Turning Art Into a Career

Many artistically inclined individuals dream of making a living through their creative passion. Here are some insights on how to turn that dream into a reality.

Art Careers by the Numbers

How many artists have actually accomplished the goal of living off of their creative talents? According to the National Endowment for the Arts, the arts and cultural industries employ over 5 million workers. Artists have become a larger share of the U.S. labor force over time, with the number of artists increasing by 6.1 percent from 2006 to 2017. As far as money is concerned, the median wage was $53,140 annually for craft and fine artists in May 2022.

Compared to the average worker in the U.S., artists are 3.6 times more likely to be self-employed. Many self-employed artists enjoy the independence and flexibility that self-employment provides, with 58 percent citing these factors as the reason they chose this path. And the majority of this group would not have it any other way—79 percent of them state they would not prefer to work for someone else. 

However, not all artists are working completely on their own. Forty-two percent of artists surveyed in one study had other jobs in addition to their art, with an equal number of participants having non-art jobs as those with jobs related to their art in some way. As these statistics show, there are many different ways to succeed as a professional artist.

Independence Versus Stability: The Artist’s Dilemma

When contemplating a career path, the artist’s biggest question is whether to pursue a self-employed living or seek a wage-earning position through an employer. Each of these paths has pros and cons, and the decision comes down to what the artist values most.

Artists who prefer consistency and a guaranteed income are more likely to seek a wage-earning position where they can exercise their creativity in a structured setting. While they won’t enjoy the total freedom of their self-employed peers, they do have the security of a consistent paycheck, which can be enticing to those looking for more stability and structure in their lives. 

For those who prioritize independence and creative freedom, self employment may be a better fit. The statistics above illustrate how much self-employed artists thrive off of the freedom and autonomy they get from creating art independently. They can create exactly what they want to, on their own timeline. However, the other side of the coin is that they are fully responsible for marketing their work and figuring out how to sustain themselves. 

What Does a Wage-Earning Art Career Look Like?

There are a myriad of options available for artists looking to pursue a wage-earning career path. The Art Career Project compiles categorized lists of potential art careers, and is a great resource for anyone wondering about their employment prospects. Here is a sampling of the many careers listed on their site:

• Art teacher
• Art therapist
• Art historian
• Art professor
• 3d animator
• Book illustrator
• Video game designer
• Medical illustrator

All of these jobs—and many more—allow artists to showcase their creative talent while earning a consistent and reliable paycheck.

Making it as a Self-Employed Artist

If you’ve decided you want to embrace the creative freedom of self-employment as an artist, there are several steps you can take to maximize the potential of earning a living through your art. In today’s world, one of the most important actions to set yourself apart as an artist is building a personal brand. Think about the key words you want people to associate with you and your art. What story are you trying to tell, and who do you want your art to appeal to? Keep these points in mind when building a website or social media platform to showcase your art.

Once you’ve established your brand and have art pieces you are ready to sell, you can choose from multiple avenues to get your art into the hands of interested buyers. One option is to advertise and sell your art directly on your social media platforms. Another online method is working with online art sellers with an existing client network who can do the work of marketing your art and selling it to buyers in exchange for a percentage of the sale. Art galleries are another venue where you can enlist the help of a specialist to sell your work.

Selling original art pieces is not the only way that you can make money as a self-employed artist. With a little creativity, you can generate multiple streams of income from your art. Some examples include running a blog with ads, creating your own online art course, or starting an online store with prints of your art on items such as tote bags and mugs.  

Self employment may be a less traditional pathway, but as many artists have proven, it is absolutely possible to achieve creative and financial fulfillment once you find your niche and lean into the projects you are most passionate about.