29 Art Career Tips From 29 Artists
Are you an aspiring artist looking for advice on how to jumpstart your career in the art world? We’ve got you covered! Over the years we have interviewed many artists and here is a collection of their invaluable insight into making it as a professional artist.
Drawing from the experiences of 29 established artists across a wide range of genres, we've compiled their top career advice and insights. These collected bits of wisdom are meant to help encourage and equip you on your journey.
So get ready – here are 29 pieces of invaluable career advice straight from experienced professionals who have already done what you want to do – create amazing work!
Ron Fortier. Gor 19. Oil on canvas.What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
RF: Don’t stop. Don’t listen to anything other than your heart. Don’t stay discouraged.
You will be discouraged. It’s normal, natural and very human. A bunch of us who graduated 40 years ago with our BFA diploma had a reunion.
Two of the takeaways I found encouraging were: If we had to do it all over again; we would. The other thing, even when we couldn’t paint physically; we continued to paint in our heads. That was a revelation we enjoyed sharing!
That says something about our training and our dedication. Painting is not a life, it is life. But, as for practical matters, such as selling our work, yes, you do have to trust the people whose job is to sell your art.
Any tips for aspiring artists?
GB: Don’t slack off or give up. There are huge amounts of people doing this and you will get many rejections and brush-offs. Stick with it and keep working till you get breaks.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
TT: It’s a huge commitment. It requires bravery and being truly honest with yourself. It’s a commitment in many forms, the life of the artist is spiritual, not material you have to be ready to stay humble. It needs also a lot of physical work in the form of practice. You will find what works for you quickly and if you continue to you become better and better.
Practise your skills regardless of what media you choose, exercise your mind and dream. All good things will come to you if you do it with love!
Diane Detalle. Untitled. Acrylic on canvas.What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
DD: As Andy Warhol said: “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”
Never underestimate that the art world is a business; creativity is a magic part but it is a business and an expensive one, so keep your eyes on the business part.
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Any tips for aspiring artists?
AB: Find your community. Build a network of other artists and like-minded people to be your support, your teacher, and your fans. It’s really hard to be an artist without a community. There are so many places to look from local groups to online communities.
Your community doesn’t need to be big by any means, it can be a small group of two or three people you talk with regularly. It just needs to be people who support you and you support. People who help you grow and you help grow in return.
Go out and find your community!
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
NM: Be patient. Take time to understand who you are as an artist, what is your purpose, and where are you going.
Ask these questions every day, write down the answers, ask more questions and write more notes.
Really understand your art and follow YOUR path and be authentic.
Followers, submission success, and grant approvals do not happen overnight.
It requires many years of hard work and personal development. Stay patient.
Accept criticism and rejection but most importantly acknowledge your persistent self-doubt but don’t let it settle in your heart. It will try to mislead you, trick you into being someone else but refer to your previous notes and be patient.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
JS: Paint. Draw. Doodle. Sculpt. And don't be afraid to share your work. Take the good advice and apply it. Take the negative and unhelpful and try to understand the unhappiness of those who try to bring you down. You are better than that. You are growing every single second - doesn't matter what anyone says.
Richard Freer. Water Garden. Oil on canvas.What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
RF: Although it’s good to be inspired by other artists don’t try and copy someone else. Work at finding what you want to say and enjoy what you do. Your enthusiasm will show in the work.
Find other avenues for your artwork instead of just selling it. Through teaching, I have found that art can bring therapy and focus to people who need it and can allow people to find ways of expressing themselves. Art can also blend into other subjects and help learners find pathways into other subjects that they have struggled with.
Get your artwork out there in as many ways as possible. You have to be very proactive to get opportunities.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
AT: Remember, there are hundreds of thousands of talented creative people out there all struggling for a slice of the cake. Saatchi Gallery represents 40,000 artists (!) but there is only one David Hockney, Damien Hurst, or Anthony Gormly.
So it’s really important to believe in yourself, develop a clearly defined style, and perhaps have a unique selling point (USP) that will make your work stand out from the crowd.
If you enter competitions don't expect too much – adopt a Zen-like approach – art critics and judges may not share your vision.
Try to get as much exposure for your work as possible. The location could be a game-changer. For example, if you live in the London Burrough of Barnet – Artsdepot is offering free gallery space at the moment to local artists. Artsdepot is regularly visited by such luminaries as David Baddiel and other show biz types – if they like your work it could put you on the map.
Finally, be patient and persevere, persevere, persevere, and if you have a day job don't rush to give it up. In my previous incarnation, I became an “ overnight success” after 20 years of hard work, although I hope it doesn't take that long this time!
