Many artists I have counselled tell me they lack confidence because they don’t earn a living solely from selling their art. This is a destructive and unrealistic way to think. First of all, your talent should not be measured by your source or amount of income. Secondly, the unfortunate truth is most artists have to find ways to supplement an artist’s income. The good news is there are many art-related ways for artists to make more money.
The fact is, if you’re not a full-time self-supporting artist you’re not alone. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “In addition to pursuing their work as an artist, many hold another job because it may be difficult to rely solely on income earned from selling paintings or other works of art.” The BLS website reported the median income” for “fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators” in 2020 was $52,340.
Many Artists Had to Take Alternative Jobs
Artists who became famous and financially successful didn’t always have it that way. We know from reading art history and artists’ biographies that many artists had to take alternate jobs. For example, as a struggling artist Paul Gauguin had to find work as a laborer during the construction of the Panama Canal. More recently, Alex Katz painted houses and Julian Schnabel drove a cab, to make ends meet.
Getting Motivated to Increase Income
When I was an artist, I detested the idea of having to work for anyone but myself or work outside the art world. I dreaded having to endure any routine that was mundane and unimaginative. These reasons motivated me to seek creative alternatives, so I could live happier and spend more time making art.
Before I earned a living exclusively from sales of my art I used different methods to earn extra money, from teaching art classes to painting on apparel. You may recall my article “My Wake Up Call to Reality as an Artist” about what I learned about marketing during a summer job working for a fashion designer.
Trying new methods to increase your income can be very beneficial. They can increase your business acumen, develop new relationships, and boost your confidence.
A Few Ideas To Consider
Offer A Master Class
Probably the most popular method artists use to augment their art sales is teaching art. You’ll find many examples of artists who do this successfully. We’re now even seeing established professionals offering “Master Classes”. Nancy Reyner, who is also an author of several art instruction books, offers two online master art courses. One of them is “Painting Excellence” for painters in all mediums, in which she offers daily personal feedback for participating students. Nancy’s Master Classes are extremely rewarding for Nancy because she enjoys helping other artists. I highly recommend that you take one or all of them. Learn more about her classes here.
Like Nancy, you too can enjoy getting supplementary income from online classes. What area do you excel in that would attract students to your Master Class?
Offer Specialized Art Consultation Services
Another ideas is to earn extra income from acquiring ancillary artistic skills. While attending The Art Students League of New York I also took classes at the New York School of Interior Design, so in addition to selling my art I provided design and decorating consultations.
You can choose from an array of adult education courses in your local college and those offered online to enhance your knowledge in any art-related area. In addition to selling your art you can offer consultations in interior design, feng shui, color coordination, space organization, and the like.
Become A Subcontractor
Look around. There are many businesses that rely on artists to supply business for them. For example, when the necessity for ordering custom size frames for commissioned artwork increased, I arranged with my custom framer to subcontract his services. In my studio I allocated a small space to display samples of his frames and invited other artists and art buyers to place orders. This service became a way to offset my framing costs, add income, and increase traffic to my studio.
Set Up A Reciprocal Arrangement
Some other ways you could serve as a subcontractor and get paid a commission fee, include referring your art buyers to fellow artists, interior designers and other art-related professionals. This relationship can also be arranged on a reciprocal basis. Read “The Many Benefits of Cross-Promotion For Artists”.
Join the Art in Healthcare Community
If you have an interest in using art as a healing modality, tap into the ever-growing healthcare art market. The possible venues where you can sell your art and/or offer art workshops include wellness centers, medical facilities, hospitals, senior residences, rehabilitation centers, and more.
In addition to selling your art to these locations, you could offer to give lectures and classes on the healing benefits or art and artistic expression in corporations and educational facilities, spas and retreats. Read “Selling Art in the Healthcare Art Market”.
Explore and Discover
Have fun exploring the many options available to augment your income. More ideas include: building websites for artists; writing and editing services for artists; selling other artists’ work; designing art logos; social media services for artists and galleries; and more.
In addition to financial rewards, the experiences and skills you acquire will also lead to a growth in confidence and a larger professional network. You may discover many hidden talents you have will come to the surface.
Ah, this article brought back memories. When I was in my thirties, I was faced with a similar dilemma. I was married with a child and suddenly my husband withdrew his financial support of my art, saying he was tired of my failing creative ventures. I returned to college and spent a lot of time in the career center taking tests to see what kind of jobs my artistic personality would fit into. One was a vocation I would have never thought of myself and it was librarian. I was fortunate to have two universities nearby that offered graduate programs in Library Science. During my graduate work, I learned that there was a specialty called Art Lirarianship. These professionals worked for universities, museums, architecture and fashion design schools. It sounded perfect and I immediately began to design my program around that specialty, despite my advisor warning me that my chances of landing a job in that field were slim. A year and a half after graduation I got a job in the Art and Music Department of the San Francisco Public Libray, a major research institution. The job was part time, but paid a lot of money, so I was able to still do my art, while working at a dream job (helping other artistic types do research, while surrounded by an amazing art book collection). It came with an excellent retirement package which allows me to still do my art to this day. I can paint what I want, exhibit when and where I want, without the pressure to making a living off the sales of my art, which have never been enough to support me. Oh, and I divorced the husband that criticized my lack of success in his mind as an artist and am married to another artist who understands and encourages all my creative endeavors.
Linda, thank you for sharing your experience and memory and your perfect solution to balance your financial and creative needs. I also love knowing your story has a happy romantic ending!