How to make money from art
How I did it: The main thing that I did that helped me achieve this was I prioritised what really mattered. I was working an incredibly soul destoying admin job while making my work at weekends and holidays and evenings. It did me or my work no good and I knew I had to take the big brave leap and change things. I wasn't really in a position to change things, I had no money, savings or really any idea on how I was going to make money with my art, but I had drive, faith, commitment and passion and it sounds ridiculous (and totally what a typical art sudent would say) but it fell into my lap really, I found myself with markets, exhibitions and other opportunities, I also found a great part time job which crossed over my projects, it's allowed me to make the work I actually want to make rather than the work I felt I had to make to make ends meet. I have an exhibition in two weeks, then after that it's christmas so that's always a busy time for my shop and then I have nothing, which is the bit I'm really looking forward to. That's when I can decide what to do next and nothing is more exciting than a new project.
Lessons & tips: Take a leap of faith, it's not as scary as it seems. Have a last case scenario - I live my life by these. My last case scenario after quitting my job was to temp if everything else failed and try again.
Set up networks and sell yourself to people. It's not the best part of the job, who wants to wax lyrical about themselves all the time? I got an exhibition from a well funded respectable arts organisation because I sent an email round my old work saying I was leaving and I put in my email that I made book sculptures and next thing I knew it, this said arts organisation offered me an exhibition.
Apply for everything and go to previews, you just don't know what may come of it. Speaking from the other side as a curator, an artist added us as a friend on flickr and we looked at her work and will be inviting her to exhibit in an upcoming exhibition.
Resources: www.a-n.co.uk for artist opps
my brain
my frustration
newcastleGRAFT - a group of artists in newcastle have set up a yahoo group, it's one of my main resources.
