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What They Do

Fine Artists Career Video

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Traditional artists use clay, fabric, wood, stone and other materials to express their feelings and visions as something tangible. Others will use the computer and other technology to create multimedia masterpieces that incorporate many elements, such as sound.

Art can be almost any form -- artists vary from those who paint watercolor landscapes to those who create stone sculptures to those who program intricate computerized graphics.

Most artists fall into one of two categories. Fine artists create their own distinct style of art that is bought by collectors.Commercial artists do illustrations for magazines, textbooks, advertising and other commercial projects.

Be prepared to put in lots of hard work. While you can be born with talent, it takes years of practice and training to hone your skills.

There are no general working hours for artists, particularly for those who work for themselves. Artist Autumn Bobyk says she will often wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, and she'll get to work on it right away.

If you're thinking about a career as an artist, you'd better enjoy your own company. "Painting is a somewhat monastic existence. It's not really a fast-track life. It's pretty much a solitary activity," says Pauline Lim. She is a painter and Harvard graduate from Boston who spends a lot of time alone in her studio.

Be prepared to take a little rejection, because not everyone is going to like your work. "When you're first starting out as an artist and you're showing your stuff to people -- and you can tell they don't like it -- that can be a real downer," says artist Don McMillan.

The stereotype of the starving artist isn't too far from the truth. There is no average salary for fine artists. Income depends on how many pieces you are able to sell and how much each piece brings in.

Beginning artists will find it takes time to build a reputation and a following -- crucial elements in selling your work.

"When you're starting out, you can't have your art become your income. You have to have another way of paying the bills or you'll always sell yourself short," says Bev Juno, an established watercolor and soft sculpture artist.

Established artists like Juno and McMillan receive around $10,000 for a piece, while younger artists like Lim have to get by on a lot less.

"I find that I always sell if the prices are affordable, in the low- to mid-hundreds," says Lim. "I wish I were selling in the thousands, but a sale is always heartening, and the money, even if small, is welcome." Lim supplements her artist income with secretarial work.

But it can be disheartening, she admits. "I dislike the fact that all my prep school and Ivy League friends are living big-income lives, while I still feel like a little kid, playing with paints in my studio and just staying a step ahead of poverty," says Lim.

"I've had to take other jobs to supplement my art," says Bobyk. "I even went to Korea to teach English for a few months to make some cash, and to get some inspiration for my work."

The American Institute of Graphic Arts says more and more arts graduates are finding well-paying jobs in commercial arts, particularly if they have had some computer and graphic design training.

Peter Maitland is an artist who specialized in graphic arts designed on computers. He believes that a higher income level is available for commercial artists who are employed full time.

"What I do is draw a graphic, say a logo for a company, then translate it onto a computer, adding music, redesigning it, animating it. Quite often, I design these things for a company's website on the Internet," says Maitland.

Persistence is a word that comes up often with artists. It takes a lot of work and time to succeed.

"Success is persistence," says Lim. "A failed artist is one who never creates....Persistence will eventually pay off, even if it's only in terms of the spirit."

Many artists say people in magazine publishing are good contacts for fine artists. "If magazine editors like your work and print some samples, you can develop a following and some exposure that way," says Juno.

Just the Facts

Want a quick overview of what this career is about?Check out Just the Facts for simple lists of characteristics.

At a Glance

Paint, sculpt or illustrate

  • Be prepared to take some rejection
  • A high proportion of artists are self-employed
  • A fine arts program at a community college or university is recommended