It is refreshing to read words on artists and finances. I was looking for budgeting advise and ran into Kathy’s discussion. As life sometimes gets in the way, I am not where I would like to be as an artist , but at least I am not where I used to be! These articles are useful and encouraging.

So, I am curious to how much of her art instruction is based on her quality and popularity of her art work and, inversely, how her art instruction serves as a marketing vehicle for her artwork. If this is, at least in part, her business model, having quality artwork or quality instruction would drive the other side of her business. This aligns art and money to have the same goal or influences.

“The traditional approach sounds expensive as hell with the added issue of relying on someone who doesn’t know your work and may not really care too much about selling it to market and sell it.”

This is a key issue for artists to consider as they place their work into the traditional gallery system. What I didn’t make clear in my interview is that, not only do many galleries take half of all marketing costs…they also take 50% of the retail price of the artwork.

For the others who are considering a career in art and want to learn more about the business end of things – here are a few of the books that helped me clarify my thinking:

Made to Stick
Chip and Dan Heath

Trading Up: The New American Luxury
Michael Silverstein and Neil Fiske

A New Brand World
Scott Bedbury and Stephen Fenichell

Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist
Constance Smith

Re-Imagine
Tom Peters

Sometimes I think that maybe I should choose a safer career and then switch to art when I have some money, as it seems Kathy Waste did. But, I can’t really see myself doing anything other than art, and I can’t see myself doing the forms of art that pay well either, such as architecture.

When people think of artists, they think of painters who sell their work through galleries. The truth is, painters like this make up a small minority of all the artists out there. Unfortunately commercial artists aren’t always considered real artists, so they often get overlooked. I’m planning to get a job at a movie or video game studio some time in the future, so hopefully my job will be somewhat more stable than a painters would be, but I’m told that it’s still a difficult way to make a living.

I have a lot of respect for independent painters, and it’s sometime I’ve considered pursuing, but it’s such an unpredictable world and I’m not all that self disciplined anyway. I also enjoy drawing things that are better suited to movies than to galleries, like dragons.

Ramit, (or anyone else who has advice) I was wondering if you have any tips for prospective artists who want to learn about the business side? My college has a class called business for art students, but I don’t trust it. What skills do you believe most artists are lacking in? What kind of classes should I take to learn how to network and market myself?

I was recently given an opportunity to email someone important to the movie industry, and I haven’t done so yet. I know nothing about this stuff.