Yes, You Can Make a Living as an Artist

Many people think true working artists are a myth, a drain on their parents or an improbability at best.

But I think there are a few misconceptions as to what it takes to be a career artist. As the artist's road is commonly a lonely one, one forged solo rather than through a classroom setting or in an office, few see what truly happens and few understand the commitment it takes. I'm still at the beginning of my artistic career. I have other things happening in my life such as raising two very young girls. But I wanted to take a minute to share what has worked for me and what I see as a safe, sustainable, reasonable path to making art your career.

First off, I will say that I believe certain people are created to do certain things. It may not be the most convenient thing to admit that you were or were not made to be a (fill in the blank), but being honest with one's self about one's own true calling is essential to finding purpose in life, fulfilling a calling and in the end, being happy. If you are not meant to be a potter, I don't think you should be one. What you are meant to be is a question you have to honestly answer for yourself.  If you decide that you are meant to be a potter you have to decide to what degree you feel inclined to work pottery into your life. I am passionate about encouraging others to follow their dreams, but to follow it with wisdom, perseverance and with lots of prayer.

Here are the things I've found that are essential to the artist's pathway.

1. Study. Learn. Be a student. 

I took my first clay class in college in 2002. I began to take classes at a much more serious level in 2005, my final year of college. Since fall of 2005 I have not had a break from clay lasting longer than a month. I've continuously had my hands in it whether it was in a classroom, in my home studio, or as a teacher. I started selling work about two years after I began clay, which may have been too soon. In 2012 I left a full time job with the support of my husband to refocus on clay, becoming what one might call, a full time potter. But I found this first year more about learning and honing skills more than being a success.

Anything worth doing is hard. Being an artist is hard. There is much learning to be done from how to fire a kiln, to how to adjust a faulty glaze to determining food safetly of your wares. As I've been working with clay over 10 years now, I feel like I'm just beginning to be adept with it, to truly wrap my mind around it and have the knowledge tools I need to create good solid work. In the beginning you don't know what you don't know. You literally have no clue to all of the untapped information out there and it is easy to think you know enough to stop learning. Believing you are not a student or in need of classes, mentors, and real live hands on learning opportunities is a guaranteed path to failure. So many people think others are simply born good at music or art or business, but just like a medical degree requires ample training, so do the arts. And I would say especially clay.

2. To be an Artist is to be a Business. And one must think like a business. Luckily, I earned a business degree in college and worked in the business world for several years after graduation. I learned how to write, how to communicate, the importance of following up, having a consistent look and being easy to find. I made my own website, hired someone to create my logo, figured out decent photography for my work and chose a name and stuck with it. Being a business means understanding costs and time. Understanding how to work with the materials you have and maintain them. People can talk about the stereotypical free spirited artist with little responsibility, but artists that actually make it have heads on their shoulders, business plans in their desks and are committed to their plans. They are good at understanding how to match artistic skills with what a consumer will buy. And they know how to get items in front of customers.

3. Commit Lots and Lots of Time. This is one thing I was not great with my first year and am not fully able to do as my responsibilities now include  young children. Yet, time commitment is key and I can see direct results from the amount of time I'm able to commit to working and the monetary return. Simply put, the more I make, the more I sell. And making takes time. There are few short cuts in ceramics. The only way to make better use of your time is to hone your skills, stay organized and not get distracted. But still, the creative thought process and creating take lots and lots of time. Photographing, listing on Etsy, and shipping items takes time. Cleaning up, ordering supplies, answering customers, all takes time. This is a guess but I would say that to sustain a single person on a moderate budget, a minimum of 60 hours of a week of work would be required (considering pricing was set correctly and expenses were appropriately managed). I hear potters joke that they are so lucky they only have to work half the day, and they get to pick which 12 hours they work. I believe it.

I've found one way to expand on my time is to bring small projects inside that I can work on in spurts while I take care of my daughter. I can also be close to my husband when he is home if working inside rather than outside, maximizing the small amount of time we have together.

4. Be consistent. The fact that I've lived in Rome since coming to Berry in 2002 has really helped sustain my business. I've met so many people through my art and people come back to me years later with special things to purchase or orders to place. If I find an art show I like, I continue with it year after year. I'm doing a show this year one month post due date because I love it and because I've not missed it since being a full time potter. People know they can find me there and come to shop in my booth each year. This could not happen if I changed from pottery to jewelry making or moved towns. It couldn't happen if I quit doing what I'm doing. This doesn't mean I cannot change. I've made lots of changes over the years. But I'm still the person the kids see at the grocery store and point to and say- "There's the pottery lady!" Or the person someone tags on facebook with a picture of their morning cup of coffee in a cup I made. That's my brand. I will never be the painter, the glass blower, or the graphic designer. I'm the pottery lady and I don't have plans to change.

This picture was taken today the at West Rome Boys and Girls Club. Through our local Arts Council I've taught camp at the locals clubs for the past 4 years. It's a blessing all the way around. 

5. Be Honest and Be Good. Reputation is important. One thing I try and stand by is only offer work for sale that is good. My first teacher told our class not to sell ugly pots. Which is tough for a first time potter to hear, but the truth is, if you are making pottery, some things will turn out good, some bad and some ugly. Some sharp, some warped, some with cracks, and some just wonky. It's not good or honest to sell something subpar. Not to say a minor flaw renders an otherwise beautiful piece useless, I've sold my fair share of "seconds" at a discount (especially to family and friends). But offering a solid product, and standing behind it is important whether you are a one man/woman show or you are Crate and Barrel. Being timely and following through with what you say are just as important. Shipping items on time, meeting customers at a certain time and communicating when orders are taking longer than originally planned are all part of being an honest, good artist and business woman. Many many sales and careers are lost due to not truly understanding this point.

I'm certainly not a full time artist at this point in my life, and I'm certainly not perfect, but I am a solid part time artist and am able to provide the bulk of care for my kid (soon to be kids) and household. So bringing home a paycheck each month while having the privilege of raising my kids and the savings of doing it myself is a win-win-win. I expect in a few years when my kids are school age, and my time frees up a bit, my business will grow proportionately. Being an artist is possible. Not without training or commitment. Not without help. Not with irresponsibility and fickleness taking the reins. But with gumption and willingness to work side jobs and save and work in less than ideal studio situations, a life sustained by art is only a decade or so away.

Lisa

P.S.- One thing that doesn't really fit into one of the bullet points above that has helped me greatly is being able to create multiples of a certain item. I used to shy away from this, leaning on the "it's handmade, it's not supposed to match" theory however, once I over came this fear, it has proven to be a very solid product enhancer for me. Making sets and multiples helps with repeat customers greatly- and helps with the good problem of when 5 people ask if they can purchase the one item you posted on facebook. Not sure what to label this tip, but I've found this type of streamlining or product development has been quite beneficial.