An Art Career Means Business
The goal of being an artist is admirable.
The goal of being an artist is admirable; yet, the artist must also earn a living. An artist is a novel thinker and a problem-solver: how to earn a living while simultaneously safeguarding the mindset of an artist. So, being fully acquainted with the studio is not sufficient; artists must also know the business of art to thrive in their careers.
Galleries
For 0130 years galleries have sold artworks (Grant, p. 1)
Place your work in multiple galleries.
Alternatives to Galleries
For decades the principal route to financial success in the art world has been through galleries and art dealers.
- Round up visitors
- Marketing - identify potential buyers
- Social Media
- Marketing in the ether (p. 8)
Pricing your artwork
- find comparables
- price follows demand
- decide whether to offer discounts
- close the deal
- accept payment - cash, check, card, PayPal
- taxes - hire an accountant?
Other Venues for Display
- Demonstrations
- Open studio events
- Juried Art Competitions
- Nonprofit art spaces
- Governor's art exhibition
- Art in Embassies
- Museum Sales and Rental Galleries
- Regional Museum Biennials
- Co-ops and Artist owned galleries
- Hospitals, Hotels, Sports arenas
Talking to Collectors
- Get the gift of gab - know what to say to sell your work
- Thank you notes
- press releases
- Artist statements
- Web sites
- Blogs - stay positive - be nice
- be flexible
- consider the sate of the economy
- be professional
Expanding sales and income
- Licensing
- rights
- territory
- distribution
- royalties
- approval
- marketing date
- Prints - branding - self-publish - certificates of authenticity
Developing Relationships with Art Dealers
- Finding Representation
- Art Consultants
- Art Galleries
- Coming to Terms
- term of an agreement
- exclusive or non-exclusive
- accounting
- pricing
- commission
- responsibilities (marketing?)
- frequency of exhibits
- payment
- Honesty is the best policy
- Foundry fees, studio fees
- consignment or sell
- ARTIST - DEALER DISPUTES
- debt and recovery
- spreading oneself out thin
- gallery closes for good
- severing the artist-dealer relationship
Artists and the Law
- Why Obtain Legal advice
- Mediation
- Artists lose lawsuits
- copyright
- copyright small claims
- Trademark protection for artists
- Copyrighted and trademarked subjects
- Artist's moral rights - waving rights
From School to the Working World
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Art Materials
- safe practices
- chemicals, paint ingredients
- environmental concerns
- proper disposal
- medical treatment
- transporting art supplies
- transporting art objects
Handling the pressure
- Post-exhibition blues
- seeking help
- changing your style
- withstanding criticism
- censorship and controversy
- being in the spotlight
- considering suggestion for the next creative step
- love & marriage
- divorce
End Stages
Bartering, Leasing, Renting your Art
- Bartering
- Leasing
- Rental agreements
Selling Art abroad
Art Partnerships
Graduate and Go
Get a day job?
Congratulations on having completed formal training. You have your diploma in hand.
Now, what?
You are among the many who have put their faith in a formal education in the arts. In 2017, for example, over 90,000 students earned baccalaureate degrees. The art market did not expand to accommodate these new talents fresh on the job market.
Is teaching for you? art teacher positions receive about 150 to 200 applications for each opening.
These statistical remarks are not reassuring for a new graduate who needs to earn a living. One path to thriving in the arts is through building a track record of showing their work and making sales.
First Steps
To get started thinking of your career begin with a skills assessment.
"A job with set hours also gives you a steady income and time to work on hyour own art." (Grant, p. 162)
On the other hand, "the commitment to a job makes Sunday painters of a lot of talented artists." (Grant, p. 162)
Stay in touch with your artist community (Grant, pp. 162-3)
Developing a path in the arts may require a dual tracks of a paying job and building your portfolio and your brand. Hopefully, the two tracks do not diverge to the extent that one detracts from the other.
Working as an Artist's Assistant
Artist's Assistant is a job title that may easily be seen as an entry into the commercial art world - real-world experience. Working with an established artist is a way to begin to make a catalog of contacts.
Even so, most of the work of an assistant is office work. Working with the artist, the assistant will see the inner workings of an artist studio, schedule, process, exhibition.
Some Benefits (Grant, p. 169)
learning process
professional attitude
what makes a good art dealer
general technique
how to work quickly
how to meet a deadline
how to get hired
resumé flare
... it may be considered as post-graduate training, an introduction to the full-time artistic life.
learn how to run a studio
**** "Graduating from art school often comes as a slap in the face to young artists." (Grant, p. 170)
Some Drawbacks
overbearing influence or the artist on your own work.
Artists are not forthcoming - exchange is limited.
- Get a day-job
- Artist assistant
- benefits & drawbacks
- teaching art - pros & cons, accepting
- free expression isn't always free
- artist in residence (foundations, museums)
The End
- Settling ownership after the life of a prolific artist
- Recover works in galleries and museums
- keep good records
- create a trust or foundation before the end
- probate
Okay, so now I've put on some ads from Amazon - from which I may earn a few cents. (2025)