience is to seek out internships or unpaid work experience to get basic skills and to start a portfolio. Networking and taking courses or accessing free educational resources can also help.

5. How do I switch to a creative field?

To switch to a creative field, consider where your existing skills could be transferable into a creative job. Further education might also help you gain valuable experience and skills, and networking can help you meet the right contacts.