Ruben Cukier. Mother Unnatural. Oil on canvas.What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
RC: Have a lot of patience, study the different techniques of the discipline that you want to use to choose the one that best suits your taste, not do things to please others.
Study, study and study, and of course practice.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
EK: Stay in YOUR lane, make YOUR art, and find YOUR method of sharing it with the world.
You will not be for everyone. Find and fine-tune YOUR audience. Be fearless and deserving!
Actually, I still need this advice-LOL!
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
DM: Firstly, to enjoy your art process-making and to be open to trying new techniques. Secondly, don't feel self-conscious about receiving feedback as that can help in boosting your morale.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
NP: The most important part is to love what you do, to do it with passion and to do it continuously. There will be bad days, days when it’s difficult to find inspiration and even days when you feel like not painting at all, but you have to push through. Don’t stop, continue. An artist’s life isn’t easy, but it is interesting and helps you to save yourself. Stay positive and calm among the pressures of ‘real’ life.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
MP: My advice to a new artist is to never give up. You will face lots of rejection especially early on in your career and of course, it's no fun, but you have to form a tough skin in order to be a successful independent artist. The highs and lows are vast and the journey will be rough at times. But if the passion in your soul is there, follow your dreams and don't allow anyone to deter your path.
Of course, read and study art and learn some of the history behind it. The best advice I can give a new artist is to become business savvy. The more you understand how the business side works the better off you will be in your art journey.
Kirk Sutherland. Calluma. Acrylic on canvas.What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
KS: First of all, educate yourself. you can't create out of a void. Be a proficient art historian and gain as much knowledge of historical techniques as you can. Second, surrender your ego and listen to your higher self and let your intuition guide you.
Thirdly, don't sell out and go against your inherent creative nature. integrity is a must and be true to yourself. Lastly, allow constructive criticism and block negativity. Making art is self-fulfilling and unilateral in nature, so do what you want to do and make art that you want to see.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their art career?
ZB: Make certain that this is a career path that is right for you. With millions of artists on social media doing their thing and everyone wanting to be noticed and followed, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. 70% of it is business, 30% is actual creation because marketing and promoting yourself as an artist takes lots of time, effort and patience.
Do your research, understand the industry, find your niche, what makes you stand out, and get to know who's hot right now and why.
Talk to other artists, read, read, read! Start with your immediate location, what's the Art scene like where you are or the next city or state over?
Organize your time between half self-promotion (try to find as many FREE ways as you can first, don't spend money you don't have) and developing your style.
Don't spend too much on supplies, there are many low-cost places online that sell in bulk, just compare shops. Make sure your space has adequate space and light. Join free groups on social media, follow artists whose work you like, take a class, follow artists on youtube teaching techniques and sharing their stories and most of all, take care of yourself! Mind, body and spirit. A healthy creative is a Happy one.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
WB: Well the only way to build a successful commercial career at the highest level is to learn from new idea-oriented teachers at a very early age
and move to New York, London, or LA at a young age and develop a unique consistent style before you are 35. A lot of research supports this advice. I know tons of really good artists who are under the radar because they don't work in one of the art centres.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
CDS: The first and better advice to anyone is clear: work, work, work.
The muse does not come down alone so it is useless to sit and wait for it to come, it doesn’t.
On the contrary, it is necessary to think about working and working and with work, new ideas and new projects always come out.
Self-discipline to accept critics from others, understand the critics and use them to grow. Never ignore advice.
It is interesting to hear opinions and helps also to mature the work.
Never wait for anyone to give you anything because it usually doesn't happen and again it is only your work and your creativity that will put you on the right path. If it is in an art school learn as much as you can so you can forget it after but it will have developed your way of structuring your work.
Never forget that it is a work as any other work. If it is self-taught think that it is not better not worst and that you will need to build your own discipline to manage your work; clearly, you will need to use much more of your creativity to gain some respect and keep working
▶ Lena Pozdnyakova and Eldar Tagi
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
Lena: Our advice would be to find the community. Working with people who are interested in similar things, or those who appreciate your work, and whose work you appreciate, is the most valuable asset that you can have. Working around people and learning about their practices will allow you to grow naturally and become part of the bigger flow of energy around something you are into.
And of course, to practice and learn new about the field and the skill that you have chosen to work with. And don’t shy away to show your work. This is something that many artists, including us, are struggling with but we are all on the journey of learning about ourselves so it’s okay to progress gradually.
If you think about it, this is probably pieces of advice suitable to anyone who practices anything in the world :)
Eldar: I would also stress that it is important to actively find ways of being inspired, and not settling. Lena once told me a simple thing, that I found to be very powerful: “If you are unhappy about something, it is time for a change”.
