How artists make a living and manage money. 2

I really like doing different things and use all sides of my skills. I love the things that I can do.

I don’t have the same day over and over.

To help you aspiring artists what sort of a professional life you may have,  here are some of the things I have done. They come and go, and I often don’t know what is going to happen in the next half year. But there is always something coming up.

However, I have regular bills to pay, like rent, food, utilities, car, and a 17-year-old daughter to support, which means being capable handle the uncertain revenue flow.

Being an artist is like having 10 different jobs and no fixed pay. You need skills in evaluating proposals, setting a price, managing projects, teaching, making websites, blogging, sales,  marketing public relations, and half a dozen other skills. As a profession, it is only for the passionate and the dedicated. I’m sure all my artist followers will agree.

Making the money flow, here are the main ways I can get income to put food on the table and pay the rent.:

• Teaching
• Grants
• Sales of art
• Freelancing
• Consulting
• Design
• Exhibitions
• Illustrations
• Commissions
• Workshops

The work is by children between 10 – 18. A lot of the artists are having many legs to stand on, as we say here where I come from. Besides selling art, I, like many others have a part-time job 1 to 3 days that provides a small but steady income. The rest of the time I can work on my art and do freelancing.

Teaching 

There are teaching opportunities in public and private schools, and museums, art centers, galleries, and after-school programs not to mention private lessons.

I started to do teaching in my studio. I printed fliers, contacted my family and friends, put ads in the art-shops and art galleries and got enough people for my first class.  Once I got started I was asked to do it everywhere. Now, I am asked to do lectures and demonstrations I teach in a private evening school and I do it for public after-school programs for children

Here are my young art students work. Is´t this work great?

I myself have given courses where you learn healing and then we start to paint. Go into teaching if you love it. But, if you don’t have a passion for teaching, absolutely don’t do it.

Personal Skills like web expert.

Are you good at blogging, then you can set up blogs or design a website for other artists, I know a lot of artists that find that to be too much to sit down and learn all about it, You can do courses in blogging or make homepages using ex: wix.com which is pretty easy if you just know a little of the basic.  Or you can offer a course in blogging using WordPress which is not to difficult.

When I started working with this theme, I soon realized that it would become two blogs, because it is such a hugely engaging thing.

My next blog will have some more ideas for earning a living from Art.

What do you like to do? What hobby’s do you have? What are your skills? Tell me the creative ways you have earned money to support your art.