We’re all familiar with the cliche of the ‘starving artist’ and although it’s generally an exaggeration, it’s true that the life of an artist is well known to be one with relatively little financial certainty. Unless you’re a commercial artist, working for a company, you’re not likely to have a regular salary coming through your work. For this reason, many artists have other jobs as well as their artistic career, sometimes in related fields such as design or restoration.

Of course, this is not to say that it is impossible to make enough money as a full-time artist. There are many talented artists who manage to do just that. Yet it takes time to build up the kind of awareness of your work, exposure in wider markets, and circle of buyers you [...]