TEN MYTHS ABOUT ARTISTS
(THAT WILL KEEP YOU FROM BEING A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST)
Myth #3: Artists starve in garrets. (What IS a garret, anyway??)
Corollaries: You can’t support yourself with a career in art.
Real artists don’t care about money.
You have to sell out in order to sell art.
Fact: You can make a living in art. You can make a living selling the art you want to make (if you take the time to find your audience.) And making modifications, temporary or otherwise, in order to make your work more marketable is good business sense—not “selling out.”
How many times have you heard an artist or craftsman say, “I wouldn’t want to sell my work, because then I’d have to make the same thing over and over.” I don’t want to sell my paintings because then I’d have to paint what the galleries want, not what I want.” “I’m a real artist, because I paint for love, not money.” “Is she a real writer? Has she published a book?”
First, I believe what you do is what you are. If you write and consistently produce a body of work, you are a writer. If you paint and consistently produce a body of work, you are a painter. Everything else is a modifier. An adjective. You may be a full-time artist, or a part-time painter, or a weekend knitter. You may be a financially successful artist, or an artist who gives away all your work. You may be a published writer, or a heretofore unpublished writer. You may be a competent artist, a talented artist, or a hard-working but appallingly bad artist. Art may be your vocation, your avocation or your hobby. But it’s still your art.
Second, it’s a weird fact but true…in the world of art, roughly half of all artists believe that real art is only the art made for absolutely no monetary compensation but the pure joy of creating. And the other half believe that the real art is art that proves itself in the marketplace by commanding—and getting—its price. Whenever an issue so cleanly divides a population, I suspect that there’s a little truth on both sides….. So let’s abandon the idea that making money or not making money defines art. It may be financially-rewarding art, or it may be art for art’s sake. But it’s still all art.
Third, you can make a living in art. It takes the same vision, focus, discipline and commitment as any other small business venture or self-employment opportunity. That means understanding yourself enough to know the work you want to do. It means being disciplined about doing the work. And it means following through. I have a theory why art and business are always placed in opposition to each other. Seems to me that many artistic and creative people dream about their work as a happy and interesting alternative to the business world; the thought that they’ll need to develop skills in marketing, sales, advertising, budgeting, etc. is enough to send them into a tailspin. I’m here to tell you that all these skills are much more fun when you do them for yourself rather than some corporation or bank or company!
I have a business plan for what I hope to accomplish with my artwork. I have a strong idea who my market is, and who my customers are. I have long-range goals for my finest artwork and where I want to go with it. I do tons of product research when thinking up new designs and new products. I plan for opportunities like national wholesale shows to get my work in front of a larger audience. I constantly work on my booth design and display fixtures, lighting and signage. I’ve developed a media list for press releases, a newsletter for my wholesale customers and prospects, and a mailing list for my retail shows. I don’t have a large advertising budget and have learned to plan carefully for the biggest impact. I’ve got a catalog, an artist statement, shipping cases, a web site and a fax machine. I’ve discovered I’m great at self-promotion but lousy at budgeting. I’ve memorized my photographer’s phone number. If you’d suggested to me ten years ago that I would be thinking how to get copies of my TV appearance into my press kits for my upcoming wholesale shows, I’d have given you a totally blank look. Does this sound like being an artist? Oh, yeah!! And I love it all, because it’s all to support my vision of myself as an artist.
You shouldn’t have to “sell yourself out” to earn a living, either. In fact, work that follows trends or fads or is based on “what sells” often loses steam and soul quickly, if you don’t first. It’s always a sound business practice to find what you love to do, then target and develop a market for it. And with the amazing opportunities available today (advertising, shows, exhibits, the internet, etc.), an artist need never be limited to a local market.
Once you have your core vision for what your work will be, you may find that it only needs very minor tweaking to increase its marketability. You may have a bread-and-butter line and your “fine art” line, with a price range that appeals to a wider audience. Conversely, you may tighten up your focus and only market to a very small, but extremely appreciative niche market. Only you can decide what will work best, and feel right, for YOU.
Last, many people feel the very act of selling is degrading to them at best or degrades their art at worst. Let me reassure you that selling is like any other skill you acquire in life. You get better with practice. I always hear, “I’m just no good at selling!” Well, I bet most people don’t know how to play a piano when they first sit down to one, either. And we all know that lots of practice playing the piano is necessary to being a superb pianist. So why do we think we should automatically be good at selling without practice.
Lose the value judgment about selling, and see it for a simple transaction. You have something you’ve made, and you feel it has worth. Another person sees what you’ve made. If they like what they see, or you are able to create a connection between them and the work, and they believe the item has the same value you do, then a transaction occurs. They give you money, you give them the item. And hopefully, both of you are ecstatically happy. Wasn’t that nice?
Whew! That’s a lot to throw at you about the business of art, and we’ve only scratched the surface. Just believe that you can really do what you love, and find a way to make it a part of your life—as big or little a part as you like.
