7 Tips to Jumpstart Your Art Career

Art, like any other professional career, takes time for you to establish yourself. While some people start drawing when they are still young, others take art classes intending to pursue an art career.

Art, which encompasses various fields such as painting, illustration, and graphic design, can be rewarding with the right strategy. You need to prepare well because it requires dedication, hard work, and a great plan. Many people who aspire to start an art career have no idea how to launch it.

You can start now for becoming an artist by improving your art skills, which will attract clients to provide you with a decent income and exposure.

The tips here will share with you some tips which will help you to jumpstart your art career. 

1. Improve your skills

It’s likely that you are a creative person who has a passion for art. You need to spend time developing your skills by focusing on the medium of your desire.

Skill development requires patience, hard work, and commitment. If you decide to attend an art college or traditional classes, you will need to spend a lot of time studying on your own while also attending classes.

Spending tons of hours studying will determine whether you become an artistic master or not. To find adequate time to do all the tasks like dissertation, college papers, thesis etc, is not always possible. In such a case, turn to an online service and EduBirdie will do your assignment. The idea is to ensure that you understand what you are working hard for.

Here are things which will help you to hone your skills:

• Take a few art courses by enrolling in an art college or attending art workshops. It will help you to learn some basic information that you can use in your art career. 
• Practice on your own the basics that you have been taught in art classes.
• Spend time in museums and art galleries to get a better idea of various forms of art.
• Look for someone who can give you constructive criticism to help you to learn and grow. It will open your eyes to the weak areas which need some improvements. 

2. Create a studio space

Art requires a space where you can work on your art pieces, store the pieces, and keep the tools for your art. This space should be private to ensure that you are focusing on the task at hand.

You can have space in your home, including an outdoor shade or in your garage. If you don’t have space in your home, consider renting studio space from a friend who has an extra room or any other local business premise.  

3. Find your artistic style

Now that you have the necessary art technical skills, it’s time to seek your artistic style. It’s a long process that needs practice, a lot of studies, self-discovery, and interaction with other artists. You should never restrict yourself to a single subject because the world of art is huge.

Learn from art projects such as paintings, sculptures, digital art jobs, and drawings.  Keep a journal to record your experiences and learn to talk about art to help you express yourself to other people through words. Talking about art is a great way of finding future customers who will contribute to the success of your art career.    

4. Market yourself

You might be a highly skilled artist, but if people don’t know you and your work, then you will struggle in the art career. Marketing and networking are the keys to success, so make yourself known to the world.

Start by establishing yourself in the local community, and you will find out that clients might begin seeking your services. Some of the activities that you should do are listed below:

• Enter art competitions which will help you show off your art pieces. 
• You can sell your artwork at craft shows, farmers markets, and local fairs. Make sure that you have a sign in place with your contact details and other specifics. 
• Have business cards and brochures which you can give to clients and gallery owners. The cards should be readable and include your contact information.
• Take your artwork to local galleries along with business cards, brochures, and postcards to distribute to prospective clients.

5. Starting an art business

The most challenging part of being an artist is to run your own business because it requires you to have good organizational and communication skills. Also, artists have to keep high levels of motivation to be productive regardless of how the business is performing.

The first thing you need to do is to set achievable short and long-term goals. Long-term goals should include getting a targeted number of clients by a specific time period while short-term goals include creating a website and marketing it.

It’s equally important to have a budget for your business. It will help you to track all the money spent to determine how much money you are making. 

6. Find a mentor

The best mentor should have experience, confidence, and success in their career. While some mentors might be your tutors, others are just friends who can provide you with constructive criticism, valuable advice, and will render a listening ear.

You should have an opportunity to present your technique and style, and get advice on your business as an artist. It can always be challenging for beginners to manage all the aspects of a business such as setting rates, taking care of clients, and managing finances.

For this reason, your mentor should have the required experience to guide you through when you meet such challenges. 

7. Develop a network 

Networking should not only focus on getting clients, but you should strive to get fellow artists on board. It will give you a chance to learn from their experiences through their mistakes and be flexible to their ideas and criticism.

If there are collaborative projects with fellow artists, don’t hesitate to take such opportunities. These friends will also be a source of information, including art events that will be taking place within your local area.

An artist that starts with a network of clients and followers has the exposure that helps them to get sales. You can start a blog to interact with people and make sure that you are available to respond to your readers.   

Concluding thoughts

It’s easy to follow your dream as an artist, but you must be prepared to face the challenges which will assist you in growing professionally. Don’t wait until you retire from your job to try a career in art. It might take you years to develop your skills, but it will eventually bring in a steady income.

The best way to launch your career is to stop talking about your art dreams and begin developing your skills. With smart decisions, hard work, and dedication, there is nothing which can stop you from jumpstarting your art career. You should always keep in mind the above tips to help you succeed in your art ventures.