How to Make Money as an Artist

Rating:
Summary: How to Make Money as an Artist
Review: As an student of art, I found "How To Make Money As An Artist" highly informative. I will definitely use the book as a useful and needed reference. Mr. Moore's sound, artful insights are practical, his advice is based on successful experience and his book is written in a refreshingly readable and natural style. I particularly appreciated his motivating and respectful tone; one from an artist to his fellow artists. I could relate to this writer.

I take issue with a person who wrote that artists would do better buying a book on how to start up a small business. I question whether the reviewer is, in fact, an artist at all because clearly, he or she misses the point. Artists, like all professionals, relate to their own kind. Mr. Moore's expertise as a successful artist is directed at, and appeals to, artists who, like all of humankind, learn best from their contemporaries.

Any one can open a mutual fund. It takes a special sense to impart the nuanced wisdom that Artist Moore has done for his colleagues so masterfully in this book.

Rating:
Summary: How to Make Money as an Artist
Review: As an student of art, I found "How To Make Money As An Artist" highly informative. I will definitely use the book as a useful and needed reference. Mr. Moore's sound, artful insights are practical, his advice is based on successful experience and his book is written in a refreshingly readable and natural style. I particularly appreciated his motivating and respectful tone; one from an artist to his fellow artists. I could relate to this writer.

I take issue with a person who wrote that artists would do better buying a book on how to start up a small business. I question whether the reviewer is, in fact, an artist at all because clearly, he or she misses the point. Artists, like all professionals, relate to their own kind. Mr. Moore's expertise as a successful artist is directed at, and appeals to, artists who, like all of humankind, learn best from their contemporaries.

Any one can open a mutual fund. It takes a special sense to impart the nuanced wisdom that Artist Moore has done for his colleagues so masterfully in this book.

Rating:
Summary: This book gave me some direction
Review: I bought this book a couple of weeks ago and it was an easy read. It has a lot of good tips in it. I really appreciated the part about websites, since reading this book I built my own art site and I have more knowledge about making money in the arts. My only dislike is that in the back of the book there is a lot of resources for artists, but it's just for American artists. It'd be nice if there was a list of resources for Canadian artists too.

Rating:
Summary: This book gave me some direction
Review: I bought this book a couple of weeks ago. I haven't read any other titles about making money at art but I found that this one has a lot of good tips in it and it's an easy read. I really liked the part about building your own website. My only dislike is that all the links/resources at the back of the book is for American artists. I think they should have included resources for Canadian artists too.

Rating:
Summary: The Cliff Notes for How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist
Review: I've been raking the bookstores in search of all the information I can find regarding the subject of making a living as an artist. I've already read through two excellent books:
"How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist" AND
"Taking the Leap: Building a Career As a Visual Artist"

Both of those books had a wealth of information, and although they overlapped in some areas, they both brought their own perspectives, tips, and information to the table - and a lot of it at that. This book, "How to Make Money as an Artist" is a much thinner book, and only seems to overview a lot of key topics. I found the book too lightly skimmed the surface of many important issues that really do require a more in depth review.

I personally wouldn't recommend this book because I think you can get a lot more out of the other two books I suggested. If you only need a little guidance, and don't have a good grasp of the basics and common sense, this might be a place to start.


