Do You Know the Time it Takes to be an Artist?
Managing time and schedules are essential aspects.
If you work at your art most of your waking hours and work at it like a job, I would probably call you a professional artist.
Besides the actual creation of art, have you given thought to all the things that an artist does concerning art that is not the actual creation process? These things are not the “doing art” part of my passion.
I’ve been an artist for 48 years, and I am a “professional” artist. I have been selling my work, teaching, participating in art organizations, competing in juried art shows, and advertising in national art magazines, just to name a few things considered a professional artist.
There are so many things that, at some point, help your artwork be seen. How do you go about doing that? Besides fundamental marketing techniques, I think some statements and questions about other aspects of being an artist might be an excellent place to start.
These “jobs” we do as an artist are not foremost in a non-artist’s mind. Even a new artist might not realize all the critical jobs we need to be adept at. We are required to manage our time so we can do these other things!
Is it a hobby or a profession?
An excellent place to start might be how we are seen! Being an “Artist” is seen as a hobby by many and not as a profession. There is nothing wrong with doing art as a hobby. It is a fantastic hobby and maybe just what you need to stay sane when you have another career! Art is something that can be inserted into a daily routine or inserted weekly or monthly.
So much more can be said about why we are not seen in a professional light. Many times it is not favorable, so I prefer to not dwell on that aspect here. Being professional can take care of a lot of those issues.
Those of us that consider it our career and profession do all we can to be professional in our practice just like a doctor, lawyer, mechanic, etc. We schedule our time to be as productive as possible. We show up and go to work even if it is our kitchen table! There are a whole lot of things we do that are considered being a professional.