Open Letter to Art Students Everywhere
Last week, I published an Open Letter to Art Schools Everywhere, which made a case for better business education for all students. This post inspired a lot of thoughtful discussion on the topic, with 87 comments on EFII’s Facebook page and 74 comments on the article here at Escape from Illustration Island. While I expected a certain amount of feedback, I was surprised by the wide range of industry professionals who added their voices to the conversation.
Today I’d like to follow up with the following letter that focuses on another important element of the continuing story:
To art students everywhere,
Unless you are one of the lucky ones, your art school isn’t doing as much as it can to prepare you for running a creative business.
Unless you are one of the determined ones, neither are you.
One of the first lessons that sink in when you begin trying to make a living as an artist is that you really are on your own. To be sure, you do have the support of your fellow artists, a growing selection of resources, and your close friends and family. But at the end of the day, you are in ultimate control of the success or failure of your business.
If you are a student who wants to work as an Illustrator, Graphic Designer, Painter, or any other type of creative professional, you must take full responsibility for making that happen.
Please do this as early and often as possible.
No matter how well or how poorly your art school imparts the business-related knowledge and skills you’ll need to run a business, you have to care enough to take matters into your own hands, do your own research, and realize that these are the first days of the rest of your artistic career.
There is a lot more that we can do.
We can work with schools to encourage more of a focus on business education in their art programs. We can work to keep industry standards from slipping and even raise them to a higher level. We can create a vast web of resources to share, educate, and inspire.
But none of this matters unless you care about your business and your art. Tools are useless unless you use them. Education is empty unless you learn it. Your business is motionless unless you turn the wheels.
This is the difference between an aspiring artist and a successful one.
If you’re like me, you probably decided to go to art school because you wanted to be a professional artist some day.
The best realization you can make is that you already are.
Sincerely,
Thomas James
Please share your thoughts in the comments section or help to spread the word by passing on this post to your fellow artists. Thank you.
Related Posts:
- Open Letter to Art Schools Everywhere
- EFII Podcast Episode 32 – Martin French
- EFII Podcast Episode 31 – Artist Representative Scott Hull
- EFII Podcast Episode 25 – Steven Heller
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I understand what you are saying. I really do.
I have had to work two jobs since graduating, and neither of them where what I wanted to do. This was just so I could pay bills.
I have exhibited work locally, and started a new blog. I’m trying to set myself up as a freelance illustrator but today I have hit an all-time low. I have been on Job-seekers for a year and a half, and just can’t see the point of continually struggling. I love art, I love making it and discussing it. On twitter I have 250+ followers, and in the past year only 2 of them have referred to my work. I know I have a little talent, I know university screwed me over. If anything, the experience taught me I am totally alone in this profession. I hate self promotion, I’m not interested in being famous. I just want to work hard and have a positive future.
I have told the job center since day 1 of signing on what I wanted to do, and have been met with a barrage of indifference. They suggested i call the local business link, who said they couldn’t help me because I’m not making money. Now I have been referred to A4E, who have met with me twice in three months. I’ve drawn up a business plan and opened an online shop.
Now I have to work out what/how to stock it, My brain is collapsing under the pressure that my future hinges on my products/promotion and approach. There really is too little support available, despite your good efforts!
Thomas, thanks for this, and thanks in general for making good use of your communication network. It’s really great to see how successful you’ve been with building that network, but you deserve a lot of praise for purposefully *doing something good with it.*
Thomas, I appreciate your recent e-book and all of the other books, podcasts, etc. that encourage those of us out here who are trying to figure out what to do. It occurs to me that this process would be so much easier with a hands-on mentor. The only analogy I can draw is someone trying to learn how to play guitar or even another language by reading a book, and without receiving any personalized advice or attention. It can be done, but wow, that’s quite a mountain to climb. I’m not sure what the “perfect” answer would be. Business workshops for creatives? I just don’t know. For now, I just appreciate your efforts in trying to push us a little closer toward the goal.
