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"Advice for Artists"
‘Professional artist’ is not one of the things you commonly see on lists of professions or careers – except at schools which cater specifically to artistic children, career advisers, books and even computer programs that intend to help young people choose jobs for later in life rarely mention art as a possible path. Most people wouldn’t even find that surprising – art is well known for being a challenging career, even for those with talent and determination, and success is not assured. Yet none of that is going to put off a true artist who needs to create to express themselves, and for whom art is always a natural part of their lives. But what makes a professional artist?
It’s not business cards or high grades from high school or [...]
When people normally think or talk about places to buy or sell art, the first places to pop to mind are usually galleries, perhaps dealers, and maybe museums. But there’s another arena that’s well worth considering seriously as an artist, and that’s art fairs. Art fairs exist the world over, include immense diversity of art, and range from the small and local to the large and international. They retain great popularity with artists trying to reach a slightly different market and art-lovers looking for a fun day out, for a specific work of art, or to keep up with trends in the art world and seek out new talent.
You’ll have to consider which kind of art fair is best suited to you. Local fairs sometimes have an intimate feel, and [...]
You’ve been accepted for representation, built a relationship with your gallery, arranged the date for an exhibition and carefully chosen the works that will be on show there. There’s a lot of work that goes into planning an exhibition, both from you and from the gallery, and it’s easy to get so caught up in that that you forget about the opening reception except as just another thing to be ticked off on your long list.
However, the truth is that an opening reception can be a great opportunity for you as an artist, and it’s important to approach it from that perspective. If you can take time out of thinking about all the other jobs or arrangements that need dealing with to concentrate on the reception, then it’s worth [...]
The importance of packing art properly is one of those factors in the art world which is vital but too often ignored. As a serious artist, being able to be confident that you will be able to transport your work safely to a buyer or a gallery which may be on the other side of the world is absolutely crucial. This is especially true if you work in the international market, and show your work in one of the centers of the art world. It doesn’t matter how marvelous the piece is; a buyer will not be happy if the piece does not arrive in good condition, justifiably so, given that the damaged piece would then not be what he had originally bought.
Likewise, your gallery will be placed in a very difficult position if [...]
After the excitement and variety of the new year and festive season died away, I began to hear a lot of artists complaining that they were having trouble getting back into a productive routine, and worrying about whether they would be able to get back to normal anytime soon. Of course if that’s happening to you, it’s a worry, because for many artists work is both a career and a necessary form of expression; sometimes you hear an artist complain of feeling restless or ‘itchy’ if they can’t create for whatever reason.
This is a common problem that almost everyone faces, from artists to bankers to doctors, when they’ve spent a while doing other things and then get to the point where it’s time to return to what was once a well-learned [...]
With the 26th Chelsea International Fine Art Competition heading this way, due to open on February 2 and receive entries until March 14, this seemed like a good time to review a few of the important points to bear in mind when you’re thinking about entering an art contest. In many ways these are similar to those you should consider when submitting your work to an art gallery, but some are more specific to competitions.
Contests can be great ways to progress in your career as a professional artist. Of course, if you win, the prizes can be valuable in helping you along the way, from money to buy art supplies to help in promoting your art to a chance to show your [...]
In the spirit of the festive season, it seems appropriate to discuss one of the often talked about messages of the holiday period – the importance of helping others. This is frequently meant in a general sort of way, and there’s no denying the importance of lending a hand to someone who needs it, whether it’s giving up your seat on the subway to someone who looks like they need it more than you do, or taking care of a friend when they’re sick. But it’s also worthwhile to take some time to consider the ways you can help that other people probably can’t, and how you can incorporate using your special gifts to help others into your regular life.
Artists have unique opportunities available to them when it comes to benefiting the [...]
We’re entering a period of seasonal themes and festivities – with Halloween in the background, Thanksgiving this week, and Christmas and other winter holidays coming up soon after that. Naturally, these events affect artists just as they impact on everyone else, as you’ll appreciate if you have memories of costume-hunting for yourself or your child, arguing over the best way to cook a turkey, or desperately looking for that one last important present in time to get it under the tree.
Yet holidays are also business opportunities – not only for the stores who start decking themselves out in red and green as early as possible, but for artists as well. Not that I’m suggesting that work intrude into the days themselves, but the season of giving means that people are looking for [...]
Choosing the right materials for you as an artist is a very personal decision, something that relates directly to the art that is produced. Many artists strongly prefer a particular brand or supply source, and are never really comfortable unless they know that the relevant material is available to them. Some have particular preferences for different kinds of work – one sort of watercolors for landscape works, and another for portraits, for example. Some love to buy online because of the range of choice and the convenience of delivery, others only buy from local stores where they know the proprietor.
There’s nothing wrong with this preference, any more than there is a problem with other people preferring to buy their clothes from a certain place or favoring jeans over any other kind [...]
Do you often feel overwhelmed by the amount in front of you? Do you have trouble making time for your work? Wonder which activity to prioritize? Worry you’re drifting rather than directed? If any of this sounds familiar, you might need to clean up your art act – take a good hard look at the way you work and try to identify the things that cause stress in your work life.
Sometimes artists with these kinds of problems worry that there’s something deeply wrong with their working method, that the kinds of situations that are conducive to their creative talent just aren’t also helpful when it comes to efficiency. This isn’t the case. Usually, the overall method is fine – it’s important to work in a way that suits your temperament and creativity – [...]
