Five Ways to Make Money as an artist
The word entrepreneur comes from the French word entreprendre, meaning “to undertake.” It is someone willing to take risks to be successful. And what is riskier than becoming an artist? And more rewarding.
The days of gallery stipends and grand New York openings are dwindling down. Of course, a handful of individuals still enjoy those benefits. But for most working artists, it’s a struggle to make ends meet. After all, we’re entrepreneurs, running a small business and taking enormous risks to do so. To that end, here are some tried and true ways to make money while being an artist. You’re not going to like number one.
1. Get a day job. The list of artists, authors, actors, dancers, hell, just about anyone in the creative arts who had a day job is long - really long. Here are just a few:
Agatha Christie - pharmacist (makes sense, doesn’t it?)
Harper Lee - airline ticket inspector
Jeff Koons - commodities broker
Richard Serra - furniture removals man
Barbara Kruger - graphic designer
Mark Rothko - elementary school teacher.
Ai Weiwei - blackjack player
2. Give yourself a show. Your local coffee shop, library, or restaurant. Many an artist has started a career in one of these. Reach out to your community, and you’ll likely end up with a show.
3. Sell your work online. Yep, takes time, and you have to do the work, but it’s possible to make money selling your work online. The list of options is far too exhaustive to list here, but a quick Google search will net tons of options.
4. Teach classes. If you’re good at what you do, you can teach others. It takes patience, the ability to explain complex ideas, and a willingness to work with people. But it can be very rewarding and very lucrative. The great Hans Hoffman taught many of the Abstract Expressionists in his New York 8th Street Studio. Among them were Jackson Pollock, Red Grooms, Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, and a host of others.
5. Write a book and sell it yourself. Do you have a knack for writing? Do you understand something about the artistic process that you could share? Color, composition, creativity, inspiration - these are just a few topics you could write about. And then self-publish your own book and sell it. It’s not something you can do in a weekend. It takes planning and concentration, but it can be fruitful and create passive income. Once you write it, you can sell it again and again.
Want to get stuff done? Then, you can hire me as your mentor. I’ve done all of the five things listed above and more. And I’ve been a working artist for four decades. I’ve been teaching and mentoring artists for over thirty years. Let’s put a plan together that works for you.