Do you love painting, sculpting, drawing or another of the visual arts? Do you obsess over the work of other artists, imagining what it would be like to have them as colleagues and discuss your ideas with them? Do you dream of a career in the art world but assume it’s far too impractical an ambition to pursue? The fact is that while most people won’t get rich this way, a few will, and many others work in the field because of the deep satisfaction they get from it. The tips below can help you build this career.
Learn
Learn everything you can about working in your medium of choice and related fields. You may be a painter, but you might draw in part on film and photography for inspiration. Go to museums and galleries. Read about contemporary artists and those who have been dead for years or centuries. Go to school. The coursework for a fine arts degree will give you an excellent grounding in your area, and one way you can pay for it is through Earnest private student loans. Since these are not need-based, unlike federal loans, you can borrow as much as you need within the limits of the loan to pay for your tuition and other costs. While you’re in school, you may want to take a few business classes as well. This can help you better manage your career in the years ahead.
Practice
One of the hard things about motivation in any kind of creative field is that as you are learning, you tend to compare yourself to people at the top of their craft. It’s true that you probably aren’t producing work like that of Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Yayoi Kusama or Damien Hirst, but that’s because you aren’t seeing their early work and their failures. Becoming successful as an artist is all about working hard at your craft and learning as you go. Show your work to others, learn from constructive criticism and work to improve. Over time, you will also get a sense of your voice, the ideas you want to convey and your strengths and weaknesses.
Network
Your work should speak for itself, but it may need you to speak up for it and to make it known. This is where networking comes in. You can do so online and offline, getting to know fellow artists, gallery owners and others. Go to openings. Set up social media accounts. Enter competitions and participate in art fairs. Take every opportunity that comes your way to talk to people about your work and get it and your name out there.
Be flexible
There are questions to ask yourself to determine your readiness for your career path and where you stand. Approach both your life and your work with flexibility. Remember that there are many ways to support yourself. You may want to consider taking private commissions, a potentially lucrative way to keep yourself afloat while you do some of your own work as well. Alternately, you may want to get a job in a museum or a gallery or teaching. Experiment with new techniques and materials. Continually challenge yourself so that you are always moving forward and learning something new about your work.
Story by Justin Weinger
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