“Interesting discussion. In the US, many colleges / universities require art students to take courses on the business of art for the very reasons you mention.”

We did a little bit of this at college but in hindsight, there definitely wasn’t enough of that nuts and bolts practical stuff.

“In the Making” by Linda Weintraub is a great book on this subject.”

Ooh, I love that book. I got it out off the college library and read it from cover to cover but it was so good that I’ll probably buy a copy at some point.

“Those who have graduated have for the most part stopped making art.”

It’s sad, isn’t it. A lot of very talented people from my course seem to have pretty much given up on their art. It’s not that I think that everyone who does an art degree should be an artist – I know there’s a high attrition rate and there are plenty of other useful things that an art degree helps you do – but I was quite surprised at some of the people who quit.

“Interesting discussion. In the US, many colleges / universities require art students to take courses on the business of art for the very reasons you mention.”

We did a little bit of this at college but in hindsight, there definitely wasn’t enough of that nuts and bolts practical stuff.

“In the Making” by Linda Weintraub is a great book on this subject.”

Ooh, I love that book. I got it out off the college library and read it from cover to cover but it was so good that I’ll probably buy a copy at some point.

“Those who have graduated have for the most part stopped making art.”

It’s sad, isn’t it. A lot of very talented people from my course seem to have pretty much given up on their art. It’s not that I think that everyone who does an art degree should be an artist – I know there’s a high attrition rate and there are plenty of other useful things that an art degree helps you do – but I was quite surprised at some of the people who quit.

“In the Making” by Linda Weintraub is a great book on this subject. She interviews a range of artists to see how they go about making their work, promoting it, and even whether they have health insurance – a big problem in the US. It poses more questions than it answers, but I think that’s what makes being a self-employed person so interesting. There isn’t a formula, just different approaches.

Yesterday I bumped into a former student from when I taught at a local university. Those who have graduated have for the most part stopped making art. The balance between earning a living and keeping a creative spirit alive and well kindled has proven to be too much. It wasn’t that they were ill prepared, but living the reality as an artist is a whole different prospect than thinking about it.

“In the Making” by Linda Weintraub is a great book on this subject. She interviews a range of artists to see how they go about making their work, promoting it, and even whether they have health insurance – a big problem in the US. It poses more questions than it answers, but I think that’s what makes being a self-employed person so interesting. There isn’t a formula, just different approaches.

Yesterday I bumped into a former student from when I taught at a local university. Those who have graduated have for the most part stopped making art. The balance between earning a living and keeping a creative spirit alive and well kindled has proven to be too much. It wasn’t that they were ill prepared, but living the reality as an artist is a whole different prospect than thinking about it.

Unfortunately the appalling or even non-existent pay structures in the artworld are yet another way in which artists aren’t treated as ‘real’ professionals. Hmmm, I’m thinking that when I’m done with the Artists Online Series, I might do a series about attitudes to money in the artworld.

Unfortunately the appalling or even non-existent pay structures in the artworld are yet another way in which artists aren’t treated as ‘real’ professionals. Hmmm, I’m thinking that when I’m done with the Artists Online Series, I might do a series about attitudes to money in the artworld.