I officially began my journey to becoming a full time artist on January 27th, 2020.
That's the exact date that I made the decision to work towards taking my art to a full time career. I came up with a 3 year plan and I'm happy to say that despite the MANY bumps in the road along the way, on June 12, 2023 I quit my day job to pursue what I was put on this earth to do. So it took me slightly more than 3 years to get here....3 and a half years to be exact. But I look back on my journey with great pride knowing that when I finally made the leap, I was truly ready. You can listen to my story on a recent podcast interview with Andrea Ehrhardt. I'll post the link at the bottom of this post.
My plan started with an idea that I would do high-end, traveling art shows. I had researched many of the shows that toured the east coast and beyond, went to shows, spoke with the artists, researched the application and jurying process, and planned out building the perfect pop-up for these events. That plan lasted just a few short months before Covid arrived and I quickly realized not only was it not going anywhere for a while, but I had no idea how long it would be before art shows would even be an option again.
Pivot. Change the plan.
Enter, "The Artist Academy"
I am so grateful I found this group of artist on line! Not only are they "my people" but many of them were killing it making a living as a THRIVING artist! The common thread? They were painting primarily murals for a living! I immediately dove into the concept of becoming a full time muralist. I knew this was not something that was going to happen over night, but I was willing to put in the time and the work to lay the foundation for a successful career. I started by painting small murals for next to nothing just to get some practice in and start to build my portfolio. I attended my first mural meetup in Springfield, Missouri during the summer of 2021. That's it. I was HOOKED! I knew that this was the way to go. I got home from Missouri and dove in head first tweaking my 3 year plan. Small goals to meet along the way to 2023 when I would make the leap to full time. At the time, I was married and my secondary income to the marriage was small, albeit necessary. That being said, my initial goal to making it full time was to make $45,000 p/ year as an artist. Totally doable, I thought. And then, in August of 2021, my husband of 22 years asked me for a divorce. $45,000 p/year is not enough to live comfortably in the state of New Jersey. Especially not with 2 kids. That level of income was enough to qualify me for government assistance. That was NOT something I was willing to settle for.
Pivot. Change the plan.
My financial goal to becoming a full time artist just doubled.
It's amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it. I am happy to report that at the time of this post not only am I a full time artist, but I am living quite comfortably as I continue to build my business. And I have NEVER needed to rely on government assistance. Never underestimate the power of persistence.
"Start small, but dream BIG"
As I was writing this, I hesitated to put any actual dollar figures in this post. But I allowed myself to do so for a few reasons. First and foremost, I'd like to eliminate the idea of the "starving artist" and shed light on the concept of being a "thriving artist". Being an artist should absolutely be a respected profession. However, I often get requests for people asking me to paint intricate murals that will take me several days to do for a mere $600 or so. Take the cost of supplies out of there, as well as other business related expenses such as insurance, advertising & marketing, traveling expenses, etc, and your not really left with much. That kind of money doesn't pay the bills. Most of the time, when I put it into perspective people understand. They mean no disrespect, I think the general public as a rule tends to think of artists as hobbyists, and not necessarily professionals. I'd like to help change that point of view.
So I am dedicating this blog post to my fellow Thriving Artists, and those of you aspiring and on your way. Start small, but dream big! It truly is possible to have a thriving, successful and respected career as an Artist.
Click the link below to hear my full story in an interview with Andrea Ehrhardt
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