If you’re on the lookout for a career in fine art, you’ll need to be highly motivated and have a pretty expansive imagination. It can be a tough road to walk down, but if you have a genuine passion for it, there are a number of career routes that you can take.
Fine artists need to have an eye-for-detail and genuine talent. If you have this, you won’t have any problems building a career for yourself.
From teaching and arts management, to community arts work and building up your own portfolio, you have options by the bucket load. You could be the 21st century Picasso, but if not, there are other things you can do!
You might even be able to dip into other creative professions which will allow you to harness the power of your artistic flair in different ways, such as graphic design or advertising.
You need the talent, but you also need to be determined and resilient too. Get stuck in and see where your career takes you!
How do fine artists build a career?
Try your best to network. Make contacts in the industry and your name will get passed around. This will undoubtedly create much more work for you to get your teeth into.
Understandably, fine artists aren’t going to be working in a nine-to-five, white collar office job. Most of these guys are self-employed and take on freelance projects to earn their dough. They are often commissioned to produce specific pieces.
Alternatively, they might just produce their work at their own pace and build up a series of masterpieces that they can sell at auctions, galleries, one-off art shows or in art shops. Some might even get a ‘residency’ at an art studio and produce a series of different original works in a certain period of time. If you do this, you might also get the opportunity to work alongside other artists.
If the commissions aren’t coming in thick and fast, you might have to get a ‘day job’ and bash out your artwork on the side. This is often a necessary step which you simply have to take, especially before you build up a reputation and can support yourself purely through your art.
Maintaining a career as a fine artist…
You can’t just rely on your innate talent; it’s a good idea to learn new techniques and mature as an artist throughout your career. You could pick up some new skills and add a few more strings to your artistic bow.
You might be able to survive for a while by churning out similar ideas over and over again, but you will need to reinvent yourself, keep loyal art enthusiasts guessing and surprise the public with new and innovative pieces. Your future as a fine artist depends on it!
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