What next, Picasso?
January 17, 2010 8:45 PM Subscribe
Is anyone aware of statistical data that has been gathered on professional visual artists?
I'm a semi-professional painter. I have a good sales base locally and I tend to break about even in any given tax year. However, I think I'm at a point where it might be possible to start making a profit soon and I'm not sure what the best route is for doing this. Obviously, continuing to sell and show my art is a priority, but I'm wondering what my secondary and tertiary strategies ought to be (prints of my work? increasing commissions? what else?). What I'm looking for is some kind of solid information (demographic and otherwise) about where professional artists' primary incomes are from, how many of them have other jobs, whether they have professional representation...anecdotal information is good as well but mostly I just want lots of info to sift through at this point. I don't want to invest lots of money in prints of my work if the likelihood of making a profit is better elsewhere.
I'm a semi-professional painter. I have a good sales base locally and I tend to break about even in any given tax year. However, I think I'm at a point where it might be possible to start making a profit soon and I'm not sure what the best route is for doing this. Obviously, continuing to sell and show my art is a priority, but I'm wondering what my secondary and tertiary strategies ought to be (prints of my work? increasing commissions? what else?). What I'm looking for is some kind of solid information (demographic and otherwise) about where professional artists' primary incomes are from, how many of them have other jobs, whether they have professional representation...anecdotal information is good as well but mostly I just want lots of info to sift through at this point. I don't want to invest lots of money in prints of my work if the likelihood of making a profit is better elsewhere.
I know a few artists whose primary money-maker is in greeting cards, featuring prints of their work. Teaching classes can also be quite profitable.
Sorry, don't have any stats for you.
posted by mossicle at 8:54 PM on January 17, 2010
Sorry, don't have any stats for you.
posted by mossicle at 8:54 PM on January 17, 2010
Best answer: Here's what the Bereau of Labor Statistics has available in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. As you might expect, the scope of the information is very broad.
posted by hydrophonic at 1:36 AM on January 18, 2010
posted by hydrophonic at 1:36 AM on January 18, 2010
I can't help much, but here's a small piece of anecdotal: my dad was an artist who never made money at it, but I grew up around lots of other artists. The only one I knew whose work as an artist was a full time gig taught regularly at community colleges and did workshops and such over a wide region.
posted by carmen at 6:19 AM on January 18, 2010
posted by carmen at 6:19 AM on January 18, 2010
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posted by Weng at 8:53 PM on January 17, 2010