Daniella Batsheva.What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
DB: I have to be brutally honest and say that I can’t, in good faith, recommend this.
It’s insane to attempt in this day and age because things are so messed up worldwide. People have the attention span of a gnat because of screens and algorithms, and I almost feel like there is less and less place for the arts. But, if you’re like me, and you’ve already made the commitment - don’t have a plan B. If you have a plan B, you’re going to fall back on it.
You have to be willing to give up everything to invest in yourself and your future as an artist. For someone with a comfy home and squishy, warm family, you might want to avoid the arts altogether. Go be a realtor. Spare yourself because it’s brutal out here. You have to be crazy to make it work. I wish I had something more positive to say, but going for this career path is a labour of love.
If that didn’t scare you, godspeed! I’ll see you out on the battlefield. Haha!
Do you have any advice or tips you would offer anyone wanting to create their own short film?
When searching for a theme for your work, you may want to think about and examine your own life experiences and surroundings, as well as reflect on the issues that concern you most in your daily life. Because I believe that everyone's life is unique, I am sure you will find different aspects from others to create short films.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
BKLC: Yesteryear’s nonconventional could be today’s contemporary, and may even be tomorrow’s glory”.
Time changes everything. We realise it but have never learned from it. Hence, be bold, be daring, be yourself and do your best.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
MR: Create, create, create...just for you & your own pleasure and never stop.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
JRW: Listen to your heart and follow your intuition and your own path. It is never too early or too late to start an artistic career, so do not let the naysayers stop you. Be confident in your talent and your abilities, and learn how to market yourself and your art.
And definitely utilize Instagram.
Yuko Kyutoku. The Blue New York Botanical Garden. Oil on canvas.What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
I would say, "Enjoy your journey as an artist."
Also, mastering foundations such as drawing and painting are important. If you have a strong foundation in the visual arts, you can build on your skills and make more advanced work any way you want. It comes so much easier. Hard work always pays off, and I spent so many years gaining skills and experiences that I’ll never regret.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
RM: I am starting out on my artistic career as well. To be honest, I would rather hear advice from readers, as I am not certain that I am qualified as a professional artist.
There is a fascinating quote by John Cale in his autobiography, where he calls Brian Eno an expert amateur. That is what I always dream of being. If anything, my advice would be to defy easy categorization and invent your own career path.
What advice would you give someone entering The Boynes Emerging Artist Award?
CHB: Follow the instructions given. It may seem like simple advice, and it is advice I did not follow all the time when I was submitting my own application but it is one of the best pieces of advice I can give.
When I look at some applications and I see something has not been done as instructed, from my own experiences I can understand the logic behind it. Artists may sometimes feel like it will strengthen their application if they give more than asked for, or that you need to know more than you asked and they don’t want to risk not giving you the information.
I understand the compulsion, I lived it. But now, as someone who runs an award, I know now that the best thing you can do for yourself is follow instructions to the letter. This is not just true for our award, but all open calls.
Do you have any advice for aspiring landscape photographers?
RB: From a creative standpoint, the first thing I would say is to find your own voice. There are so many people doing landscape photography on some level, from enthusiasts to professionals, that it can be difficult to stand out. If you can find a way to develop your own style and your own vision, people will begin to recognize it as yours.
The second thing I would say is continually push yourself to get out and photograph, whether it’s a familiar location close to home, or travelling someplace new. There is no better way to improve and hone your style and skills than to keep making photographs.
For those looking to make their photography a business, don’t forget about the business side of things.
I find artists in general, me included, tend to struggle with marketing their own work and are unable to put themselves in their potential buyers’ shoes.
The bottom line is that being able to sell your work enables you to continue to create, so pay attention to not only the marketing end of things but also the administrative end such as accounting, to ensure you’re as profitable as you can be.
What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
Since I am an emerging artist and just started a year ago, I don't feel experienced enough to give advice. When I started painting in my little room, I never expected that strangers would compliment me on my paintings.
Everything is possible; at least, you have to try and enjoy and don’t forget why you are painting or making art.
In conclusion, art is a world of endless possibilities and opportunities. With the practical career tips from these expert artists, there's really no limit to how successful you can become. From developing a portfolio to getting out in the world and networking with people who have similar interests, there are many tips that can help you grow as an artist.
But don't forget the most important advice: never give up!
Art cannot be mastered overnight—it takes years of practice and dedication to perfect your craft.
As long as you keep pushing forward, continue learning and refining your work, you will eventually reach success.
So go forth and pursue those dreams!
For more inspiration and support, check out how our Interview with Artists series can support you. Together we take your art career to the next level.