Artist Career 1
This book is a mix of jobs and self-employment opportunities. In order to sell your products, refer to internet auctions and flea markets.
Many people have a delusional idea of an artist's life they got from TV and movies. The coolest people are always artists and they're always making lots of money. The mass media picks a few people and showcases them as star artists while thousands of artists just as good or better at their craft than these stars get nothing. That's the way it is in arts.
There are very few true geniuses out there. A painting is a subjective experience. An actor spews out rehearsed lines. A thousand actors can easily do any role as well as anyone else. The only way to detect a true artist is through a literary work or music that moves you. Everything else is opinion.
I've known plenty of talented, middle-aged poor artists. That's the way most artists live. Most eventually take on another job. Schoolteachers make up a big percentage of artists with day jobs.
Artist Career 2
Most artists are self-employed. Art might be passion but it's also business so be professional and organized about it. You can sell freelance through your studio and website and through galleries who always take a percentage commission out of the deal.
For tax purposes, you're a self-employed independent contractor. If you use a certain part of your home for a studio, you can deduct the costs of all that from your tax bill. Get Publications 505, 533, 534 and 587 at irs.gov, 800 829 3676.
Because you're in business, you collect sales tax for the state when you sell something so you have to get a state sales tax number which entitles you to not pay tax when you buy art products for your profession.
Rather than business card, get postcards made up with a copy of one of your paintings and your website name on it.
Study my business book and my advice for writers for the basic nuts and bolts of establishing yourself and telling people you exist. The process for marketing anything is basically the same. A critical difference is that art is a desire. It's not a need.
The money in art is not in selling originals one painting at a time. It's coming up with a real cool painting or line of paintings like Norman Rockwell paintings, licensing it to some company that sells thousands of posters or prints of it.
My Ode to Artists
The following article comes from my book A Free Spirit's Search for Enlightenment.
Earn your keep by mastering a soulful pursuit to a worthy level for someone to get some use out of it.
Do the right thing with who you are so you can help, amuse or inspire people so the money they give you will be your ticket to a good life for yourself like Geronimo, the great Indian chief, said,
"While living I want to live well. I know I have to die sometime but even if the heavens were to fall on me, I want to do what is right."
Find your soulful passions and figure out a way to parlay them into a means to get cash by filling a need or helping people in some way. It may not necessarily be a pure deal, often you'll have to compromise like the swimmer who becomes a swim coach or the animal lover who becomes a veterinarian although for me, I decided I wouldn't compromise, that I'd live my life out my way come hell or high water so I ended up living like your typical artist does, what is poetically known as "starving" but my spirit is bohemian.
There's nothing else for me. I don't fit into the capitalist way of doing things nor can I unless it comes down to a matter of survival.
I feel that my lifestyle is better than the way most people live even if it is with a pauper's roof over my head.
It's easy for a lone individual to be enlightened and free while the organized world system around him is repressed and neurotic in what it does and how its citizens approach life but I'm warnin' you, you'd better have cast iron nerves of steel and a good dose of self-belief if you want to make it as a pure artist with something real to offer to the world to earn your cash as opposed to being a pop culture gimmick because the world is ruthless against original people unless you happen to be one of the rare lucky ones who gets an investor or benefactor early on.
True enlightened free spirits don't want fame or recognition for anything other than doing something worthy and/ or original being themselves. They don't wanna be manufactured clones of the system as with most of our pop culture stars these days.
It's more about the art, inspiration and lifestyle of it rather than letting the suits market you to the hilt until you don't know who you are anymore but you're making money, that image is the bottom line.
This is what separates the fakes from the real people as far as I'm concerned.
When the once revered folk artist from the sixties Bob Dylan sells his soul to do a lingerie commercial then you know that it's all about money these days. There are very few pure artists who wouldn't sell their assholes for the right price.
The mentality of our system is such that you work to earn money to live a good life but the mentality of an inspired free spirit is to work at what you love to do because it creates the most important thing within you; inner strength, power, inspiration and spiritual esthetics. We're aware enough to know that we must do what we love in order to win the game of life.
Money is the standard of our capitalist system, there's no doubt about that nor any doubt about the fact that money buys material freedom but the problem starts when we cross the line in the sacrifice of our most precious commodity TIME in order to work dull jobs to acquire material things.
