How can I make a living as an Artist?

[serbus]

Well, this thread was inspired by the Job Forums on Gaia.

So in the Job Services Forum I have posted my services for sale at least monthly since I started Gaia (1 year ago) and I have only ever ONCE recieved a response... Question: Does the Job Services Board really work? What's your take on this issue?

The Job Offers forum is often full of scammers, although this has greatly decreased since they added mods to the forum. Even if the offer is legit I rarely ever get a response from offers that I apply to, maybe it's my art?

And I was mostly wondering: In the Real World, how am I supposed to sell myself? I live in Utah... to give a sense of how bad this is for an artist I will explain our K-12 education's outtake on Art: it is considered a financial black hole. How am I supposed to get people to appreciate the work I've done if they don't even know what it is? How can I overcome this? I know that my artwork is at least worth something (I get Gaia gold commissions all the time!), but no one is even willing to pay a dollar for much of the work I do!

Am I alone? Do you guys feel the same frustrations?

I'd really like some advise on this.
Thanks everyone!
-Teshia  

[hikage11]

i don't really know what it's like there in utah..but what kind of art do you do? if you're good with talking maybe you can teach art? you could also do ads & posters for people. give them some sample works so they have an idea on how you do things. hope this helps even for a little bit.  

[oO Starling Oo]

I plan majoring in art in college so I've planned out this my senior year of high school to be made of mostly art classes. I think I'm going to become an art teacher as a start and possibly go into animation or aomething in the graphic arts field. It is hard to go solo into the art feild, so I figure choosing a job in the school or in a company will get me experience and exposure.
Most well known artists had a hard time selling art, many didn't become famous until very late in life or even until after their death. Art is one of the hardest majors because your success depends upon other people's opinion of your work, but it's also been growing fortunately for us blaugh  

[serbus]

Yeah, I agree that the opportunities for artists is growing. My main focus is comic art, but I'm really good at oil painting and stencilling. I'm hoping to join an advertising group that one of my friends has started. It's to help promote artists to Galleries.

Thank you for the ideas hikagell. I've tried the teaching thing and honestly, I don't like it. Teaching is hard and the pay is crap (at least here <30k per year!). Utah is really a tough place for an artist. I have a lot of artist friend and they all have similar issues. Most of the successful ones have moved to places like New York and California.

-Teshia  

[hikage11]

serbus

Yeah, I agree that the opportunities for artists is growing. My main focus is comic art, but I'm really good at oil painting and stencilling. I'm hoping to join an advertising group that one of my friends has started. It's to help promote artists to Galleries.

Thank you for the ideas hikagell. I've tried the teaching thing and honestly, I don't like it. Teaching is hard and the pay is crap (at least here <30k per year!). Utah is really a tough place for an artist. I have a lot of artist friend and they all have similar issues. Most of the successful ones have moved to places like New York and California.

-Teshia

no problem ^^ good luck with your advertising group.  

[Solsaiden Hel]

I read from Gravitation that the path to what someone really wants is pretty difficult, and there's always the tempting easy way out. Guess it comes down to whether you want what's right or what's easy.

Gak! I sound like an old man! gonk  

[Courtesan Brigitte]

To succeed in art is to succeed in marketing: since art is subjective and inturpretable, the laws of who thrives in art are the same as who thrives in fashion. Make yourself wanted by some, and then by some more, and then by someone important--also all very subjective. And then you will be wanted by lots and lots of people.

For example, my partner showed at the LA center for digital art. Because he showed at the LA center for digital art, someone else wanted to show him. That show was extended by popular demand because he was popular (see where this is going?). Another gallery director was at that show and because he showed at that (small) gallery, he's going to show at this director's bigger gallery in a few months.

The problem here is like with a lot of industries, you can't get work without having experience, and you can't get experience without getting work. How to get around it? Specialize. One of my photos was recently published on the cover of a magazine. Which one? Don't worry. You haven't heard of it. But the fact remains that I was published on the cover, and tearsheets are a good place to start. So how do you get that cover shot? Take pictures of things other people aren't taking pictures of. I took a spectacularly good picture of a club event, and that club published the result. Does it make me an international sensation? No. But thousands of people in California and Nevada (and maybe some other places too) saw my work on the cover of their monthy newsletter.

