Anyone making it as a visual artist?

[jrechin]

Anyone on here earning a full-time living as a visual "fine" artist? Creating works for display vs. for commercial purposes i.e. graphic designer or illustrator.

I have been producing art for over 20 years but have never really worked towards making it a full-time thing. Also worked as a commercial photographer on a part-time basis. Always had a full-time job, in photography, accounting and for the last 12 years hotel audio visuals. I think I've just about had it with the corporate b.s., the corporation has probably just about had it with me as well (too old, too "highly" paid).

Thinking of giving he artists life a big push in 2012 curious if anyone on tdpri has been able to do it, best place for no-nonsense feedback.

here is some of what I do...

www.johnrechin.com

Facebook

[jrechin]

bump

(can I do that myself?)

[imsilly]

What's a visual artist and how do they make money?

Just joking (well kinda, I don't really know what a 'visual artist' is), I think if you have enough savings just give it ago.

Success in these things (arts and media) is more to do with perseverance and luck then talent so you have to chance it.

[KokoTele]

Not me, but a good friend and TDPRI-er is a professional photographer. I'll let him chime in if he wants, but he tells a predictable story: times are tough, companies are skimping on photography budgets, he's trying to be creative to come up with ways to keep earning a living.

Another friend is a graphic artist and says that few of her clients want to spring for hiring a photographer when they can buy stock images.

I suspect that photography is like any other business, and in tough times you can make a go of it if you find the right niche where there's steady demand.

[Jared Purdy]

I was a commercial photographer for almost 15 years before calling it quits. I was "making it" though I am "making it" better as a college teacher!

[AirBagTester]

Do you show your work often? What type of venues? One time my band teamed up with a local artist who displayed her work for one night at the bar where we played. I thought that was a neat idea!

I like your work! Really intense color. The pics of the church interior and "Two Days in February, Cleveland" are my favs.

[tboy]

Originally Posted by imsilly

Success in these things (arts and media) is more to do with perseverance and luck then talent so you have to chance it.

It is a chance, but not totally. I teach graphic design at a university, and my students are always asking The Question.

I had this really long thing written and then deleted it. You're probably a musician, so think what it takes to make a good living playing music. Graphic design is slightly easier.
Corporate = used to be a good place. Not so much anymore.
Freelance = get a business degree, become a very flamboyant personality, own the firm and hire young designers. Go to a lot of power lunches with decision makers, and act like a very eccentric, yet responsible and reliable artist.
Freelance Designer = Get used to changing jobs a lot, having no money or job security, and clients insinuating that you're past your creative prime after 30.
Big Ad Firm = Marry the owners daughter.

[Mjark]

Visual art is a hard way to make a living much like being a musician. My little brother is a talented artist but had no interest in commercial art. He eventually got a job moving and transporting art for museums and such. Then he got into the museums, he’s been working for the Brandywine Museum for quite some time now. He builds displays and gets shows up and running. He’s not making a lot of money but has an interesting job and knows a lot of interesting people like the the Wyeth’s, those that are left at any rate.

I dropped out of the oldest Art School in the USA back on 1971. I may get back into it someday when I go deaf from guitar.

[Tdub]

I work in the tobacco industry designing cigar and cigarillo packages. My "work" can be seen in corner stores across the nation! Also design for a Canadian tobacco company.

[BucksStudent]

Originally Posted by jrechin

Anyone on here earning a full-time living as a visual "fine" artist? Creating works for display vs. for commercial purposes i.e. graphic designer or illustrator.

I have been producing art for over 20 years but have never really worked towards making it a full-time thing. Also worked as a commercial photographer on a part-time basis. Always had a full-time job, in photography, accounting and for the last 12 years hotel audio visuals. I think I've just about had it with the corporate b.s., the corporation has probably just about had it with me as well (too old, too "highly" paid).

Thinking of giving he artists life a big push in 2012 curious if anyone on tdpri has been able to do it, best place for no-nonsense feedback.

here is some of what I do...

www.johnrechin.com

Facebook

If you're good enough, and have made a name for yourself, you can always teach. Universities always welcome well known artists to give a few courses.

[Mjark]

Originally Posted by Tdub

I work in the tobacco industry designing cigar and cigarillo packages. My "work" can be seen in corner stores across the nation! Also design for a Canadian tobacco company.

Those are the things kids buy to make what they call blunts.

[bdkphoto]

Originally Posted by jrechin

Anyone on here earning a full-time living as a visual "fine" artist? Creating works for display vs. for commercial purposes i.e. graphic designer or illustrator.