Your reality is in your head. You don't really need much beyond the modest basics in order to be happy and the cash to do what you wanna do when you wanna do it.
Many artists, musicians and free spirits in general don't make much money through their soulful pursuits but they're aware enough to know that life goes beyond material things.
If you're born with a song in your soul, you should consider it a divine gift and honor it no matter what. If you're lucky enough to have a soulful talent, nothing else should matter but to live it out.
People like to be inspired by beautiful, esthetic things or horrible things that make them see something new about the human condition but it only encompasses a minimal part of life and there are way too many starving artists out there struggling for a piece of this minimalist pie so be ready for a battle if you want to take that route even if you have exceptional talent because the world is more concerned with practical things like cars, houses, food, bills, plumbing, etc. so seek what you love to do that can help people in a bonafide way by making their lives simpler, cheaper, easier or better.
One exception to this is the artist or creative type who can create a work of art so original, unique, different and beautiful that ordinary people come out of the woodwork to buy it as I've seen from time to time in the realm of crafts, music, the performing arts and visual art.
Barring one of the few who make it exclusively through their creative talents like a great singer/ songwriter or a great storyteller, focus on tailoring your passions to fit into the real world need of helping people in a real way somehow and you can win the game by getting to do what you want and getting paid for it.
The ideal lifestyle is to make money while being free to do what you like to do anyway like an inventor, a self-employed lumberjack, a fish farmer, artist, freelance graphic designer, architect, craftsman or a writer. That's the prize to shoot for.
Or combine two things. Many people combine jobs they like to do along with their creative talents. There are hundreds of people who work part-time or seasonal jobs in things they like to do then spend a few hours writing their music or novels at night or in their offtime.
It doesn't have to necessarily be esthetically inspirational. I spent some time as a lumberjack because I wanted to live out the process of hard manual labor. I enjoyed the work, outdoors all day expending myself in a basic, primal way.
I worked for an escort service for awhile, answering phones and driving girls around. It was fun until my boss got busted for living off the avails of prostitution.
As long as you love it, it doesn't matter what you do. There are some interesting jobs out there. You just have to find them. Look at my job books and my business books.
If you're an extreme artist who only wants to do your own thing, there's a good chance you might not eat anything beyond beans, rice and popcorn unless you have the guts to redeem food stamps in public which makes you feel like a pathetic dog so you have to look at the marketplace, see what's selling and come up with some kind of practical solution.
You could spend part of your time true to your art and part of the time pumping out stuff for Joe Middle Class to make money. It should be something practical or functional art that sells cheaply.
People'll pay $25 for a nice lawn ornament or a nice picture but that's it so try to tailor your artwork to the middle class who'll never appreciate true art anyway nor be able to afford it nor give a damn besides something that looks cool on their coffee table or their wall so that's your market.
If you come up with something cool and unique like a lava lamp or the psychedelic pastel posters of the past, you could get rich by licensing it out and selling it to major distributors. Think of something that inspires people. That's what they'll pay for.
I read about one artist who painted cool looking inspirational, inexpensive paintings and sold them near a college campus to mostly students. He said he didn't have to sell them, they sold themselves.
Make something so good and inspiring that it sells itself. Make the right painting, copyright it, get it printed onto posters, license it to sell worldwide and you could make a lot of money like Roger Crumb did with his psychedelic art back in the sixties..
The life of a free spirit can be a hassle because of financial need except for the few who luck out with their talents but even so, there are many who accept the lifestyle because it's all they feel within themselves that has any meaning.
A free spirit is so inherently free that he simply must go his own way regardless of the consequences in the material world.
I've lived out my stint as a struggling artist but, as with the many out there like me, I realized that I can't change who I am, time is all any of us owns so I'll do whatever it takes to keep a pauper's roof over my head but beyond that, it's life as it happens for what I feel within.
Artist Soul Searching
The critical question about doing crafts for a living or for extra income is do you love this enough to do it for free? The reason for this is that you won't get rich unless you create a unique product that a lot of people want, patent it or otherwise protect it as your intellectual property then mass produce it.
Those bits you see on the news sometimes about some kid or even an adult painting a picture and selling it for $100,000 or so is a pipe dream, a sensationalized piece of journalism that doesn't happen much in the real world.
