Supporting yourself as an artist has never been easy. Faced with this challenge, artists often take a job that pays the rent yet kills their creative potential. You can spend months, even  years, in a “day job” that gradually becomes your life. 

So what can you do instead? Take time to discover what’s available now in the world of jobs for creative people. Many jobs are remote, and there are also opportunities for freelance work. Start with the major search engines (indeed, linkedin, idealist, etc.) and review the arts-related jobs. For freelance work, take a look at upwork.com. 

See what appeals to you, but don’t apply for anything yet. Use these job postings to learn about the experience and skills required for creative jobs. 

Then create a “skills-based” resume. You take your own work experience and break it down into the skills you have developed. Use broad categories, such as “communication skills,” “administrative skills” or “technical skills. Use that resume to activate your network. Have conversations with your friends, neighbors, teachers, and relatives, to get their advice about job opportunities for you. 

You do this because there are two systems operating at the same time: a formal online job posting process, plus an informal network. You still need to be qualified for the job, but you  can get recommended by people who know you. Research shows that 80% of people who get new jobs do so through people they know. 

The large job sites can be a black hole, especially If you don’t have all the requirements for a job.  But you might get an interview through the informal process, when someone says: “hey, I know a person who would be perfect for that job.  Can I pass on their resume?”

That resume could be yours. 

​​​~ Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards ​

Sometimes you find opportunities in unusual places. The art world is notoriously unpredictable, full of people who act in irrational ways. The positive  side of this can produce creativity and innovation, but the negative looks like chaos. Gallerists ask for submissions but never respond.  Prestigious art prizes for “emerging artists” go to well-established people. Robots create prize-winning art.  

How does an artist stay sane in the face of all this? It might be easier, and feel safer, for you to keep your distance, especially if you have a low tolerance for risk. But when you let down your barriers and learn to navigate the chaos, you sometimes discover unexpected opportunities. 

Recently a photographer found (on Facebook) a call for artists to show their work at an exhibition in France. The actual process of getting connected to the show’s organizers was full of confusion, missed signals, long silences, and logistical challenges. At the last minute she had to get her photographs printed in Germany so they could be shipped to France in time. She was tempted to give up, but she kept pushing through. Finally it all turned into a successful solo exhibition, a triumph in both sales and visibility.

If you’re at a point in your career where traditional methods are not producing results, you may need to start breaking your own rules. Consider opportunities outside your comfort zone. Reach out as  broadly as possible, exploring new avenues of connection, both online and off. Use your personal and professional networks in creative ways. Tell everyone what you want and need.

By embracing the chaos of the art world, instead of resisting it, you may identify a hidden path that is right for you. Don’t be afraid to see what’s out there!

In order to grow we have to let go of old ways of being, of thinking, of doing things, and find new ones.  This all sounds simple, but isn’t, partly because of the messy scary part in the middle:  what Bill Bridges calls “the neutral zone.”

The neutral zone is that in-between time, when you’re giving up old ways but haven’t yet found new ones.  It can be uncomfortable because you’re not sure what comes next, but for artists it can also be a creative space.  You remain in the moment, paying attention to what you’re thinking and feeling, and let yourself explore new possibilities.  You learn how to live with  confusion and uncertainty as you move forward.

When creating a new body of work you may let go of old boundaries and assumptions.  Perhaps your realistic paintings are becoming more abstract, or your sculptural works are turning into an installation with sound or video or a larger conceptual framework.  Remember that this may be a slow, messy, and uncertain process.  Trust yourself, and be patient, as you welcome the new in all its wobbly beginnings. 

If you’ve been away from your art practice for a few months or even a few years, it is even more important to pay attention to the transition process.  The difference between not making art and starting to make it again is profound.  Don’t be surprised if your doubts and fears resurface, but let yourself begin.  Build space in your life for art, gradually and consistently, a little bit at a time. 

