Although I have had times during my career when I did teach at all levels of education, I was able to keep it brief, even though the security of tenure and income was very tempting. I didn’t want to end up another one of the growing statistical numbers of teachers who say to themselves, and to those closest to them, that they will paint or sculpt ‘again’ when they retire, only to find that somewhere along the line they had lost or given away their creative knowledge and inspiration; and finally, when confronted with the empty studio, they realized they no longer have anything to say as an artist.

With this information I wanted to address these artist’s career issues by presenting realistic solutions that can be applied at the beginning of an art career, so that those who want to make a living as an artist can, and those whose calling is to teach have a reference tool for the business end of art. I have mapped these solutions out strategically, basing my approach and observations on my own experiences as an artist working professionally in the art world.

Personally I would have loved for this to be available in my formative years, and there for me again at different stages throughout my career. The strength of that desire was reason enough for me to put down in writing my experiences and research, so that information about all major themes an artist is expected to encounter in their business and career is readily available.

I have applied for and received grants, I have entered and won prizes, I have given works to charity auctions, approached galleries and had countless solo and group exhibitions. I have learnt to market myself and I have learnt how to write press releases. I have developed a sound business sense and have made successful investments that have worked well for me. I have also made mistakes and learnt from them. I have realized there are certain secrets in all forms of work including the art business.

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