Secondly, crafts is a fickle business. Flea markets and garage sales are full of craft knick-knacks. Craft products come down to home décor, a frivolous affectation for bored, middle aged housewives. They ain't exactly like toilets and computers which people need.
There is a possibility that even after all your work, you won't sell your products and will lose the money you put into it not to mention the time spent creating the craft products.
If you truly love crafts, it might be an option for you but you have to be business-minded about it. There are some millionaire success stories through arts & crafts. One woman created bows that you put on gift packages that are much nicer than the generic ones that were on the market. With this little niche, she got some big department store contracts and became a millionaire.
I read about some guy who created a few psychedelic posters in the seventies, got them copyrighted and ended up selling millions of copies of them.
There was a couple who started a greeting card business with down to earth, rustic greeting cards that worked great until everybody else copied their idea. They sued but that's a big headache.
Doing crafts is fun in the esthetic, creative sense but if you're in it to earn money, you have to think pragmatically. It's not good sense to produce an elaborate, time-intensive work of art or craft if the price will be higher than similar works of art.
You have to come up with something you can produce cheaply and sell quickly at a profit. You also have to know where and how to sell your stuff.
There are many books and websites that can give you ideas on what to create and sell.
Many crafters sell their wares through garage sales, flea markets and crafts fairs but there are other potentially profitable ways such as through your own website, through another, larger website run by somebody else, through a mail order catalog run by another company, on consignment through small retail gift shop type stores in your area and the potential biggest way of all if you've got something neat that can be packaged and sold is to get a contract with a large department store chain that could potentially net you millions in worldwide sales but you have to pitch it first.
It has to be unique, practical or cool enough such that the executives think it will sell well in their store. If they accept it, they will recommend changes like packaging and offer you a price per unit. You either negotiate for a higher price, accept it or reject it. They might even recommend that you move production to China to lower your costs.
The problem with making it as an artist is that everybody thinks they're an artist, hence, intense competition.
You may be living in a fantasy thinking that you're better than you really are.
Art products, in and of themselves, are luxury products, hence, a large segment of the population is not interested.
There is an overabundance of products on the market; the art world itself at the so-called higher levels is a very phony, snotty affair dealing with egos and so-called chic rather than true talent. During hard times, the art field goes on the back burner for nearly everybody.
To make it as an artist, you have to be a business person. Learn about business through my business book or at #650-659 at the library. The federal government's Small Business Administration, 800-U Ask Sba, sba.gov, might be able to help you out.
You have to promote your product just like anything else is promoted, with aggression. Get out there and show your stuff whenever and wherever possible.
Get your stuff shown at galleries. Price it reasonably. Always get a sales contract in writing.
Rejection is part of the life of an artist except for the few lucky ones who get manufactured to be pop stars as kids. Learn to deal with it or get out of the business.
Check out the grant and foundation scene for some free money. A sideline job is to teach art classes and offer retreat type workshops.
Trade things for your work. Paint a mural on the side of a furniture store in exchange for a bedroom set. It's a business, not some romantic fantasy.
A ceramic studio might sound quaint but what's the good of it if people can buy mass-produced ceramic pieces at the dollar store for a buck apiece.
The bottom line is that a work of art, no matter how good, is just a piece of décor. To people like me who live for spirit and not material things, all art is meaningless.
Except for the big phony art afficiandos out there, most art is just middle ground stuff. There are very few true, totally stunning works of timeless beauty anywhere.
The Statue of David and the Wall of the Cistean Chapel are great works of art but they mean nothing to a guy like me except a momentary feeling of inspiration about Michelangelo's dedication to his craft then I feel nothing for them so as such, even if I were to become a billionaire, I would never buy any artwork or décor for my house because it goes against my life philosophy of live in the moment, don't surrouind yourself with material crap just because your society tells you to.
The reason I'm saying this is because I'm basically revealing what's in the true soul of your basic guy. I'd rather watch a porno than go to an art gallery so get real, don't take your so-called art too seriously.
Anyone I see who calls themselves an art connoisseur or has an art collection, I immediately brand that person as a fake out of touch with the real world. It implies elitism, that you're sitting around pretending to admire art when there's some kid starving somewhere.
