Description

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.