Can You Really Make Money as an Artist?
Jun 14, 2023
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People with creative souls are constantly searching for opportunities to express themselves creatively while still generating enough income to live a decent life. For millions of people, that means pursuing a mainstream career and practicing art on the side.
But is it possible to make decent money as an artist?
The High-Level View: Can You Really Make Money as an Artist?
The high-level view here is that yes, you absolutely can make money as an artist, and there are tons of examples of people who have done it; there's a long list of millionaires and even billionaires who made their fortunes by showcasing their artistic talents.
The real question is, how likely is it for the average person to make money as an artist? And, in line with this, how much money could you make?
Publishing an art book, selling art to wealthy buyers, and even teaching art to other people are all options. If you're willing to exercise some creativity in how you approach art, you'll have a lot more options.
Making Money With Art
These are just some of the ways you can make money by using your artistic talents.
- Art galleries and private buyers. If you become prominent, you can have some of your best work featured in art galleries, or put it on display during local art shows. You can also make deals with private buyers. Depending on the nature of your work and your target audience, this can range from measly to lucrative.
- Books and compilations. You can also assemble books and compilations of your best work. If your depictions are palatable or unique, you can sell a lot of coffee table books this way.
- Commissions. Are you interested in taking commissions? If so, people might hit you up for custom work. Just make sure you understand your limitations so you don't get overloaded with requests.
- Graphic design. If you don't mind putting your artistic talent to corporate use, you can consider getting involved in graphic design. Creating logos isn't the same as creating masterpiece paintings, but it's an easy way for creative types to make money.
- Teaching/education. Teaching and education roles can also be profitable. Have you ever thought about sharing your knowledge and skills with others?
- Competitions. Submitting your art to competitions can also help you augment your earnings.
Advancing Your Career
What steps can you take to advance your career and make more money while following your artistic dreams?
- Choose a niche. You can make a lot more money by catering to a specific niche than you can by trying to appeal to a broad, general audience. There are a few different reasons for this, including the fact that your work will instantly become more relevant to a specific niche, and you'll have less competition to deal with. Whatever type of art you want to produce, try to make it hyper-specific to a designated type of buyer. You'll end up performing much better this way.
- Consider your audience. In line with this, it's important to consider your audience in your work. Artists sometimes focus on the purity of their work, meaning they exclusively focus on channeling their inner passions and creating things that are a true extension of themselves. While we can debate the artistic purity of such a move, channeling your inner passions isn't always profitable. You can usually make more money by appealing to people who are eager to spend it.
- Build a personal brand. Personal branding is especially valuable for artists. If you have a memorable name, face, and personality to help sell your work, and if you're willing to market and advertise yourself, you'll see much better results. Personal branding isn't especially difficult, but it does take time and effort.
- Be willing to compromise. You'll also need to be willing to compromise. Imagine a Venn diagram in which one circle represents your purest artistic passions and in which another circle represents what people are willing to spend money on. There's probably some room in the middle, representing things adjacent to your interests but still profitable. This is the key area to strike, even though it means setting some of your ideas or passions to the side.
The sad reality is that if all you do is follow your gut instincts and passions, there's no guarantee you're going to make money. Yes, your unique brand of art might become an overnight sensation, or you might be able to make a passable living doing what you truly love. But if your primary interest is making a stable, reliable income, you might need to make a few compromises. If you find a healthy balance, you can continue pursuing art while still holding down a reasonable living.
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