Go to exhibitions, fairs and trade shows to see what your competition is up to and to see what's going on. Get all your work copyrighted. Pay your taxes.
Artist Job Possibilities
Some ideas are:
A comic strip artist
Animation
Art appraiser
Art auctioneer
Art center job
Art consultant
Art conservator, fix up old paintings, restore them.
Art critic
Art exchange
Art gallery job
Art museum job
Art rental
Art teacher, art educator
Art therapy
Artist agent, manager, representative
Calligraphy
Cartoons for TV
Computer graphic artist
Costume and set design for TV
Creating ads for advertising agency
Custom-designing wallpaper
Decorating children's rooms
Designing packages for manufacturers
Designing theater sets
Exhibit designer for trade shows
Graphic design
Interior bottle painting
Interior designing
Make up artist
Making ceramic statuettes from photos
Making decorative screens
Making theatrical costumes
Mechanical artist
Medical illustrator
Mobile art gallery
Modeling busts for the wealthy
Museum conservator
Oil portraits for executives
Oil portraits from photos
Painting murals
Painting on china
Personalized greeting cards
Police sketch artist
Political and gag cartooning
Portrait sketching
Potter
Promoting art shows
Sculptor
Selling caricatures
Sign painting
Silhouettes
Sketching houses
Sketching stores
Stained glass
Store window displays
Suntan body tattooing on beaches
Teaching art
Traveling painter in holiday resorts
Wood carving
School Shows Info/ Performers at Schools
Schools bring in both for-profit performers and nonprofit groups to entertain the students.
schoolshows.com, a nationwide directory of school shows, school assemblies, school assembly programs, workshops and residencies.
abcfeelings.com
academicentertainment.com, representing performers nationwide.
antrim-assemblies.com, the antrim bureau representing performers in the northeast and midwest.
armadillojim.com/helpingpublicschools.htm, how businesses, parents, churches and other organizations can get involved with public schools.
artshorizons.org, new york, new jersey and connecticut tri-state area.
assemblyline.com, bureau of lectures & concert artists representing performers nationwide.
bickley.com
classactsarts.org, a non-profit organization bringing multicultural performers to schools and communities in maryland, d.c. and virginia.
encoreperforming.com, encore performing arts
mobileedproductions.com
schoolassemblies.com, national school assemblies representing performers on the west coast.
schoolgigs.com, how to make money performing in schools
yagc.org/network.htm, young audiences network directory
Sell Art Via Website
You set up your own website to showcase your stuff plus you put your art on both free and for-a-fee art gallery showcase or art exhibition websites. There are probably a hundred or more websites where you as an artist can display your work for other people to look at and possibly buy. Just about every art gallery website has a process for an artist to submit his or her work to them for online viewing.
The for-fee ones either charge a flat fee or a percentage of works sold.
beyondthenorthwind.co.uk, software to add pictures to your website.
ebay.com
worldartistdirectory.com
artcyclopedia.com, art search engine.
theartshopper.com
wwar.com
etsy.com, mostly for crafts.
Art Law/ Art Politics
artswire.org/~aaa, the american arts alliance. an advocacy organization for freedom in the arts.
ceep.com/artactivist, artactivist.com. bay area virtual organization, a forum for dialogue between art and political activism
breadandcircuses.com
calawyersforthearts.org, california lawyers for the arts.
gag.org, graphic artists guild.
voyagerco.com/gg, guerrilla girls fighting sexism in the arts.
artsusa.org, national arts policy clearinghouse.
ecna.org/nca, national campaign for the arts; independent lobbying organisation that represents all the arts.
bantaba.net/artsvote, project artsvote.
Artist Agent/ Artist Representative
Writers, actors and others in the entertainment business have agents who sell their stuff or find gigs for them in exchange for a 10 to 15 percent commission.
theaoi.com, society of illustrators, london, england.
Society of Photographers &
Artists Representatives
60 E. 42nd St.
#1166
NYC 10165
212 779 7464
spar.org
Society of Artists Agents
21c Montpellier Row
London SE3 0RL
07870 628 709
thesaa.com
Artist Resources
To make it as an artist, regardless of your talents, get a copy of Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market by Writer's Digest books, writersdigest.com. You can find it at #706 at your local library.
