Artists Don't Have To Starve
By Ilene Courland,
How to make money as an artist
 

isa’s notebook held nimble sketches of her favorite things, like her dog and Pokemon figures. When she showed it to me I recognized her art talent, and asked if she wanted to pursue art as a career.

“No,” she said. “Artists are poor. I don’t want to be poor.”

Ouch!

Lisa deserved monkey points for her practicality, but her views did not necessarily fit reality. Having artistic ambitions does not have to condemn an aspiring artist to living in poverty. I grew up the daughter of a painter, and I can tell you that we were anything but poor. Dad was able to make a very good living working in the commercial art field, and many moneymaking opportunities exist for aspiring artists.

Publishing houses, advertising agencies, newspaper publishers and many other types of companies employ in-house and freelance art staff. Many are willing to train enthusiastic beginners, especially those who are computer savvy. In fact, they couldn’t function without able, creative hands to design their brochures, print ads, jacket covers, company newsletters and yearly reports.

To begin working in the field, the beginner is best armed with gumption. But to sell yourself, there are some rudimentary skills you can learn at home that will prove useful before the actual job search, and the best way to get started is to apply the skills and equipment you already have. Hopefully you own a computer. Now is the time to let it pay you back for all the maintenance and upkeep.

Getting your hands on a professional grade presentation program like Microsoft PowerPoint - and learning it well - is extremely helpful. And it doesn’t matter much whether you use a Mac or a PC, because as the two operation systems have become more and more similar, employers are generally willing to cross-train. (It should also be noted that most software versions are available in Mac and PC.)

Another popular software program to consider learning is Adobe PhotoShop, a professional caliber photo editing package. But don’t stop learning with these two programs, keep learning… Sometimes the more packages you know, the better shot you have at getting your foot in the door. Tossing the names of familiar software packages at your prospective employer generally works best. If you don’t have the software you need, older versions can be purchased on Ebay.

Now that you have learned something about design and image editing at home, that inkjet printer is going to be your new best buddy. If the ink jet cartridges have dried up, replace them and keep a short stack of photo quality paper to print your samples.

Next, buy a zippered portfolio from the art store. Such a small investment will make you look more like a professional artist.

You now have a portfolio. Congratulations! Mount your work between the sleeves, or they can be arranged loosely inside the “book.” Show them only your best pieces, and keep your portfolio book up to date by constantly redoing and refreshing your samples.

And, as you head out the door with that snazzy portfolio under your arm in your quest for work, remember that the best attitude is a willingness to begin at the bottom for low pay. Be willing to take on your employer’s annoying, unglamorous chores, and they will reward you with their confidence in your work ethic (raises, more responsibility, etc).

Another avenue to paycheck land is the greeting card business. That icky, overpriced card for mom may well have been illustrated by a not-quite-starving artist who freelances for the greeting card company. (A freelance writer probably wrote the icky poetry inside the card, but that’s another story.)

The greeting card market is tremendous, and large producers of greeting cards such as Hallmark employ in-house creative staff. Smaller, independent companies more likely use self-employed artists who produce cartoons, still lives and sentimental illustrations using the raw tools of the trade, and drawing software such as Adobe Illustrator. Smaller, edgier independent card companies may also be an avenue for the more off-beat and funky design ideas you may have.

The easiest way of all to get an “in” as a working artist is probably pursuing temporary work. The field is known for high turnover, and stopgap staff. Temps are in demand throughout the year to fill that gap. Temporary agencies generally demand less experience, and their flexibility appeals to people pursuing other ends. Be warned, you may be asked to take a typing test, because most offices today demand typing skills (even of artists).

Whatever way you choose to go about it, aspiring artists can find avenues to put their creative skills to work, and they don’t have to starve for their art.

Ilene Courland is a freelance writer and an N2Arts contributor