Artists need development. Everyone thinks art is some divine birthright. While talent may be a divine birthright, being a successful artist is not. Successful artists, whether you think their work is good or bad, understand their practice emotionally, financially and strategically. They understand the full cost of maintaining their practice and what they need to monetize in order to support their full practice. A lot of people think that when your an artist, you need to sell work or sell tickets, get on stage or get into galleries. For many successful artists, only about 35% of their income comes from ticket sales. The rest is figuring out how to monetize anything and everything they have at their disposal. From their intellectual property and thought leadership to the rare technical skills and or equipment they have acquired. Artist development is about removing the fantasy of art and giving artists the tools to plot their careers, investigate their income, and set and achieve tangible goals steadily across time. This can be done in group and individual settings, workshops or coaching. But, it must be done. Your art depends on it.
Calibrate Your Compass: Goal Setting & Career Planning for Artists
Work in small groups to list out goals along the personal, creative, and professional spectrum. And plot them on a manageable two year timeline.
Part 1. Align your Values & Priorities.
Part 2: Find Your Reason for Being: Clarify your goals, scope and scale.
Part 3: Top Your 2-Year Plan. Discuss good goals and unrealistic goals.