Your library is a valuable resource. The entire 700-779 category is dedicated to the arts particularly #700-710 and #745-748. Books about organizations are at #706.
Some art reference books are:
American Art Directory
Art Research Methods and Resources: A Guide to
Finding Art Information
Artists's & Graphic Designer's Market, writersdigest.com
Directory of Art Libraries and Visual Resource
Collections in North America
Information Resources in the Arts: A Directory
Who's Who in American Art
There's an Art Index and an Art Bibliographies database online and in CD-Rom form.
You can find art magazines in a periodical
directory like the Standard Periodical Directory or Ulrich's. Some are:
American Artist
Art Bulletin
Art in America
Artforum
ArtNews
Artist's Magazine
Arts Magazine
Arts Review
At the library, a lot of art goes from #750-759.
750. Art.
751. Processes and forms.
752. Color theory and practice.
753. Abstractions, mythology, etc.
754. Subjects of everyday life.
755. Religious.
756. Historical events.
757. Human figures.
758. Other subjects.
759. Historical and geographical treatments.
airbrushaction.com
artmaterialsretailer.com
artcalendar.com
dreamwidth.org, online journal for artists.
aiamagazine.com, american indian art magazine.
airbrushaction.com
americanstyle.com
artcalendar.com
artichoke.ca, western canada art.
artisannorthwest.com
artistsmagazine.com
artmaterialsretailer.com
artpapers.org
arttimesjournal.com
bombsite.com
cmagazine.com
decorativeartist.com
dreamwidth.org, online journal for artists.
espace-sculpture.com
howdesign.com, graphic arts.
mixmagazine.com
modernismmagazine.com
myamericanartist.com
pasteljournal.com
printmag.com
slowart.com
sunshineartist.com
watercolorartistmagazine.com
wildlifeartmag.com
American Artist Magazine
Bpi Comm.
Pob 1944
Marion, Oh 43305
800-745-8922
bpi.com
bpicomm.com
Sells A Directory of Art Schools.
American Craft Council (ACC)
21 S. Eltings Corner Road
Highland, NY 12528
800-836-3470
American Indian Arts and Crafts
Association (IACA)
122 La Veta N.E., #B
Albuquerque, NM 87108
505-265-9149
iaca@ix.netcom.com
iaca.com
Americans for the Arts
Washington, DC
202-371-2830
artsusa.org/
American Style
800-272-3893
americanstyle.com/
Quarterly magazine for the arts scene.
Art Dealers Association of America
(ADAA)
212-940-8590
artdealers.org
Art in America
800-361-4132
enews.com
Magazine for artists
Canadian Craft and Hobby
Association (CCHA)
403-291-0559
cdncraft.org/
Center for Safety in the Arts (CSA)
2124 Broadway, Box 310
NYC 10023
artswire.org/csa
College Art Assn. Positions Listing
275 7th Ave.
Nyc 10001
212691-1051
Bimonthly.
Country Business Magazine
904-446-4873
sampler.com/cbizsubscrlbe.html
Country Register Magazine
602-942-8950
countryregister.com/
Craft Emergency Relief Fund
Box 838
Montpelier, VT 05601
802-229-2306
craftemergency.org/
Helps crafts people who make their living in
crafts who are in a tough situation.
Crafts and Needlework Age
CAN Creative Data ServIce,
650 5. Clark St.,
Chicago, IL 60605-1702
800-258-0929
Trade publication for retail stores.
Crafts Report Magazine
800-777-7098
craftsreport.com/
Gifts and Decorative
Accessories Magazine
800-309-3332
Fax: 212-683-7929
giftsanddec.com
Gifts and Stationery
Business Magazine
800-950-1314
giftline.com
Gift Association of America/ GAA
612 West Broad St.
Bethlehem, PA 18018-5221
610-861-9445
Fax: 610-861-0948.
Graphis
307 Fifth Ave.
10th Floor
NYC 10016.
(212) 532-9387
Fax: (212) 213-3229.
info@graphis.com
graphis.com
Visual arts.
HOW
F+ W Publications
4700 E. Galbraith Rd.
Cincinnati OH 45236.
(513) 531-2690
howdesign.com
The design industry.
