“Too Many Artists, Not Enough Work”: What’s Next for Creative Graduates in Edinburgh?

Every year, hundreds of talented creatives graduate from Edinburgh's colleges and universities with fresh ideas, specialist skills, and a desire to build meaningful careers. But for many, the journey from graduation to a sustainable creative career can feel less like a pathway and more like an obstacle course. 

As part of Edinburgh's Creative Industries: Pathways to Careers - a collaborative pilot programme delivered by Creative Edinburgh in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh College, Edinburgh Napier University, Queen Margaret University and the University of Edinburgh - we conducted research into the challenges facing the city’s early-career creatives. Through conversations with students, recent graduates, and academic partners, alongside data gathered through surveys, a clear picture emerged: creative talent isn't the problem - access, opportunity, and support are.

The Barriers

When students and graduates spoke about the biggest challenges or worries post-graduation, four themes appeared again and again: the cost of being creative, an oversaturated jobs market, resource overwhelm, and the reality that it's not just what you know, but who. These themes were echoed in the data gathered through our academic partners as well.

Many aspiring creatives worry about whether a creative career is financially sustainable, particularly given the current cost-of-living crisis. Freelancing can mean unpredictable income, late payments, precarious contracts, and un(der)valued work. Studio space, rehearsal rooms, equipment, materials, and professional development all come with costs that can feel impossible to manage alongside the rising cost of rent, groceries, and other basic needs. For many graduates, the transition from the support of education into the realities of professional practice can feel abrupt. As one challenge leads to another, financial insecurity becomes a real barrier to participation. 

Students and graduates consistently describe a highly competitive, oversaturated job market with limited entry points for early-career creatives. As one student put it: “too many artists, not enough work”. Many expressed a feeling of being trapped in a frustrating "catch-22": employers want experienced recruits, but most entry-level jobs require years of experience. Moreover, gaining the experience needed for these roles often requires taking on unpaid labour, and/or access to opportunities that are difficult to secure without existing connections. As our academic partners noted, this challenge is particularly acute for graduates from widening participation backgrounds and international students, who may not be able to afford unpaid work, internships, or short-term opportunities that don't provide financial stability.

Students and graduates also discussed struggling to navigate the myriad resources and career provision out there. Funding schemes, grants, job sites, business support programmes, networking events: there is support available, but it can feel fragmented, overwhelming, and difficult to understand. Many graduates simply aren't sure where to start, what’s for them, or who to ask for help. 

The final challenge noted by students, graduates and institutions alike was that networking remains one of the most intimidating aspects of entering the sector. Many students describe feeling uncomfortable promoting themselves, reaching out to professionals, or attending industry events. Others worry that not knowing the “right people” will limit their access to opportunities or hold them back from progressing in their careers.

For students and graduates without existing industry connections, this can feel like trying to join a conversation that has already started. These challenges are often compounded by wider pressures: those balancing multiple jobs, caring responsibilities, financial insecurity, or visa-related work constraints may simply not have the time or capacity to attend networking events or take on unpaid opportunities that often serve as important avenues for building professional networks. As a result, access to networks and social capital becomes a key determinant of who is able to progress within the creative industries. 

What Can Pathways Do Differently?

Edinburgh's universities and colleges already offer significant careers and employability support. The opportunity for the Pathways programme isn't to duplicate what's already happening, but to respond directly to the challenges identified through the research and strengthen the connections between education, industry, and the wider creative ecosystem.

Career sustainability is a core focus of Pathways programming. This means moving beyond “job readiness” to address what it actually takes to build and maintain a creative career over time. Our programming offers real-world insight into freelance and portfolio careers, drawing on the experiences of local creatives and alumni to explore both the opportunities and challenges of this kind of work. In the coming years, support will focus on the practical realities that graduates consistently raised: managing irregular income over time, pricing creative work, negotiating contracts, and ensuring fair payment; as well as navigating funding systems, grants, and business support in ways that are accessible and approachable. 

Alongside this, Pathways will help participants explore the many routes a creative career can take beyond traditional employment models, recognising that sustainability often comes from combining multiple forms of work and income. By showcasing creative graduates who have developed unconventional and cross-sector careers, Pathways will highlight opportunities in areas such as community arts, arts therapy, education, heritage, participatory practice, youth and community work, and cultural placemaking. By making these pathways visible, we aim to challenge assumptions about what a “successful” creative career looks like and expand students’ sense of possibility.

Finally, Creative Edinburgh has been developing a shared digital resource hub designed to address the challenge of information overload and fragmentation identified through Pathways research. The hub will bring together jobs, funding opportunities, toolkits, residencies, training, networking events, business support and other resources in one accessible place. Crucially, the goal is not simply to list opportunities, but to help users navigate them - providing clearer signposting, contextual information, and steps into action.

A Call to Action: We Can’t Do It Alone

The research points to a simple truth: preparing graduates for creative careers is only part of the picture. Sustaining those careers requires a wider ecosystem that actively supports accessible and equitable entry, progression, and long-term viability. This support must be more than just lip-service, it requires both a shift in ways of thinking and monetary in order for real change to be enacted.

This is a shared responsibility across industry, education, and government. The sector needs more paid, accessible entry points into creative work - whether through internships, apprenticeships, entry-level roles, or commissioned opportunities. Without paid pathways in, the creative industries will continue to exclude those who cannot afford to work for free, reinforcing existing inequalities in who gets to build a career in the sector.

Alongside this, there is a need for sustained investment in the infrastructure that underpins creative work: affordable and secure studios and workspaces, long-term funding models, business support, and stable opportunities for early-career creatives. These conditions are essential for attracting and retaining talent.

The challenge isn't a lack of talent. Edinburgh has that in abundance. The challenge is building clearer, fairer, and more accessible and sustainable pathways into creative work. If we want the next generation of creatives to stay, contribute, and thrive here, then industry, education, government, and the wider creative community all have a role to play.

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Dr. Mally Smith
Creative Talent Lead
August 2026