This week I did an AMA (Ask Me Anything) in the subreddit /painting. Below are some of the questions people asked, and you can read the entire thread with my (very long) responses here. Some really great questions in this AMA, I really enjoyed it!
“I have a BFA and I produce a large volume of work, but I haven’t been able to transition into a career or make any real money doing it. What advice do you have for somebody looking to make a living doing art? should I get into galleries, do freelance work, and how do you get your name out so more people know about you? I feel like I have the technical skills to make money doing art, but I don’t know how to get more commissions or get into more prestigious galleries.”
“How much has a Masters degree advanced your career? Would you recommend more education for someone like myself, (I currently have a BFA) who has no business/sales skills?”
“I read your blog post about selling art online. You mentioned that most of your artwork is found via searches on Etsy, but also that you promote it. Can you be more specific about ways you’ve promoted your shop that were successful? I’m also wondering if you feel like your store recommendations are more important than promotion.”
“I’m wondering if drawing came naturally to you and if you just kept working hard at perfecting your skills? Did people ever discourage you when you told them you were pursuing art?”
“I was wondering how you found art school, and any advice you would give to someone trying to get in.”
“I’m mostly a self taught artist and I work full time as a graphic designer. I have a hard time coming up with ideas for art projects and I can’t seem to make myself sketch as much as I need to. Do you have any advice?”
“My question is all about the art you love! Who are your favorite artists who influence your work- what kind of work inspires you and are there any artists we may not know of yet (via Hyperallergic and other blogs) that we should be paying attention to?”
“A lot of advice for getting started seems to rely on going to artist talks or conferences, emailing art directors directly, etc, but how does a person even find those people to begin with?”
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Clara Lieu 