Art

ART

Resources for Careers in Art

There are ways to make a viable career in art, they are just a little of the beaten path. First and foremost, make the best of your education. Remember that there are more than 20,000 art students graduating with the same degree that you have every year, so you need to find a way to stand out. Focus on getting as much training and experience as you can. Develop a process of making art (a kind of systematic way of approaching each project or design), as this will strengthen your adeptness and increase time-efficiency.

The best way to work towards a career in art is to plan ahead. Figure out your priorities, what you need in order to continue to produce, and work on ways to supply those needs. Do the math! Visit art supply and hardware stores, look for studio space, and think about office and shipping needs. In short, get as precise an estimate as you can on how much money it will cost to generate the art that you want to make. Now find a way to pay for it all. Research your area. What kind of funding is there? Look into state government organizations, sometimes there are art commissions. Are there any associations that will help? There are often clubs or guilds that offer artists more opportunities than they can find on there own. Teaching is always an option, but it is time-consuming and not always possible for everyone. There are other ways to generate income (commissions, museum work, curator, lecturer, etc.), you just need to do your homework.

Some good books on the subject of making a career in art are:

How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist. By Caroll Miehels

Art and Reality. By Robert J. Abbot

Careers in art: an Illustrated guide

Fine Artist guide to Marketing and Selfpromotion.

There are a number of websites around, unfortunately some of the best ones require a membership fee. Just take some time and investigate.