IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE A LIVING FROM ART

by Evee Sandoval

/Screenwriter & Producer🎬

      Art is sensibility and thought, we are in contact with art from an early age through music, cinema, painting, dance and various disciplines that we experience at an early age. What changes in art over time is the way we experience it and relate to it.

Photo by Matthieu Comoy on Unsplash

If you have decided to dedicate yourself to an artistic profession, surely you have heard negative comments or misunderstandings about your way of life. Surely there were no doubts when you chose your artistic path and went against all opinions, but surely there were doubts in your professional path and above all in the way of how to apply it to make a full time living from art.

THE VALUE OF ART

There is a lot of talk about the devaluation of art, especially when it becomes difficult to make a full-time living from artistic work.

I think that such a thing as not valuing art does not exist, rather it may be that each person has a greater appreciation than others for each type of work or discipline. That is to say, maybe someone does not have access to pay for a painting of a thousand pesos (to say something), but pays this amount to listen to his favorite music in a concert.

And sometimes the economic value can be difficult to afford or to access, it is not always that people do not want to pay for a piece of art but that they cannot always afford these expenses.

Art has diverse functions, some pieces fulfill an artistic functionality while others cover other functions that become of greater necessity.

CREATE CREATIVE NEEDS

This is where we, as people who want to make a full-time living from art, must pay attention.

It is necessary to create the need to consume art, to give a creative need to the audience or potential buyer.

Going back to the previous example of music, this is a great example of creating need. A famous band or singer creates a need for their followers to see a live performance, hasn't it happened to you, you say you are going to save money and just then your favorite band releases a new material or announces a concert date, you just buy it. That is creating need!

Of course, going to a concert is not a necessity expense, but the proximity to the art of music or film when a movie with a famous cast is released makes it easy to sell through the personal brands that are the performers.

And the same can be applied to different types of work, it is the case of photography, maybe not everyone is willing to pay for a collector's photograph or that you have created freely, but there will always be the need for a commissioned photograph. a family portrait, a photograph for products of a business, etc..

As artists we must be creative not only when creating art pieces but also in the way we access new sources of income.

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

So how do you make a full-time living from art?

The important thing is to diversify the work, and although this is really simple, sometimes one complicates the way to earn income through creative work.

There are two common scenarios that complicate a full time artistic career, the first is the impostor syndrome, those opportunities that we let go "because I'm still so good", "I studied it but I don't have the practice", and a lot of excuses, something that can happen to all of us but that we must identify and not carry with us forever.

The second way to hinder the progress of a career in art is the opposite of this first one, it is the artist's ego, that point in which the person believes he/she is too good for a certain project, the one who despises an opportunity because it is a commercial work or already charges much more, etc.

Yes, it is important to stay true to our beliefs and seek to express our vision when working on something creative, but neither can we live rejecting projects because they are not our style, so it is important to analyze the attitude we have to accept jobs and not fall into one or the other extreme of these scenarios.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Making a living from art is a consequence of certain actions, one must begin by accepting that ultimately everything must generate a sale and art cannot be at odds with money.

It is possible to make a living from art both independently and as part of a company. Both options are good and each has its benefits. Independently you can choose which projects to take, establish your own work rhythm and your own prices, while within a company you lose these benefits but maintain an economic stability, which if your work respects schedules will allow you to develop your own projects in your free time without the worry of creating income with it.

In my personal case, the first one has worked much better for me, that is to say, to apply my knowledge within a company. Working independently as an artist is demanding since you have to dedicate yourself to cover many areas and to turn your creativity to your commissioned work.

EXPERIMENT AND COMBINE SOURCES OF INCOME

Within your work as an artist it is important to diversify your offer in various areas related to your creative work, thus generating various sources of income.

It is important not to stick to a single field of work or make less other options offered by the creative field.

Art and money are not in conflict, combining your passion with something that makes more income will make your career more profitable and allow you to be able to dedicate time to your personal projects.

Everyone decides the value of their work, and also what kind of projects to take on and whether some are done for money or for the love of art. It is valid to enter into projects that you are passionate about without profit, but it is essential to see how else it benefits you, or at least that it doesn't take up too much of your time.

Collaborations or unpaid projects should always be a win-win and seek a benefit for all parties involved.

Photo by Med Badr Chemmaoui

Definitely living from your passion is a difficult path to follow, especially when your passion is in some artistic discipline but seeing your finished work, whether it is exhibited in a museum, seeing your photos printed, your book or your script on screen is always an extraordinary feeling.

Dare to experiment in your career as an artist and find your own way to make a full-time living from art.

Here are three books (in Spanish) to break the creative barrier and make a living doing art.

Let me know what you think about it and what other tips have worked for you: www. instagram.com/evee_sg

source:

This article was originally published in Spanish at https://eveesandoval.com/es-posible-vivir-del-arte-609d82eeee7d and translated with a little help of DeepL.com/Translator