In this unique book, artist and teacher David McClyment draws on decades of experience to outline essential professional practices for emerging fine artists. As he writes in the introduction:
"In art college, I never heard one word of practical advice about what to expect as a professional artist or how to engage with my audience. Nothing about how to talk to a gallery, apply for a grant, price artwork, and so on. Nothing about what to expect as a reasonable career arc in terms of recognition and financial reward. In fact, in 1980, the year that I graduated, the graduating class was told this: 'In ten years, maybe two of you will still be in the arts!' That was the sum total of my formal education in professional practices. The fact that some 40 years later I am still happily engaged in making art speaks more to my own stubbornness than anything else. But whatever I learned about how to survive and thrive as an artist, I did the hard way. Basically, by making every mistake conceivable. My hope in writing this book is to turn that dynamic on its head. I cannot and will not promise you that following the advice in this book is going to make you rich or famous. But I am hoping that it will help you anticipate what is coming your way as a self-employed fine artist, avoid predictable pitfalls, and find a path that will lead to ongoing happiness as an artist over a long and fruitful career."
Among the topics covered in So You Want to Be an Artist:
- Defining success as a professional artist
- "Day jobs" for professional artists-and why they're so important
- How to put together a winning portfolio
- Tips on how to photograph your artwork, how to digitally process photodocumentation, and how to present those images to key decision-makers
- How to craft effective artist's statements, biographies, resumes, and proposals
- Types of galleries and how to approach them
- Creating your own exhibition opportunities, including art fairs, group shows, and shows in unconventional locations
- How to effectively promote your artwork, including online and social media strategies
- Tips on pricing and selling your artwork
- How to obtain funding for individual and group projects
- Winning public art commissions
- The basics of setting up your studio
- How to install your artwork at an exhibition
- Strategies for framing and presenting artwork
- Important points to remember when transporting artwork
- The pros and cons of artist's residencies
- The fundamentals of contracts, copyright, insurance, and taxes as they apply to fine artists
Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of photographs and other images-including dozens of McClyment's own works-So You Want to Be an Artist is an indispensable guide to the nuts and bolts of making a living in the fine arts. Lively, entertaining, practical yet bursting with enthusiasm, this is the one book no professional artist can afford to be without.