Rating:
Summary: Not for Artists!
Review: If you are a college freshman, this book may be useful. For anyone who is out of school, there are many better books available. One that has some depth is How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist. How do I know? I purchased both at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: no news flash
Review: It's no secret that if you're an artist (or do anything of an "artsy" inclination) that, sadly enough, sometimes what you're selling has little to do with your product (err, art) but rather your package (that would be you). I think most of the advice given in here is common sense, like you need to market yourself and act professionally. I also believe that this book could benefit from the use of anecdotes -- I would like to hear some stories of successful fine artists. Now for the specifics. The author's gems of advice for your resume are "Don't set your resume on a typewriter" (yes! a typewriter! I checked to make sure that this book was really published in the year 2000 and indeed it was) and "Use serif type. This is the most important advice you will ever get about typography..." He then goes on to state that the reason that print media often uses serif type is because it is "easier" to read -- right here is where the author starts losing credibility because usability studies have shown that actually sans serif fonts are the ones easiest to read. But no, he claims that sans serif is good only for "art directors and graphic designers" -- and naturally, no self-respecting artiste would want to be confused with a designer now, would they?! Another point of contention (out of many) is that he is a proponent of artists using free website hosting services such as Compuserve or making use of your space on AOL. I don't know if anything would scream "I am an amateur hack" then having your "professional" website hosted on Geocities, complete with annoying pop-ups. I'm sorry but to make your sale and complete your marketing package, you've got to be professional, and professionals are willing to shell out a little money to get something that looks like you've got it together. Another favorite piece of advice is that the artist should chop up color photocopies (or something printed from your all-in-one home fax machine/copier -- horrors!) to create business cards. Believe me, I know that artists are on a tight budget and all, but again, that is not the image you want to be projecting. Lastly, if you are an aspiring artist and did not get your BFA/MFA in Art, and have never had a gallery show in your life, this book is not going to help you break into the business in any way.

Aside from these nit-picky details, there is the fact that this is ostensibly a book about making money. But really it's not. Essentially an artist is an entrepreneur, and any basic business book is going to tell you that to have a successful business, you will need a business plan, some sort of way of tracking your finances/expenditures, profit loss statements etc. How else will you even know what is making money and working for you? I know it's unsexy as hell but any smart and savvy artist would need to know these basics if they really want to make it (it's a pity that they rarely mention this reality in school). I would recommend that you steer clear of this book and check out some really basic entrepreneurial books with an accounting bent instead. And pick up a couple of basic graphic design ones too to understand how to put together a compelling marketing package.

Rating:
Summary: no news flash
Review: It's no secret that if you're an artist (or do anything of an "artsy" inclination) that, sadly enough, sometimes what you're selling has little to do with your product (err, art) but rather your package (that would be you). I think most of the advice given in here is common sense, like you need to market yourself and act professionally. I also believe that this book could benefit from the use of anecdotes -- I would like to hear some stories of successful fine artists. Now for the specifics. The author's gems of advice for your resume are "Don't set your resume on a typewriter" (yes! a typewriter! I checked to make sure that this book was really published in the year 2000 and indeed it was) and "Use serif type. This is the most important advice you will ever get about typography..." He then goes on to state that the reason that print media often uses serif type is because it is "easier" to read -- right here is where the author starts losing credibility because usability studies have shown that actually sans serif fonts are the ones easiest to read. But no, he claims that sans serif is good only for "art directors and graphic designers" -- and naturally, no self-respecting artiste would want to be confused with a designer now, would they?! Another point of contention (out of many) is that he is a proponent of artists using free website hosting services such as Compuserve or making use of your space on AOL. I don't know if anything would scream "I am an amateur hack" then having your "professional" website hosted on Geocities, complete with annoying pop-ups. I'm sorry but to make your sale and complete your marketing package, you've got to be professional, and professionals are willing to shell out a little money to get something that looks like you've got it together. Another favorite piece of advice is that the artist should chop up color photocopies (or something printed from your all-in-one home fax machine/copier -- horrors!) to create business cards. Believe me, I know that artists are on a tight budget and all, but again, that is not the image you want to be projecting. Lastly, if you are an aspiring artist and did not get your BFA/MFA in Art, and have never had a gallery show in your life, this book is not going to help you break into the business in any way.

Aside from these nit-picky details, there is the fact that this is ostensibly a book about making money. But really it's not. Essentially an artist is an entrepreneur, and any basic business book is going to tell you that to have a successful business, you will need a business plan, some sort of way of tracking your finances/expenditures, profit loss statements etc. How else will you even know what is making money and working for you? I know it's unsexy as hell but any smart and savvy artist would need to know these basics if they really want to make it (it's a pity that they rarely mention this reality in school). I would recommend that you steer clear of this book and check out some really basic entrepreneurial books with an accounting bent instead. And pick up a couple of basic graphic design ones too to understand how to put together a compelling marketing package.