Stayin' Alive: Survival Tactics for the Visual Artist

by Robin Hopper

Internationally recognized artist and author Robin Hopper details survival strategies for developing a personal lifestyle as a creative artist. The text is a combination of pragmatism, practicality, and philosophy, liberally spiced with humor and anecdotes from Hopper's 45 years of personal experience. This book also incorporates personal life stories of 19 full-time studio artists. Between them, these artists have more than 500 years of studio experience in the art of staying alive. Stayin' Alive also includes, from four specialists in the field, information on legal and financial matters, how to approach magazine publishers, and tips for photographing work.

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2003

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's greatest strengths are its biographical sketches of artists, showing readers examples of the range of ways professional potters may come to work in their craft. While the business-focused sections are sometimes intimidating, the author keeps an overall tone of encouragement, reminding readers of the positive sides of working as an artist. Stayin' Alive most shows its age in its references to technology, having been published at a time before social media became a major marketing tool and in the early years of digital photography.