I have been producing art for over 20 years but have never really worked towards making it a full-time thing. Also worked as a commercial photographer on a part-time basis. Always had a full-time job, in photography, accounting and for the last 12 years hotel audio visuals. I think I've just about had it with the corporate b.s., the corporation has probably just about had it with me as well (too old, too "highly" paid).

Thinking of giving he artists life a big push in 2012 curious if anyone on tdpri has been able to do it, best place for no-nonsense feedback.

here is some of what I do...

www.johnrechin.com

Facebook

I've been shooting for almost 30 years now. I try hard not to make a distinction between commercial and fine art with my work, I treat it all the same -anytime I'm behind the camera is an opportunity to make "art". I shoot for clients, I do personal projects for exhibition, and I teach at ICP here in NYC. If you want to survive in photography, you will have to be great at business, and this includes the business of "art" photography too. There's no way around that.

You've probably heard the old joke:

How do you make a small fortune in photography.....









Start with a large one ;-))

[Daddy Hojo]

I work at a community arts center/gallery so I deal with artists all the time. Your work is great. I dig it.

The medium of photography has been polluted lately by amateurs. Everybody with a nikon thinks they are an artist. There are people that DO great work, like yourself, and then there are people that THINK they do great work. The problem is that the public can't tell the difference and whoever is cheapest gets the sale.

Of course true art connoisseurs know the difference, but...

It's like guitar tone- we know the good stuff and spend all kinds of time on tdpri looking for it, but the average audience member couldn't tell the difference between humbuckers or single coils. But if you play in front of enough people, you'll eventually make a few breaks.

As an artist, I'm convinced it's all about marketing yourself and putting your work in front of the right people, and that can be far harder and more time consuming than making the work.

[barncat]

http://www.facebook.com/waynedanielsfineartI make the majority of my (small) income as a fine art painter. I also work a part time job (26 hours a week with summers off). On one hand it's been much easier to sell my work than I expected- I've been lucky enough to sell almost all that I produce. The problem is producing enough high quality work, or selling it at high enough prices to really make enough to go totally full time. Galleries take a 40-50% cut which also doesn't help, nor does the present economy, although the people who had money still seem to have it. It's not easy, but neither is going to a job every day that you hate.

[w3stie]

I don't know if he's "making it", but I'm pretty proud of my son, who's carving out a career in fine arts. His website here. http://www.drewflaherty.com/

[BritishBluesBoy]

Yup. I'm doing pretty well. Persevere. Be REALLY good at what you do. Make work that doesn't look like what everyone else is doing. Show your work to everyone you can. Get a good agent...

www.aarongraubart.com

[jrechin]

I like your work! Really intense color. The pics of the church interior and "Two Days in February, Cleveland" are my favs.

Thank you.

I've been shooting for almost 30 years now. I try hard not to make a distinction between commercial and fine art with my work, I treat it all the same -anytime I'm behind the camera is an opportunity to make "art". I shoot for clients, I do personal projects for exhibition, and I teach at ICP here in NYC. If you want to survive in photography, you will have to be great at business, and this includes the business of "art" photography too. There's no way around that.

I agree with this, but that is like 2 fulltime jobs, selling commercial work and fine art work!

Your work is great. I dig it.

Thanks.

The medium of photography has been polluted lately by amateurs. Everybody with a nikon thinks they are an artist. There are people that DO great work, like yourself, and then there are people that THINK they do great work. The problem is that the public can't tell the difference and whoever is cheapest gets the sale.

This is true of just about everything. Where I live beach portrait photographers are a dime a dozen. And I have been hearing lately that DJ's and live sound providers doing gigs for $50-$100, simply because it is a sideline. At some point you have to take the long view and ignore what will be out of the market in a few years or less.

http://www.facebook.com/waynedanielsfineart

Great work. how did you incorporate the eCommerce on your page?

http://www.drewflaherty.com/

Brilliant website.

www.aarongraubart.com

Brilliant website. I think I found your website a few months back when you announced on tdpri that you had garnered a quality rep.

[barncat]

jrechin- The "shop" app on my facebook page is through a site called Fine Art America ( fineartamerica.com ). It's a print on demand site. It costs nothing to upload your images there unless you want the "premium" service which is $30 a year. I haven't made a whole lot of money from print on demand, but it's money I wouldn't have otherwise, with no cost to me.

[Tdub]

Originally Posted by Mjark

Those are the things kids buy to make what they call blunts.

Yep. Actually a blunt is a specific cigar size and shape. But what you said is true as well.

[rolling56]

Originally Posted by Tdub

Yep. Actually a blunt is a specific cigar size and shape. But what you said is true as well.

I just never got why people ruin cigars/blunts whatever and then ruin the stuff they put inside them after they ruin what was inside them........just sayin' must be some nasty product they buy off the streets.