Another way of getting tearsheets is by covering community events and sending your photos (with a brief but detailed typewritten AND SPELLCHECKED description of the event) to your local paper (or dropping them off if you can--that way the story is "fresher" and you're more likely to get it published). That way you can say your work has been featured in whatever newspaper that is. If it's a county newspaper just say "A [your state here] news publication"--it sounds better.

I know what you may be thinking "I don't want to go into press photography!" Doesn't matter. You have to start somewhere. The press is one place that will take your work after you've created it, rather than tell you to create it. They don't see what you've done until you bring it to them, so they aren't banking on you. That means that before you can get a job, you can fill in some lines in that resume.

Note that these little press appearances aren't paid--not until you actually get a job with the paper. But the appearance of publication on a resume or list of experience will help you get paid jobs.

Another thing I've learned is that you shouldn't be modest with potential clients. I was perhaps a little too shy in singing my own praises before a recent gig and as a result I was treated as an amateur. My clients had absolutely no faith that I could do my job--so they hired someone else to do it "with" me. I ended up doing almost nothing, making the project a waste of time and increadibly insulting. I realized that it's my fault though--the client knew I was looking to build my portraiture portfolio but had no way of knowing I was experienced and sucessful in other realms of photography.

And now I've just realized this is the dA guild, not the photography guild.

Well, I guess a lot of that advice could translate, and some of it can't. Um... good luck though.  

[Elaine Firecat]

I'm just starting out as well, but I think the best way to sell yourself is to look into local galleries for juried and non-juried shows that accept submissions in your genre. Also, art fairs and craft shows are good places to show and sell your art. I will be showing a piece in my college's alumni art show and have bought a space at a local art show and sale. Conventions also seem to be good for artists, but tend to be far away and expensive to get a booth in. Hope that helps and good luck!  

[Kuropun]

you need to have wise entrepreneurial ability, think about it:
gaia commissions is a lot different from real life commissions, however, a nice start for practicing economy.
You have to look at people's tastes, on what style they prefer to. Do the people in your local area have interest in your art style? Like, anime or manga looks?
Mostly gaia people are anime fans, so for sure they would buy stuff which are anime'd.

But all in all, you can make good business by art itself. Try joining companies, or you can just start your own business first (usually companies are effective).
Being self-observant is also important so you can know your capabilities and how to improve them.  

[yoshifanatic]

i really want a career in art too, but im not sure how that will work. nobody around here really cares much for buying art work. it may be a little early for me to be worrying about a career, but its my dream job that i will probably never get to have.  

[saruwarui]

The thing about having a degree in art is that it is pretty much useless unless you want to teach. I'm not saying anything is wrong in majoring in art, but you really have to sit down and consider things. When I was enrolled in college, I was majoring in graphic design. Where I live, there are a few graphic design firms but you must have a degree and experience before they'll even consider hiring you. When you're like me, and having to take out loans, you have to consider if being an art major will actually pay off your college. A lot of people dream of being comic artists and being able to incorporate what they love into making money, but I'm going to say this flatly.

Your art has to seriously be very detailed and almost to the point of perfection to be mainstream. So if you're considering being a comic artist you have to get a degree in illustration, and you must be able to write, and do storyboards. Its just a very complicated prospect.

I decided to change my major to something I know I could do and that I know I would always be able to find a job with but still incorporates what I love doing. Even then, it doesn't mean I can't get a job and go to graduate school and get a degree in animation like I'd like to do.

If you want to sell your artwork, try considering a degree in business and marketing. That way, you could open up your own gallery and manage it and still do the art that you love.  

[xSairyn_Ishtarx]

This woman I met at AnimeUSA makes a living with her art but she's really good. Believe it or not she's one of the main reasons why I'm not giving up on my art degree right now and hitting Medical.
Her and my favorite manga artist. But I think you could make a living on it ^^  

[Shintychou]

There are plenty of well paying jobs available for artists. However, these jobs require specific art techniques and quality-of-art for their applicants, and can be quite tedious. It all depends on what style of art you use and how good you use it.  

[Dark Mage Sabrina]

My college art teacher said he made 100grand last year selling paintings (hundreds) to hotels. Id unno how to make aliving as an artist though I want to as well...