Hi guys, I am an 18 year old female looking to go into taxidermy. I am having a very hard time deciding on a future career because I find it almost impossible to work at a job I have no interest in, and almost no job out there is of any interest to me! Taxidermy is the one thing though that I feel I could get along with and enjoy.
-My first question, am I going to able to live off of it? I grew up in a family whose income never really made it above $20,000 a year, so I am interested in knowing how a career in taxidermy will compare to that income. I just want enough to be able to afford the basics of life--food and some form of shelter. I also read somewhere that the income of a taxidermist can be as much as twice the amount it took to mount the animals in the first place, but I have a hard time believing that if it applies even to beginners. Are professionals the most likely to make twice as much as they spend or do they struggle to keep afloat just as much as a beginner would?
-My next question, are my talents as an artist going to increase my chances of becoming a successful taxidermist? I have some of my work online, here:
http://tinyurl.com/b4txk
http://tinyurl.com/6ug9x
-And my final question, what sort of college courses can I take to help prepare for taxidermy? My college has little in the way of animal anatomy, so I am going to focus my efforts on biology, drawing, and painting. Does anyone know any Missouri colleges offering a taxidermy course?
~Seij
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Use the orange search button to the left and type in "Taxidermy as a career." It will give you lots of information, especially the one "loaded question." Hope this helps and good luck!
It looks like you could be an Art Teacher and make more money, summers off, benefits, and retirement and do taxidermy on the side. Go to collage to be a teacher at you're age you can get the 25 years in early, then retire and do the taxidermy.
Have you looked into sculpting forms for a supply company or starting your own? Obviously you have excellent sculpting ability, and if you learned the detailed anatomy of animals, I think you could become an excellent form sculptor.
No way am I going to be a teacher! I am incredibly shy in person, I can't stand to be around people (especially children), and it's been getting gradually worse. I can't even talk on the phone and I barely even have the courage to pay for an item at the store because it involves going near a cashier's clerk. I have been searching for a job that involves sculpture, animals, me working on MY own schedule, working as MY own boss, and working primarily in isolation from direct human contact. Taxidermy is the only thing I know of that comes close to that description (yes I know I will have to still talk to other people as a taxidermist and I WILL have to talk on the phone, but at least I can be by myself for most of the time). I don't mind not having summers off. If I enjoy my work enough I won't mind. I've been working on that wolf head bust in my gallery since 2002 and I'm still not tired of looking at it. I have the patience to work as a taxidermist, just as long as I can be passionate about it.
~Seij
Sam, I have considered form sculpting, it is something I am also very interested in, but I don't know how well I would do in it. I am so obsessive over detail it takes forever for me to finish even simple sculptures. I would love to learn how to do it though. I had only considered form sculpting for myself. Although, I didn't know I could actually make that a separate career. Do people actually work just making forms?
~Seij
Another aspect of taxidermy I am fascinated with is actually "making" animals--you know, putting wings on a cat, or making something that is half dog/half goat... Somehow though, I'm not sure that that sort of stuff would sell very well.
~Seij
BUT you sure do weave a hard basket. First and foremost, the money aspect of this trade is going to come from mounting real specimen from real people. I don't recall seeing a big demand for a winged cat. As far as dealing with people, this is one career where that is a necessary evil. That person you speak to is actually paying your salary and can do more for you or against you simply by calling a friend.
You're just 18, for cripes sake. You have the world by the ass and you're bulletproof with Teflon skin. Just like all of us were. You write especially well so I'd suggest you continue your education first off. This is a tough career to make enough money in order to survive that 5 to 7 years you have to before your clientele build up to a point of profit.
In MY OPINION, women make better taxidermists than men in many cases, simply because of attention to detail and refusing to stop when it's "close enough". Good luck to you in whatever decision you make.