Kennedy Center
Education Department
Washington, Dc 20566
202-416-8822
artsedge.kennedy-center.org/ cuesheet
Krause Publications
715-445-2214
krause.com/crafts/
National Assn. of Artists' Organizations
918 F St. Nw
Washington, Dc 20004
202-544-0660
202-347-6350
Bimonthly, Bulletin.
National Assn. of Schools of Art & Design
11250 Roger Bacon Dr.
Reston, Va 20190
703-437-0700
Fax: 703-437-6312
info@arts-accredit.org
nasad.arts-accredit.org
National Art Education Assn.
1916 Association Dr.
Reston, Va 20191-1590
800-299-8321
703-860-8000
Fax: 703-860-2960
naea@dgs.dgsys.com
naea-reston.org
National Gallery of Art
4th St. & Constitution Ave. Nw
Washington, Dc 20565
202-842-6273
nga.gov/resources
Free Educational Materials.
National Arts Job Bank
Western Arts Federation
236 Montezume Ave.
Santa Fe, Nm 87501
505-988-1166
Biweekly.
National Craft Association (NCA)
1945 E. Ridge Road #5178
Rochester, NY 14622
800-715-9594
Fax: 800-318-9410
nca@craftassoc.com
craftassoc.com
The major trade organization.
National Guide To Funding
In Arts & Culture
79 5th Ave.
Nyc 10003
800-424-9836
National Museum of American Art
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20560
202-357-3095
si.edu
Free educational brochures about artists and art.
F+ W Publications
4700 E.Galbraith Rd.
Cincinnati OH 45236.
(513) 531-2690
info@printmag.com
printmag.com
Reed-Elsevier
Pob 31
New Providence, Nj 07974
800-521-8110
elsevier.com
American Art Directory; Who's Who In
American Art and The International Directory of the Arts.
Small Business Administration
409 3rd St. Sw
Washington, DC 20416
800-U ASK SBA
202-205-6740
sba.gov
Free SBA catalog plus pamphlets containing information and a bibliography about crafts, both as an art and as a business.
The Crafts Center
1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, #525
Washington, DC 20036
202-728-9603
craftsdc@erols.com
A nonprofit organization, helps artisans achieve career success.
Art Career Exploration Websites
adigitaldreamer.com
appliedartsmag.com
arlisna.org/resources/onlinepubs/careers/careers.html, art librarian.
bc.edu/offices/careers/careers/careerfields/arts.html, careers in the arts.
bced.gov.bc.ca/careers/artsjobs/new-media/welcome.htm, media industry careers.
bls.gov/oco/ocos065.htm, archivists, technicians and curators cacareerzone.com, art, design & media careers.
bls.gov/oco/ocos090.htm, graphic designers.
bls.gov/oco/ocos092.htm, artists & related workers.
bls.gov/oco/ocos092.htm, artists and related workers.
calmis.cahwnet.gov/file/occguide/commart.pdf, commercial artists.
career.berkeley.edu/arts/arts.stm, arts and entertainment careers.
careerclusters.org/clusters/16cc.php?cluster=arts, arts career cluster.
careers.govt.nz, arts, design and crafts.
collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles/majors/11.0803.html, computer graphics careers.
connexions-direct.com/jobs4u/index.cfm, art therapist.
connexions-direct.com/jobs4u/index.cfm?pid=13, computers & it careers.
eace.org/networks/creativecareers/directoryartsrelatedresources.pdf, creative careers.
gain.net
ilc.org/cfmx/cm/careers/cm_career_bottom.cfm?career_id=404, arts managers.
ipl.org/div/pathways/comp-tech/brdcstanim.html, broadcast animator.
iseek.org, arts and communications careers.
jobfutures.ca, creative & design arts.
jobfutures.ca/fos/c040.shtml, creative designer arts.
jobguide.thegoodguides.com.au/occupation/view/129979a, arts administrator.
jobguide.thegoodguides.com.au/occupation/view/253100a, cartoonist.
jobguide.thegoodguides.com.au/occupation/view/253179d, craftpersons.
jobprofiles.org/artedit.htm, cartoonist.
learnmoreindiana.org, craft artist.
learnmoreindiana.org/careers/exploring/pages/careerprofiles.aspx, art teachers.
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