I’ve just finished a 3 year long MFA program in film directing, and while my primary focus there has obviously been directing, I discovered early on that I love the art department, and have made an effort to specialize in that area as well.

While in school I’ve taken on the role of Production Designer on over half a dozen student projects or other low/no-budget shorts and 1 low-budget feature, and have worked as set dresser or art department assistant on several others. Most of these were unpaid. A few paid a small stipend. Now that I’m out, I’m hoping to find actual paying art department work.

Presumably that means art PA jobs and other entry level roles for now, supplemented with some low paying PD or Art Director jobs on low-budget projects that interest me. But thinking ahead to my career, I’d love to eventually work my way up to having work as a Production Designer be the main way I support myself.

The only thing is: I’m a little nervous about whether that’s a viable career path for me given the fact that I cannnot draw. Sadly, I don’t feel this is something where there’s a lot of room for improvement. I can see myself learning AutoCAD or getting better at carpentry or object fabrication or whatever. But I spent 4 years taking required drawing class as part of my undergrad art school experience, and despite countless hours of practice, never stopped being the worst draughtsman in my class.

The projects I’ve worked on so far have all been small and scrappy enough that this hasn’t been a problem. No one has expected beautiful, detailed concept renderings, and I’ve done just fine communicating my vision with lots and lots of visual references, photo collages or marked up location photos, floorplans, and some quick and dirty sketches where necessary. But at what point does that method just not cut it anymore and my lack of drawing ability become a major impediment to me advancing in the field?

And if it’s hopeless for me to try making PD a profitable career, what other paths are available in the art department that let me use my creativity and the rest of my skill set, but don’t require this one particular skill?