At some point in every artists’ life there will have been a moment where they questioned the validity or attainability of a career as an artist. For some, this may have been a fleeting wonder during undergraduate study, for others a year or two of uncertainty as they found their feet, or it could be a gruelling anxiety that surfaces for every rejected application, unsold painting or unsuccessful project. But one thing is for certain, the thought will have occurred at some stage for every creative, simply because, even in contemporary society where the global art market is worth upwards of $60 billion, being an artist still viewed, in much of society, as not being a ‘proper’ job or something that one can make a living from.
The preconception of an artistic career as some sort of pipe dream is a daunting prospect, especially for budding young creatives branching out into the big wide world for the first time. Factor into this the overwhelming pressure of success and the social-media enforced expectation of immediate gratification, and it is clear why many artists don’t feel that they can or should pursue a career as an artist.
Now, I am not here to tell you that there is a formula for success – spoiler alert – or that every person who has artistic talent will magically achieve all their dreams and goals. Trust me, if I knew a formula and it was that easy, I would be shouting it from the rooftops! What I do hope to discuss here is what constitutes success, why it is important to still have these hopes and dreams, how the art market works and how I have developed an understanding of what artists actually do in terms of their career.
So, in terms of success, I have found that the definition of this is different for every single artist I have met, the overwhelming response however, does include being able to keep creating as and when they wish. For some this means being able to have a flexible job so that they can paint in between clocking off and cooking dinner, for others it means a gallery affiliation, residency of sponsor to provide studio space, funding and general support, for some it is the ability to sell as much work as possible for as much money as possible, etc, etc, the list goes on. Now let me make this very clear: None of these definitions of success are the only way to call yourself an artist and any – or none! – of them can be your own personal classification. What I believe is the most important thing, is to know what constitutes success to you, and to know that if you want to be an artist, you probably already are one simply by making work, interacting with conceptual discussions and quite simply; calling yourself an artist. To put it simply, the money you make from your artistic practice does not define your talent.
Let me say it again for the people in the back: the money you make from your artistic practice does not define your talent.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not under the impression that artists should not pursue funding, sales, gallery representation or financial stability – at the end of the day, artists have to eat too. I would simply urge artists at any stage in their career, not to rely on their income as an indicator of how successful their art is, and that is whether they are earning hundreds of thousands per commission or making a few quid selling to friends and family. The reason I believe this is because – although art is a business like any other – a key component of art as I see it, is passion, drive, a message to share or a feeling to emulate, and it becomes difficult to create resolved, meaningful work if all one cares about is their bottom line. This does of course lead us to the question of how do you make money as an artist? Again – my apologies – I do not have all the answers, because I myself am still at the stage where my main income is not derived from my painting. I am lucky enough to have a job that I enjoy and still have time to create, but my plan and dream is to one day be able to quit my day job. Ekaterina Popova recently aired an episode on this topic on her Art and Cocktails podcast, which I would definitely recommend to artists in the early stages of their career or to anyone having doubts about when to take the leap from art as a pastime to a pay check!
On the subject of recommendations, if you are interested in an in-depth look at art as commodity, the primary and secondary art markets and how ‘high art’ has evolved in recent decades, Isabelle Graw’s High Price, Don Thompson’s The $12 Million Stuffed Shark, Hito Steyerl’s Duty Free Artand Olav Velthuis’ Talking Pricesare all brilliant insights into the mysterious world of the contemporary art market as well as important discussions around judgement, popularity, taste and value.
So, where does all this leave us? Searching for opportunities and trying to make a living. Being an artist sounds a lot like every other ‘proper’ career then doesn’t it?
All I hope is that if you are having your artistic wobble or if you are just wondering what the next step is, that you can take comfort in the fact that it has been done, and is being done every day. Artists exist, they become successful, they publish books and have world renown exhibitions, they do workshops and make beautiful work, they write blogs, they work hard and they become ‘proper artists’. So, if they are doing it, why shouldn’t you? All you have to do is keep believing that it is possible and tell anyone who thinks your career isn’t plausible where they can shove it! All the while, keep making, look for and apply for opportunities, sell when you can, save when you need to, work two jobs if it’s what you need to do, take a year off to focus on painting if it’s what you need to do! Somewhere along the way, something will work for you and you will build the career that is right for you, not because I told you how, not because you did exactly what Tracey Emin or Lorna Simpson or Sandra Chevrier did, but because you had a plan and a goal and you worked for it, just like you have to in every successful career.