Business of Being an Artist

by Daniel Grant

You've got the artistic talent; now learn how to make a career out of it!

Fine artists are taught many things about the history, theory, and craft of art in art schools and university art programs, but rarely do they learn much, if anything, about how to make a career of their talents. The Business of Being an Artist, now in its sixth edition, contains information on how artists may develop a presence in the art world that leads to sales. The book contains information on how artists can learn to sell their work directly to the public with an understanding of the principles of marketing and sales as they're applicable to works of art. Artists will also learn how to find a suitable gallery that will arrange sales and commissions and how to set up a contractual relationship with the dealer that is both equitable and profitable.

Among the topics covered in The Business of Being an Artist are: the range of exhibition opportunities for emerging and mid-career artists; how to set prices for artwork; when or if artists should pay to advance their careers; how artists may communicate with the public; applying for loans, grants, and fellowships; areas of the law that concern artists; using art materials safely; online sales and marketing, and much more. In addition to all of this priceless information, The Business of Being an Artist includes a unique discussion of some of the emotional issues that face artists throughout their careers, such as working alone, confronting stereotypes, handling criticisms and rejection, the glare of publicity, and the absence of attention. Without a doubt, The Business of Being an Artist is a must-have book for every artist ready to turn their talent into a successful business.

Genres: Art, Business, Nonfiction, How To

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1991

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will admit out of the gate that I found this book frustrating. Readers should know that the author concentrates exclusively on painting and sculpture, and thus much of the book is not useful for artists working in non traditional media like fiber or ceramics. It is written in an informal, conversational style which is much more like picking the author’s brain for ideas than it is for collecting practical information. When practical information is given, such as a list of artist residencies, the lists are short, far from comprehensive, and primarily concentrate on large cities. Sometimes websites are listed, sometimes they aren’t. The book would benefit from more bulleted lists, tables and illustrations; a paragraph describing what is needed in a press release is nowhere near adequate to convey the very precise formatting that news media demand.

I also will admit that I got my nose out of joint when reading the sentence: “the benefits of college teaching are clear;: long vacations, time and space in which to pursue their own work, and having to teach only part of the day - but they may be overstated.” As a twenty year veteran of college teaching, I need to point out that this description is entirely incorrect. There is no such thing as a long vacation when part of your job expectation is to produce work, present at conferences and write articles and books. There is no such thing as teaching only part of the day when you have 2 or 3 multi-hour studios, student exhibit mentoring, and advising, not to mention committees and meetings. However, there are definite advantages to college teaching, including access to facilities and equipment, professional marketers, faculty collaborators, and community connections that are more easily facilitated and funded than if you are a solo artist.

Finally, the author spends an entire chapter on whether or not an artist should get married, should marry an artist or non artist or get divorced. Obviously these are very personal and unique situations that don’t seem to have a place in a book like this.

I can’t in good conscience recommend this book to an artist early in their career, but it may work for some artists ready to go to the next level and able to absorb a “pick your brain” style of generalized ideas that they might have some context for evaluating.

My review here is quite harsh, and my biases should be noted. I’m a practicing artist, retired from a 25 year teaching career, and I have a published book on a similar subject. So take these comments with that in mind.

[Nette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Business of Being an Artist by Daniel Grant takes great detail in helping artists. Explaining the hurdles one might come across. Plus, finding solutions to them.
This is the perfect book for anyone that is beginning their art career. It walks you through how to protect your work, the types of ways you can promote your art, and ways to sell. The Business of Being an Artist is full of useful information and resources regardless of your years of experience. A must-have book!

Daniel Grant shares all of this information in one book, The Business of Being an Artist. This is a great resource for anyone beginning their art career. You can sit down and read it all in one sitting, or work your way through it. Putting the information to work as you navigate each chapter, in both the book and your career.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every artist have big dreams such as public recognition for their arts and ability to selling their work to make living. It is not easy dream to achieve but reachable with such hardwork.

The Business of Being an Artist is genuine insight guidebook for anyone who wish to starting their art journey as career expecially visual artist.
It is informed reader with related topics such as how marketing work for art, how to promote your work, cheaper alternatives to display your artwork and gain exposure, how to cut expenses, how to protect your works. Author also provide with references and resources for continuing to updating the topic deeper.