Creating real change takes both concentration and a willingness to be at sea for awhile.  You may have to say no to other people’s needs, or even give up old habits.  Allow yourself  the time and space to grow. 
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Artists often want to become more business-like. For example, you know you need to keep good records, but don’t do it because it might require tasks like making a spreadsheet, a very “left brain” process. If this describes you, think about creating artist-friendly business practices.

Danielle, a mid-career artist, still didn’t have any system for keeping records. Random receipts and other pieces of paper got lost, or ended up in the bottom of an old purse, or floating around in the trunk of her car. She knew she needed to keep this stuff together, but couldn’t find the energy to do it.

She decided to develop an “artist-friendly” record keeping system, one that would be easy and maybe even fun to use. Her system had to be visible so she would remember to pay attention to all those little scraps of paper.

Danielle created a beautiful box, decorated with ribbon and sequins, with a cutout in the top where the papers could go. She placed the box just inside the door to her studio, as a visual reminder to go through her purse and knapsack (and check the trunk of her car!) and put all the scraps in the beautiful box. At the end of each month she transferred the information to a simple bookkeeping ledger.

Her records proved critical when a gallery lost seven of her paintings last year. It turned out she had the records to prove when and how the paintings were shipped, which made it easy for the gallery to discover that they had accidently been put in storage during a recent move.

​Danielle’s artist-friendly solution gave form to an abstract idea: keep good records. See if you can use your visual imagination in a similar way.

Many artists live in a perpetual now, where every task on the horizon seems equally important.  You have lots to do, but don’t know where to start.

A helpful first step is to get the jumble of must-do tasks out of your head and onto a piece of paper. Here’s an example from a mid-career artist who was facing multiple challenges:

• Update the “events” page on her website.
• Design an online course.
• Prepare and submit a grant application.
• Send materials ahead to a residency program.
• Create a price list for Open Studios.
• Ask a former teacher for a recommendation. 
• Outline an artist talk for the community center.
• Enter new work in a juried show.

In the mind of an artist, everything has to happen at once, and each item seems equally important. Instead of jumping in to get things done, see if you can find a natural order. Turn your anxiety into positive energy. Use these questions to sort through your list.

• How much time will each project take?
• Which items have real deadlines, and what are they?
• Are there any tasks that could be delegated to others? 
• Are there similar items that could be grouped together and done together?
• Which tasks need to be broken down into smaller steps?
• Is there anything that could wait until next week or next month?

Such questions helped our mid-career artist make sense of her jumble. By delegating two things, postponing another, and making a step-by-step sequence of what had to happen in the next two weeks, she found a path forward. 

So when you’re facing a time crunch, stop and think. Sort out your list into manageable tasks.  Organize by deadline, let some things go, and create your own simple plan. 

​​​​~ Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards ​

This is a milestone for me: my 100th blog post. So today I’m writing about how hard it is to begin hard things and why you might want to do it anyway.

I didn’t want to start a blog but knew I should. The good writers made it seem effortless, but I knew better. Mostly I put it off (and off and off) because it seemed too hard. “Don’t do it!” my inner critic cautioned. “The internet is littered with abandoned blogs.” I spent a lot of energy not writing a blog, but gradually my desire to communicate took over, so I began. 

Sometimes we put off doing something because we are afraid of failure, or even of success. We don’t know what the results will be. But this undone thing sits there in your mind, getting bigger and more solid until it turns into a wall, a barrier that gets in your way and obscures your view of what’s really on the other side. 

What are typical barriers in an artist’s life? Fears about rejection or being vulnerable, resistance to learning new skills, reluctance to ask for advice from experts. Barriers can be internal as well:  confidence in yourself and your work, belief that your art matters. 

When you push through your own barriers you find opportunity, you learn and grow, you face disappointment and discover new possibilities. It takes work to sort it all out. But  the energy you were using to avoid doing hard things is at last available, and you are in motion.

As I write this 100th blog post I look back with gratitude. I’ve gained a wonderful connection to artists I might not have reached in any other way. So, my advice?  Do the hard thing, and see what happens. 

​​​~ Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards ​