Business artist or artistic business? Beware!
I have a daily mental arm wrestling match.
To be a professional artist means to have a good head for business. Of course you could spend tens of thousands of dollars and hire someone(s) to represent you and handle all of your accounting, but let’s just assume you don’t want to.
So you have to juggle the mental state of conducting business and being creative. This is the mental match I mentioned above.
It’s similar to the switch that occurs when working in different media, in fine arts vs. entertainment, or working on a private commission vs. a public location.
The end result is usually a lop-sided day – a lot of creating accomplished or a lot of networking/generating business.
Beware having too many of one and not enough of the other – especially on the business end of things. It can be seductive in a way. Before too long, what you represent can easily transcend into representations of itself. Prints, giclee’s, photos, merchandising and all ways “milking” something you will have done years ago.
In our high-speed society, you may lose your endurance for bigger projects, more time-consuming endeavours, or being creative at all.
And before you know it, you WERE an artist.
In all things, balance. Of course you have to pay the bills, but don’t forget your dreams in the process.
Tags: advice, Art, business, career, professional