Great stuff James! Thanks again for all the work you are doing in the art business. I can agree with this post too like Mike. The school I graduated from wasn’t good at teaching the business side or really had much desire to challenge artists. There were some teachers that I enjoyed who did artwork in their field that I respect. These teachers understood my side of “altering” the assignments when I needed to. In some classes, I was able to work and illustrate my first children’s book as the assignment. Other classes like lithography, I was able to make cartoons and characters but still get the projects completed…just in my way of working. After all, I knew what I wanted to do. I agree James that we must be individually motivated. At my graduation portfolio review, one of the art teachers reviewing my work was puzzled as to why all my art was illustration and character design and looked like a cartoon. My response of “I want to illustrate children’s books, cartoons, etc.” really left her confused. She looked at me with this strange look as if she had no idea what line of work this was. All she had to say was “interesting.” No advice or anything.
Even though we have the support of fellow artists, we are all alone in this business. We set our own success/failure. I didn’t get any business advice or anything from school, but I have learned a lot with each new project and client. I take caution against getting ripped off like I have in the past with payments for books. I stick to my prices and if someone doesn’t find them reasonable, I try not to worry. I too have had 2 full time jobs for over 10 years now. I knew this getting into the art business. I have made it work, but I continue to pursue what I want to do. I believe in my work and I can’t help but illustrate and be creative. We can’t give up. We have to find ways to improve in our art and make opportunities to create….even when it doesn’t seem like there is any time. It is too easy to quit. Like you said James, we already are professionals, and we must treat our work as such even if some of us are just starting out.
Thomas, on a funny note….try searching for art jobs in illustration or related on Career Builder or one of those similar sites. It is a bit depressing, but a little funny. The search results come back saying….”There are no jobs available.” – even when you expand the search to the entire world…hahaha. Where did all the jobs go? It was then I knew, I was all alone and have to make it work by myself.
I attended a program in British Columbia called IDEA (Illustration, Design: Elements and Applications). Though it was a bit design-heavy, it did have some great illustration instructors and fine artists. What was really great about this program was that it equipped me and the rest of the students with some know-how about marketing ourselves and making a business of ourselves when we got into the “real world”. This has proved to be priceless knowledge as I have the tools to market and promote myself. I haven’t heard of many other programs like this one and if anyone is interested, please feel free to contact me to know more.
Hey Thomas,
This is a great post. I think that your absolutely right. Even when I’m feeling that business is not going great or that my career is going in the wrong direction I always try to keep it positive and take responsibility for myself.
It’s worked so far.
Here is something that I think is important to think about. We never stop learning. No matter how good or bad our schools were as soon as we left we had to keep learning. Part of our responsibility is to learn.
So while we tell stories of success or failure we can’t make excuses for them. Only learn from them.
Also I think that Entrepreneurs are on a constant emotional roller coaster ride. Every day can feel different. Some good some bad. If we accept this reality we can come up with ways to deal with it.
Don’t blame school. Look at the good and the bad… Learn from it. Don’t make excuses and take one more step towards achieving your goals.
I agree with Michael that everyone is responsible for themselves, and ultimately their success in the business of art. Getting support and a good start helps a lot, though, and schools need to do more.
That being said, I got some interesting feedback from an educator at a well-known art school. She teaches the strategic and business side of art careers. Who are in her classes? Former students who graduated and found that they didn’t know what they were doing. She can hardly get younger students to sign up.
If you are in college now, get yourself into a business class, even if you use your elective credits or go to a local community college to do so. It may be the best information you ever gained while in school.
Well said, Thomas, ditto for your Open Letter To Art Schools.
I was at a graduation party yesterday (niece, high school). She’d invited her favorite teacher who told me, “I tell my students that once you leave school, every day will be a battle against cynicism.” I thought it was a tremendous insight.
A freelancer cannot afford to choose cynicism: “The odds are stacked against me,” Other people have all the luck,” etc, etc.
There’s just no substitute for hard work– and for a freelancer, a big part of “hard work” is doing research, ferreting out contact information, making pitches. That does not guarantee success, but for most of us, success is unlikely without constant, cheerful proactivity.
Thanks for your comment, Mark. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Determination is one of the main ingredients to success at anything.
Thank you Thomas, your words and those of the EFII community have resonated with me.
Prior to reading this I had just started my blog so I could post some work and establish a (much needed) social networking presence.
While I was doing this, I started to question my efforts. Do I have the time and energy it takes to stick with this? Is this really important? Should I wait until I’m done with my degree?
I have been (for all too long) an aspiring artist. I have been honestly thinking that once I get my degree, then I’ll have credence, then I’ll be taken seriously. I only recently realized that I have been the one that hasn’t been taking me seriously as an artist.
Anyway, thank you for your well timed and well received words.