I’m not going to try to replicate the ebb and flow of the conversation in this panel. I’m just going to lift the major points and expound upon them.
If you want to make money as an artist, you also need to be a business person. All of the professional artists on the panel agreed with that. There is nothing wrong with art as a creative outlet or as an avocation. More people should have an art of some kind as a hobby. But you will never be a financially sucessful artist until you learn to manage money. Most of the panel discussed ways for artists to get contracts, or find other ways to bring money in. Just as important as getting paid for your art, is managing the money after it arrives. These days starving artists usally give up their art and go get a day job.
Art requires diligence and discipline. You need to love it and thrive off of the creation of art, but don’t expect to love every minute of creation. All of the professional artists admited that there are times when they just don’t want to draw, but they draw anyway because it is their job. Usually once they got working they enjoyed it again. (I’ve seen Howard do exactly that time and again.) There is lots of hard work involved as well as inspiration. Put in the time to become really excellent at what you do. Writers write, dreamers dream, Artists draw. If you want to be an artist draw every day whether you feel like it or not. You have about 10,000 really bad pictures that need to come out before you get to the good ones. Don’t jump the gun and start looking for paying work before you’re done with those bad pictures.
Taking classes and trying to meet the exact specifications of your “picky” teacher is very much like trying to meet the specifications of your “picky” client. Getting good at figuring out what someone else wants is an invaluable skill. The client always knows when something is wrong, but the client is never able to identify what it is. He just knows he doesn’t like it. Your job as an artist is to figure it out and fix it.
Be reliable. Always meet your deadlines. Art that is finished too late might as well not exist.
On submitting a portfolio for review: Never never never submit a drawing on notebook paper as part of a portfolio. If you can’t replicate that cool drawing on notebook paper onto good paper, then you’re not ready to be a professional artist. If you are not sure about the quality of a piece, leave it out. It is better to have a small portfolio full of excellent pieces than a large one with mediocre pieces. Tailor your portfolio to the reviewer. Do some research before you submit the portfolio.
Building an income as an artist is a slow growth business. Expect to work hard with little return for several years. You have to identify and research your market. Networking is the key to building an income. Every connection you make strengthens your net. Remember to give as much as you get or you won’t have a solid network. Beware, there are some sharks out there who will take advantage of you. These sharks will claim they are trying to help you while actually using you. Always check advice with several unconnected people before you apply it.
Well, that ended up being more a transcription of my notes than a true exposition, but at least most of the thoughts are there. I should note that pretty much everything said up there about art and artist could be applied to writing and writer. In fact it could all be applied to any creative business.
That’s some helpful information. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I added a few more bits that I’d forgotten to include.
Having grown up with a writer, married to another one and knowing a slew of them, I can vouch for that! Everything you said goes equally for writing.
That sounds like it was an amazing panel. Excellent post! Thanks for sharing that information. In a way, it’s the same for music. It’s very, very hard to get that first gig… but after the first few, if you’ve done well, people know you, and the network grows.
Granted, if you were a horse’s patootie at your last job, they know that too… so…
Anyway. Too often, people go into creative endeavors thinking it’s easier than getting a “day job,” when in fact it’s harder. A day job means that even if you feel like being a bum, you get paid (maybe not for long, though). Even if there’s not a lot of work, or you’re sick to work, you still have that steady income. When you work for yourself.. not so much. yeeeep. Thanks for posting this reminder of that.