One common misconception about being an artist is that it’s nearly impossible to make a living off of your work. The starving artist trope is an idea that everyone is familiar with. Although it can be quite difficult to succeed as an artist, they see themselves as both an artist and a small business owner. This is an important distinction to make, because as a freelance artist, you are basically running a business. You need to find clients and customers and you need to be able to sell your work to target markets. These are all incredibly important elements of running a small business that many artists often overlook because of the nature of their job and work. However, by making this distinction and concentrating on the success of yourself as an artist by using these tips, you’ll be well on your way to making a career for yourself.

Follow The Advice Of Other Artists 

Many artists that revel in the pleasures of success have a host of important information and advice that could be helpful to you in the development of your career. Because there are so many different paths towards success as an artist, it’s important to understand the different options that you have. Look into the advice and ruminations given by artists like Ashley Longshore who details how she became successful as an artist, and the adjustment of her attitude and outlook in order to forge her own unique path. This is something that is important to remember as you go through the stages of becoming an artist that can help you understand what it takes to become successful.

Create More Art 

The nature of the job of an artist can sometimes feel like it relies heavily on inspiration. However, if you want to make a living as an artist, you have to internalize a routine of self-discipline that influences the continuity of your ability to create. It can be incredibly easy to become unmotivated as an artist, so integrating creation into your routine should be your main focus. If you want to find reliable work as an artist, you have to consistently create. Not only will making creation a part of your routine increase the items in your portfolio, but you’ll also get better over time by honing in your skills through practice. It’s recommended that you start a daily routine in which the creation of art is scheduled, much like an actual job would be. In the beginning stages of developing your sensibilities as an artist, this can be an incredibly helpful way to train yourself to focus more on the discipline needed for creation, rather than on motivation or inspiration.

Treat Your Career Like a Business 

Having a career as a freelance artist is something that many people dream of, but the issues of finding clients and an audience can be overwhelming. The failures of an artist are usually through a misguided approach in their organization of efforts. The main component for the success of an artist is to concentrate on seeing your career as establishing a small business. You need to learn how to sell yourself, develop an approach to marketing, and find out what potential clients you should be targeting. Check out sites like medium.com for information on the elements necessary for running a successful small business for your art career. 

Expand Your Reach

Understanding your reach as a small business owner is an incredibly important element to getting new customers and clients and finding people who like and understand your work. Social media has created an entirely new and booming economy for artists. Not only can users find artists that are similar through developed algorithms, but artists are able to reach their audiences instantly with just the click of a button. When using social media, it’s a good idea to get a business account so that you can track your viewers and expand your reach through to similar audiences. The tools that social media give business accounts can go a very long way for a skilled artist, so it’s important to take it into account when you’re creating your social media accounts. Another facet of your social media presence is that you want to maintain an air of professionalism. While you can and should add your own spin to your social media pages, you also want to be sure that you’re not alienating people. Keep your posts centered around your art, taking high-quality photographs of your art, and always use hashtags. 

Becoming a successful artist is more possible now than ever, as the internet and social media give artists more control over their branding and a more direct line of communication with their audiences. No longer is becoming a successful artist reliant on luck and who you know. Taking a personal approach and integrating a business mindset and discipline into your routine as a career artist will propel you into success and give you the control you need to grow.