A career in visual arts needs more than creative skills to succeed. Get some practical advice on pricing, guidance on what is expected of you, and contact with your industry peers.
Find some of the tools you need below, provided by a-n The Artists Information Company, an agency supporting the practice of visual and applied artists.
Earning money from your art
"It is estimated that half of all visual artists are self-employed and that over 3,750 art and design graduates join the profession annually.”
Susan Jones, a-n Research paper
The artist's fees toolkit
What are the costs of freelance working? How you factor in experience to your charges? How much time do you allow for in a quote?
Written by financial expert Richard Murphy and published with Arts Council England support, the artists’ fees toolkit takes you through a step-by-step process to calculate a daily rate and prepare quotes for freelance work.
Artists' livelihood strategies
Do any of the following statements apply to you as an artist:
- “I swing madly between conviction in and utter mistrust of my abilities”
- “I don't know if I can succeed”
- “I'm not sure what is expected of me in some situations”
- “I had a great experience, felt like I was getting the hang of it all, only to then be faced with the next challenge, where I felt completely out of my depth and like the least experienced, youngest or oldest (whichever is worse), and most lacking in confidence of anyone else involved.”
Artist Emily Speed looks at the complex nature of making a living as an artist.
How to be a professional artist
Professional development - 'Granted!'
Granted! is a development programme designed to give artists and visual arts freelancers the confidence and knowledge to move their practice and projects forward.
It will combine access to specialist workshops and seminars with online resources and toolkits and tailored advice. Areas covered will include: pitching and fundraising; attracting new collaborators; and using social media for self-promotion, professional visibility, and wider participation in your work.
Code of Practice – Artists
Drawing from the experience of practising artists, as well as commissioners, curators and others with whom artists work, The Code of Practice for the Visual Arts looks at the principles that underpin good practice, with examples to show how they work in practice.
Good exhibition practice
Getting a formal agreement between an artist and an exhibition organiser is an important step. Rather than indicating a lack of trust or creativity, it can record important decisions which can be open to interpretation or misunderstanding.
An exhibition agreement checklist is one of the elements in the guide to Good Exhibition Practice, a good resource on artists’ fees and payments.
Advice from fellow artists
If you want to network with other artists, learn about their projects, or just seek some advice, check out the following links:
- Projects unedited, where artists blog about what they’re working on, as they happen, wherever they happen
- Ask Kate, a-n’s online editor Kate Brundrett answers questions about work and career development in visual arts
- You can also find artists’ networks in your local area, using a-n’s searchable listings.
