Im Broke and Need to Make an Art Studio
Paul Gauguin was a stockbroker for xi years before he decided to go a painter. With his career change, he dissever with his wife and children and ruined his own life. He became depressed and fifty-fifty tried to commit suicide.
People hear that story and call back, "Why in the world would anyone with coin want to quit their job and become an artist?"
As an artist yourself, love reader, y'all probably place with this poor chicken. Working a day chore is just the worst. But it doesn't have to be that way.
Some artists have had crazy demanding day jobs and still managed to build a successful fine art career. Kelly Rae Roberts was a social worker. Matt Leblanc and Hugh Mcleod were advertisement executives. I worked for internet marketing firms for six years earlier I went total time with The Abundant Artist. There are a lot of stories similar these.
Last week an artist posted a question over in the ArtEmpowers forums. I'grand paraphrasing here, just essentially her question was how do I build an art business while I have a day job?
I go this question a lot. It'due south tough, no prevarication. In that location'south a reason that and then many young artists refuse to go a chore – how can you make art, show it, and sell it when you are working for someone else 8 to 10 hours per day? Yous need time to be artistic.
Plus, if you're not a young artist you might have other things to think almost like romantic relationships, children, pets, or even (gasp) vacations and relaxation time! What's an ambitious artist to do?
You Take to Desire It
Above all, here's the upshot: yous have to want information technology enough. You have to want information technology then much that other things don't matter.
You have to want it so much that you're willing to forego tv set, movies, sleep, nights out with friends, or exercise. You have to be willing to sacrifice a lot of what you desire right at present for what you lot want your life to look similar in the future.
You don't have to totally neglect yourself or let everything go, but you take to desire information technology so much that you wake upwardly thinking near art and become to sleep thinking about art.
If you have a adept job, or even an okay task, y'all take to enquire yourself: do I really want to become an artist total fourth dimension?
It's a hassle. You lot're going to work long, grueling hours with piffling to show – probably for years before you take a large enough nest egg to quit and enough collector interest to keep up your momentum.
Lisa Phone call is an example of an creative person with a great day chore who still has a twenty-four hours chore and an active social life. She does her art when she'due south non working, and she's perfectly fine with that. You lot can take that life. There is cypher wrong with that – Abundant Artists find joy and fulfillment with the life that they want.
How to Exercise It
Yet with me? You're certain y'all desire the life of a full-time artist? Before I share my thoughts, here are a couple of adept quotes from artists I mentioned above.
Matt Leblanc – "When I was working full fourth dimension and working on building my art business organisation, I was always telling people that I was grooming for a business concern marathon. If information technology doesn't hurt and you lot don't feel like stopping, and so you are not working hard enough to succeed."
Hugh Mcleod – "If you accept the hurting, it cannot injure you."
Kelly Rae Roberts – "Starting an fine art biz while stilling working a day job is absolutely possible. You'll demand a few things: a vision for what you're working toward, passion as fuel, and commitment to get the distance one small-scale step at a time."
Matt, Hugh, and Kelly Rae are all artists that worked demanding day jobs while building their art business organization. Find that they don't sugar coat what it takes. Most of the artists I talk to don't spend enough time on the business organization side of their art business concern. You may prefer to be in the studio, simply if you're not making enough money from your art to live on, then you need to spend more than time marketing and selling – it'due south really that simple.
Matt told me one time that he spends l% of his time on the business side of his art. More when his Fusion prove is coming upwards. Later talking to dozens of artists who've made the full-time solar day chore to full-time artist transition, here's what I've learned:
- Be insanely jealous of your time. Your art business is your second job. If you lot were working for someone else, they would expect yous to show up at a certain time. You lot have to set the same expectation for yourself, and for your family. Let your people know that y'all will be spending every Tuesday night on your art business, come up pelting or smooth. If you lot don't accept a whole evening each calendar week, then arrive 20 minutes per twenty-four hours. Something is better than nothing, and consistency is improve than binges with long breaks.
- Sacrifice. I've mentioned this a few times already, but it bears saying again. What tin you cut out of your life to accomplish your dreams? TV? A recreational soccer league? Tin you cutting down work hours? I love tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons, but I cut down to ane game per month when I withal had a day job.
- Accept care of yourself. While you need to work hard, y'all have to maintain the engine of your new business organisation – yous. Eat well. Go plenty sleep. It's a marathon and you'll take to fuel appropriately. This also applies to relationships. Talk to your spouse and your children. Allow them know what you want to practise and they will support you lot – if you lot keep your word and proceed showing up. Remember to exercise.
- Focus on the ii most important activities. Sales are important. Fulfilling orders is important. Everything else should be closely scrutinized. Will information technology lead to a sale? Are you lot budgeting enough time to finish commissions? When I was getting TAA upward and running, the website was a mess on the back end. And then was my apartment. I didn't take cracking business cards.
- Have a goal and an exit strategy. Know what you're working towards. How much coin exercise you demand to make? Can yous get by with less than your current income? What will you do when you striking that goal? I wouldn't recommend burning your day job bridges. When I hit my revenue goal from my business, I talked to my boss and nosotros came up with a two month exit plan. I left on great terms and I know that the people I worked with would beloved to work with me again if something were to happen.
- Don't suspension the rules at your 24-hour interval chore. Y'all still take to practise a good job at your electric current job. You tin can pull back on new projects, though. Exist sure you're working on your job while you're at work, and keep your art business related activities to lunch and your breaks. If you have noncompete agreements in identify or similar contracts, be sure you're not violating them.
- Alive like y'all're already on your own. Cut downwardly your expenses. When I decided that I was ready to head out on my own, my wife and I cutting our expenses down to the barest minimum. We tried living on what I made from my concern and put my bacon in the bank. I'yard incredibly glad we did that.
Having your own art business tin can be the most fulfilling thing. It's an incredible feeling to realize that y'all volition pay your rent by selling paintings that came from your own brain and hand. If this is truly your passion, so you volition find a style to do information technology.
EDIT: Nosotros did this actually awesome interview with Matt Leblanc on the Creative Insurgents podcast. Matt congenital a six-figure art business organization while working a vi-figure twenty-four hour period task. Yous can watch the video of the interview below, or subscribe to the podcast by visiting CreativeInsurgents.com.
I'd love to hear from other TAA readers. What did you do while you were working for someone else that made your transition to full time artist easier?
Source: https://theabundantartist.com/how-to-build-an-art-business-while-working-a-day-job/
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