Can You Really Make a Living as an Artist?

Many people dream of leaving their nine to five jobs and pursuing a career as a professional artist. But is it really possible to make a living as an artist? The short answer is, yes.The long answer is a little more complicated.

People do make a full-time living selling their art online and at art shows. Though these people are able to work as full-time artists, not everyone can be as successful in this lifestyle. Making a living as an artist requires expert artistic ability, long hours of hard work and an understanding of business and marketing.

Aspiring artists must be aware of the large amount of competition in the art world. Even though online marketplaces, such as Etsy, make it more convenient to sell art online, an artist can easily become buried underneath the massive amounts of shops on the site. Art shows are also extremely competitive and artists have to stand out just to make it into the shows.

Due to the high level of competition, people need to honestly assess the quality of their artwork before attempting an art career. Artists need to ask themselves why people would want to buy their work over anyone else's. They need to make sure that they can produce and price their work well enough to compete. They also need to brand their work with a particular theme or style. If the work is not competitive enough, some artists may want to take more art classes or business classes before pursuing an art career.

Future artists also need to be realistic about what a full-time art career would entail. Most full-time artists work over 40 hours a week to produce and market their work. They spend many weekends working art shows. Artists also take product photos, create booth displays, maintain web sites, write a blog, sell online and research and apply to art shows. Each of these tasks requires hours of time that can add up to long work weeks. Many artists also spend most of this work time alone. For those who crave a social work atmosphere, the solitude can become tedious.

In order to make money, artists must also enjoy and excel in the business aspect of the career. Artists need to think about branding, pricing, marketing and finances. Artists may need to tweak their work to be more marketable and easier to sell. Some people don't want to think of their artwork from a business perspective. Artists who don't want to put commercial constrictions on their work might not want to make a full-time living as an artist.

If artists have the talent, drive and passion, they can make a full-time living as an artist. Persistance is the key to success in the art world. Anyone who wants to have an art career must be ready to work hard and push themselves to constantly improve in their artistic skills and business expertise.