The pros and cons of being a full time fine artist

[@bluedogbluey6742]

thankyou for sharing the pro's and con's of being a full-time artist. I have so much respect for someone that puts themselves out there. I really enjoy watching your videos on here.

[@christinakentart]

Thank you! So glad you liked it :)

[@matthewwatts7333]

HI. thanks you for this honesty and clarity... I've been making art full time for several decades and also selling my work, but I think the nature of a solo practice can lead to a lack of perspective (for want of a better word!) and you mentioned several important things here that had me nodding in agreement. It's challenging but it's worth it.

[@christinakentart]

That's awesome to hear you have a decades-long career as a full time artist. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Have you figured out how to get more perspective on your work?

[@matthewwatts7333]

@@christinakentart Resolving the matter of ‘artistic perspective’ is a loaded one for me. I am also self taught and i suspect it’s a part of that fact. Mmmm.

[@kznsq77]

You are such a bright and kind person, I wish you all the best! Thank you for the video!

[@christinakentart]

Aw, thank you so much! ❤️

[@adriensmartpaint]

Thank you Christina!! Such a great video with honest pros and cons! 🙌🏻

[@christinakentart]

For sure! Glad you liked it :)

[@SakheleNtaba]

Great video! I've come to appreciate that my biggest adversary is the state of the economy where I am *South Africa*. Even when there's a lot of interest from potential buyers... things can quickly go belly up or priorities change on their end, then I have lower sales than anticipated (if any).

[@christinakentart]

I'm so sorry to hear that! It's really tough when you're passionate about something but the economy makes it difficult to succeed. I am lucky to be in California where the economy is quite strong, and I still find myself struggling with economic fluctuations. I hope things improve for you!

[@Montecristo621]

Thank you, Christina for a new, as always, amazing video! You mentioned about marketing for artists, could you go a little deeper on that topic? It would be very interesting to hear about your experience and maybe some advices❤

[@christinakentart]

Glad you liked it! Yes, marketing is super important for having a successful art career, especially if you don't have gallery representation (which I think is most of us!). I'm working on a few other video requests, so it might take some time, but I will make a video sharing my experience and marketing tips :)

[@Montecristo621]

@@christinakentart how exciting! Can’t wait!

[@JennyGranberry]

Teaching art is how I found an art career path that has more human interaction - I get too weird if I'm painting alone for too long

[@christinakentart]

Such a good point! Teaching is a great way to stay connected.

[@rebeldown771]

I have to wonder, how much do you average for an annual income and how many pieces do you have to produce and sell?

[@christinakentart]

Great questions! I'll be sharing a video about my income breakdown soon :)

[@indigo_diary]

Your videos are so interesting

[@christinakentart]

Thank you so much!

[@bilaljanart]

Lovely talk❤

[@christinakentart]

Thank you!

[@douglasriddle6447]

Great video, and thanks for keeping it real. What a lot of people don't realize is that being an independent artist is no different than being a small business owner of a store or restaurant. Everyone has heard the stories about parents discouraging their children from going in to art because it isn't a secure career, but half of all restaurants fold in the first 3 years, and they have a much bigger start up debt before encoring their monthly debt to stay in business. Also, people always say art is subjective....and that isn't completely true. There is good art and their is bad art, and that applies to both realistic art and abstract art. But people think art is subjective because everyone has an opinion on what they like, and we give that opinion validity because everyone thinks they know art because they once owned crayons. But if you took that same subjective opinion rational and applied it to a restaurant, we would not see it the same way......EX. Take a diner who has only eaten fast or frozen food their entire life (sadly too many people) and you take them to a Michelin 5 Star restaurant, and that diner hates all the food. That is their subjective opinion, but it is not a valid review of the food. The same applies to art. Not everyone is going to appreciate a 5 Star restaurant or dine there, and not everyone is qualified to judge art or be willing to buy art. Rant over.........lol

[@christinakentart]

Thanks Doug! You raise an interesting point. So would you say that the diner in your example is "wrong" for preferring frozen food over the michelin-star restaurant?

[@douglasriddle6447]

Not wrong, but not really educated about the subject to give a valid opinion. In art that leads to people looking at abstract paintings and saying, “I could do that” or “A child could make that.” What we like is subjective based on our life experiences, but that doesn’t make art subjective.

[@devernepersonal3636]

art is certainly subjective. You could have the most technically great piece of art and no one wants it. You could have the most expressive piece of art and no one wants it. You could have the best of both worlds and no one wants it. or you could happen to be truly inspired to make art that happens to fit into a popular category and still no one wants it. i saw a comment that says art is not subjective if you really know what you are looking for, but that sounds gate keepy. the truth is that you could have the most technically great and expressive piece and someone could even like it, but still not want it. I have not sold art. But it is objectively hard i know that. Yeah unless you become one of those top artists and become famous its gonna be hard to have a decent income, unless you sell like 2 paintings for a disturbing amount of money. Marketing is why i think i might rather pay to have an assistant or just become famous after death.

[@christinakentart]

So true! And even if we forget about the market, for me personally, it is hard to know if my work is good. For example, I may finish a painting and not be happy with it, but look at it a few days later and realize it is actually pretty interesting, and then a few days later change my mind again. It can lead to a lot of self-doubt, which can be difficult to manage.

[@devernepersonal3636]

@@christinakentart My one and only painting on my easel from who knows when, i hated because it is abstract but (much like you said) the more i look at it, the more i liked it. and the truth is that if you or i had shown our paintings we found ourselves unhappy with, we might find people have interest in it. I agree with your video. It is difficult to understand the market. and the marketing is not easy.