Living of your art...reality or SF
I see people here, artist especially, those I follow, are posting new staff, work in progress..And sometimes I feel jealous, I admit :)
I'm working person, with daytime job, one that has no, but absolutely no connection to art. But living as a single person, I have to pay rent, bills etc and selling art in my home country this days is sort of mission impossible. Meaning you can not be an freelance artist and make living out of it. I do sell my art, I'm not complaining but if you have average month salaries in country of 300 euros, than what we are talking about..People are buying necessary staff for living, and not art...That sell is not enough..
Not so long ago I was talking to friend, girl is pottery artist, making incredible staff, freelancer for 15 years, hard working person, and hardly making for living..
I admit, I do dream one day to have enough for bills and be a freelance, stay home and paint..But already my productivity is huge and works are just pilling at home..
I believe like everything, this situation (lasting already five years here) is going to pass..I can't stop painting, because it will make me like half person. I've been there once, and never again..
I wouldn't like that you take staff I written above as complaining, or poor me staff..No I just have need to explain posting old stuff, and not so much work in progress.. I would like to share my step by step process with community here, but believe me photos taken at evening when I work aren't something to present :)
Lucky for me I had, and still have great art mentor, she was my college professor of Graphic art, but somehow life made us close friends. And she taught me to make archive, everything considering work I am satisfied with, she said, take photo, keep it, even staff you sold, art residencies, you will never know when you gone need it.
Photo taken by mine friend Jelena
art residency Stara planina - 2014
So, thanks to my archive I am able to share and go trough rewiew of work I made past seven years..
Off course there will be more new staff, but as I said because of lack of time, work is not going so fast as I wish sometimes..
Hair made of forest
watercolor made 2014
Does someone of you have similar or maybe different obstacles in creating art, how is going sell of art in your country, do people show interest in buying art?
It would be interesting to hear experiences from different sides.
I love your art and for me it is irrelevant if you post new or older paintings, both is interesting for me. And hearing you have to struggle to make a living is sad, but more sadly its the same here... I work as a choreographer and with this I can pay rent or food :-D I have to teach to make a living. A good friend who is a painter has the same method: trying to sell some works, but mainly teaching. Other friends who are actors have the option to work in childrens plays, which are if not better but more regularly payed.
For me selling my art is impossible: who buys a play with six dancers and more technicians? I can only rely and hope for supporters or for wining competitions. Entrance fees are to little to pay for 10 or more persons who are involved in a performance (and have to rehearse for month) Fortunatly to date I got sponsors for my plays and all involved are very motivated (and dont need much money)
I hope that someday your situation will be easier (I also hope this for my friends and for me), your art is absolutely great and worth to buy.
@neumannsalva,thank you for so nice comment about my art. As one artist to another I believe you have also that moment when you need sort of confirmation from others, that what you do, you do good. This means a lot to me. And also I believe that your position being a choreographer is much harder than mine..Yes I have let's call it gods, and I can sell them..and your work is more complex. But I'm happy you manage to make a living of it. It's interesting to hear experiences from other parts of world. Here, my colleges are trying to make look like they are living good, and rarely speak of real situation. Thank you again on your replay and being so open to speak :)
I worked as employed in the office for about 20 years before to become freelance. It was a dream that came true thanks to my hubby that was a freelance artist from 30 years (he sell his sculptures and paintings, but a part of earnings come because he also teach art in his studio. We sell lcal, but the most of sale come from the site artfinder.com, thanks this site we sell all ver the world. It's not simple to live just with art and we can do it because we both work as freelance in other fields, but it's a good compromise at now ^_^
@silviabeneforti, thank you, trully you know what I speak about, since you spend your time in office..for me it's sometimes like being in cage. But reading your replay gives me hope and strangh to continue my work and to believe that one day I will manage to live of my art. Also thanks for mentioning artfinder.com, went to see it. Unfortunately it's so hard to sell art from my country. We have some idiotic laws regarding posting art, but I will write soon about it. It's very hard to sell original art from here, you need special permission from Ministry of culture and customs permissions..And I see you personaly have to handle shipping.
About the law to send original artwork I can understand you, here in Italy we have the same problems, as you can understand ^^ I solved this problem thanks a tips from an advice that a postal worker gave me (she said me that one time a granny had problems to send a drawing of a little one, just because granny wrote on the pack that inside was a drawing!). On the pack I wrote the words "decoration" instead of "painting" or others. If you think about, a piece of art is also a decoration ^^ I usually sell internationally just painting on paper or my tiny wooden houses and I've never been problems ^_^ Some years ago, the first time that I sell my artwork online, I tried to ask the permission from our Ministry, but it's a very slow process (about 10 days) and so I asked other italian artists how to solve and I discovered that the best way (if you don't need to assureit, sure) is wrote on the pack that it's simple a "home decor". Absurd, because the law (italian law) said me that I can send my own original artworks where I want simply with my own certification, but the same law said me that I need a stamp of the Culture's Office (and in Italy it's always low to have a simple stamp from a public office).
I think your art is well done. To answer your question, it's a challenge to be a full time artist, but it is possible to make a living. I've been doing art full time for over 3 years, and I've had times where I couldn't pay rent. But I prayed and then the next day a painting would sell at a show, or on a different occasion, a guy at church would commission me to do art for him and give me a check in advance! You have to do what God has created you to do, regardless of the outcome. Then trust that He will take care of you. You'll go through fire but you won't be burned; you'll go deep into the water, but you won't drown.
Thank you @mattphilleo to share your experience, maybe I'm just not brave enough to step in that part of life :)
Great post, thanks for sharing! I gave you a vote. I hope you enjoy it.
I'm going to throw my 0.002 in here too. I have been full time for five years after 35 years as full-time employee and full-time artist when I should have been sleeping etc.
and I am not actually surviving.
so I agree it's hard, but I prepared by reducing costs to minimum and I get help from family when needed to keep going
but the hard part is it's not possible to reduce some types of costs, and still make art and get it out there
so once you are at the handout level like I am it becomes even harder. How can I ask for money for materials, or tools?
It was actually easier with a job, as then one could really throw weight behind plans.
Like buying steempower for example. If I had a job still I would be investing in steempower and moving that way, and commenting and posting less, from lack of time to do so I suppose.
anyhow, love to keep up a conversation.
your work is absolutely lovely.
enchanting
and I was surprised to see it was a bit bigger than I had thought from the others I had seen
OH, one more thing.
I am posting my previous work, and if I ever get any done again, my work in progress too.
But I see nothing wrong with putting up previous work, especially if you have got something to say about it.