Thank you Netgalley and Allworth from Skyhorse Publishing for provided my copy. I learning something new and my thoughts are my own.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was majorly impressed with The Business of Being an Artist, which I read in its newest publication of the sixth edition. I didn't know what to expect when I picked it up, its aim or what it would manage to cover. I was blown away by the expanse of information this shared.
I believe it first opened by expressing that the dream for the artist is to always make enough profit off of selling work as to make a living. It's a hard ask, and always has been. This goes through marketing work and marketing yourself (this edition including in the social media age), networking and being picked up by galleries, even making sales and taxes. This covers gaining exposure and growing a clientele, communicating with collectors and dealers, and even discusses the pressures of living off your art. The references and resources this provides to the reader directly is quite extensive, and I would recommend any artist who would like to sell (as well as any student going to college for art!) to have this one handy for reference. I had no idea how much I had to learn, but I am definitely going to get a physical copy of this one for myself as well as a copy for my classroom when it becomes available in October. 5 stars!

[John Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a lot of information and insight toward the professional aspects of life as an artist. While most of the information is presented from aspects of a visual artist, the general concepts can be applied to any artistic endeavor.

[jennifer jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

a valuable resource for artists

[Manintheboat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhat dated but very honest and helpful. Well written and covers a wide swath of livelyhood surrounding art with topics from day jobs to taxes to divorce.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

An updated edition of everything an artist could be concerned with, financially speaking, from dealers to divorce.

[Kt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Haven't finished yet, so far this is a horribly outdated and antiquated book. The cases listed are no where near time relevant. Also, so far, there is a miniscule amount of tangible workable advice. It seriously needs to be brought up to date. I would go so far as to stay away. There are many more books on Art and Business, don't waste your time.
This reads more like an Art History book than one to help you create your business.

[Nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a writer, I didn't find a lot of relevant information. I will say, after reading this book I realized I'm more focused on building a writing career than exploring my other skills as an artist. Which brings me to my first point, this book is for visual artists. Before I got the book I read the table of contents. It appears to have information on starting your own printing press, finding an assistant as a creative and what characteristics we should be looking for, book keeping and filing taxes and most importantly, finding funding. Based on this information, I got the book and read it. I was really disappointed to find that all of the information is geared towards visual artists or people who are artist dealing with medical challenges.

There are some great resources here for people with little to no health insurance. There is also a lot of information for how to market your paintings, set up showings, get galleries to carry your work, get critics, agents and so on. There are also grants for artists in every discipline who are fighting cancer or survivors of cancer, which I find to be amazing.

With that being said, I am looking for awards, competitions and grants to fund my writing projects. I need someone to pay for editing, which is expensive. However, I'd recommend this book to any visual artist I know. There is also some assistance for Jazz musicians who may or may not still be performing. There is emergency funding for displaced artist due to political unrest, natural disasters or domestic issues. There is a long list of people this book is relevant for... especially survivors of cancer, or any artist facing health challenges.

I've been doing a lot of research, so there are some organizations I've learned of through other methods of research not mentioned here. There are also no suggestions or leads that would lead you to other funding resources. There were only about fifteen pages relevant to writing out of a 400 page book. So I'm giving it a 3 for not having enough relevant information.

[Andrea Arbit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked three books out of my local library that all more or less dealt with "the business of being an artist." This was by far the best of the three (the other two were so unevenly helpful that while I read the occasional paragraph - or, gasp! whole chapter! - there were other huge chunks of book I skimmed through or completely skipped; because I felt like I had not actually read enough to count those two as "read," I didn't post them here on Goodreads at all).

I took down notes as I read - suggestions that I thought might be helpful, websites I wanted to keep in mind to look up. I filled several pages with these kinds of notes (I have big handwriting). Sure, there were still some sections that didn't seem to apply to me much, and some sections I skimmed, but for the most part I read everything, or nearly so. I liked that this book included resources and anecdotes for watercolor painters specifically, as well as for writing and other art forms that are not always/often covered in books for "artists."

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has more reasons NOT to become an artist than it does on the business of actually being one. The author gives examples from very successful artists which aren't very helpful to someone trying to break into the business. I just couldn't finish this book.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives some very good ideas to assist the emerging Artist. It's a practical guide for avoiding the stereotype of being a "starving artist". It doesn't contain all the answers or possiblities for the creative individual, but it's worth placing in your collection.

[Ashley Hunt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing book. I'm not sure if it was trying to scare those artists who would not be able to hack it long-term to quit before they got too far along or what. I put it down long before I finished. Maybe the end was more helpful...

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book describing the difficulties of living as an artist in the real world

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful