Have you come to a point on your path where you’re considering turning your passion for making into a career as a professional artist?
But this is where many artists ask me, “How do I know if I’m ready to work as a professional artist?” I always believe that the answers lie in the questions.
So here are some questions to consider before you take the leap from transforming your Artist Journey into your living.
Why do you want to be a professional artist?
It’s a good idea to begin by reflecting on why becoming a professional artist is important to you. What are your motivations?
• Do you want your work to be appreciated by a larger audience?
• Do you feel this will give your work validation?
• Does the thought of doing anything else as a career feel depressing?
• Are you seeking freedom from having a boss to answer to?
• Do you want control over your schedule?
Or perhaps you feel that your career as an artist could finally flourish with more dedicated time?
A lot of creatives have to work part-time or even full-time jobs in other industries while building their artist careers. We’ve all got to pay our bills and keep a roof over our heads. But anyone who’s had to juggle different jobs knows how exhausting this can be. Burnout is real and it can be debilitating.
So while it may be tempting to take the leap into being a full-time artist, you’ve got to crunch the numbers to be sure that you are quite ready financially. Whether or not that is a wise decision depends entirely on your personal circumstances. There is no right or wrong answer here. I do want you to sit down and run the numbers though.
I always say, “Your art is not here to support you. You are here to support your art.”
Are you ready to become a business owner?
Artists are entrepreneurs. So if you truly want a career as a professional artist, you’ll need to approach it the same way any other business owner would.
• Are you prepared to learn about marketing?
• Have you got professional materials like an Artist CV and Statement prepared?
• Do you understand the language and legalities and players within the art business?
My online program, The Working Artist Masterclass, will teach you how to present yourself as a knowledgeable professional so you can start by putting your best foot forward. Don’t risk making the wrong moves or creating materials that you’ll later have to fix or worse, apologize for. Instead, I’ll help you to create a solid foundation before you set up shop as a professional artist.
Building a career as an artist is about more than just spending your days in the studio making work and entertaining collectors. You’ll need to build other skills like networking, advertising, and promotion both online and off. You’ll need to know how to analyze your market and set your prices. I created The Working Artist Masterclass to help you become a confident business owner, no matter what your medium or where you live.
Are you ready to invest in your career as a professional artist?
There’s no use investing in a program like The Working Artist Masterclass unless you’re ready to start taking yourself seriously. You can’t ask others to invest in your work if you aren’t willing to invest in it yourself.
You might find yourself struggling with this because of external factors such as lack of support from your partner, family, or friends. I get it! This was a big hurdle for myself and I see it with others. But it’s important to remember that only you can validate yourself. No-one will take you seriously as a professional artist until you take yourself seriously.
You can’t wait for the world to discover you if you haven’t shown it who you are.
External validation comes after internal validation. Not the other way around. So if your heart is whispering to you that this is something you really want to do, don’t ignore it. It won’t go away!
You’re a sovereign being who makes their own choices. You don’t need anyone else to give you permission to take your work seriously. It’s an inside job, so give yourself permission and take the steps necessary to start building your professional artist practice.
Are you ready to show the world who you are?
Art isn’t meant to be tucked away from the world. How can anyone else appreciate your work if they never see it? Some people tell me, “But I don’t like to promote myself.” And I assure them that having a career as an artist isn’t about promoting you, but the work itself.
Listen, putting your work into the world is inherently vulnerable. Criticism and negative feedback are unavoidable. But if you join a strong artist community, you’ll have compassionate fans for life and a solid support system to draw on during tough times.
If you take anything away from this article, find an artist community. These are your people. They understand the fears and roadblocks that you’ll constantly come up against on your artist journey. They get it. Your family may or may not, but your fellow artists always will.
Plus, other artists can offer insights on your work and give you meaningful feedback. By joining an artist community you’ll likely have more opportunities to show your art and make more sales too.
Are you ready to join The Working Artist Masterclass?
If you’ve read this far, I believe you’re ready to work with me no matter where you are on your artist journey. If you have a dream to become a professional artist, The Working Artist Masterclass will give you a solid foundation to build and accelerate your art career.
As a member of The Working Artist, you’ll receive lifetime access to the course curriculum, be invited to participate in monthly live calls with me and other international artists, plus gain the confidence needed to show the world what you can do.
Your artwork deserves to be seen. And if not now, ask yourself – when? I’m here when you’re ready build your career as an artist. I invite you to join The Working Artist today
Would you like to SHOW + SELL MORE ART? I’ve helped thousands of artists and I can help you too.
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