Besides creating art, the most important step in developing your artistic career is acting! You can enter or relaunch your career, either randomly or with a plan. The one you choose will likely determine how long you will keep it and if there is a happy ending to your story. If you enter (or re-enter) the market with a plan, it means you are in tune. Your tools are in order, your strategies are focused, and your attitude is tight.

As an artist, your mind is often flooded with ideas, but great ideas will never reach their potential if they are not put into practice. Often times, there are too many ideas running around in your head; that’s where your action plan comes into play. Once created, you can identify your plan priorities and focus on your creative path. Your priorities will tell you where and how to spend your time. The other areas of your artistic career that do not involve creation can seem like a tedious task. Activities that involve marketing your art, writing your bio, uploading images, submitting to shows, are all part of expanding your business. If you consider them an extension of your creation, you will find them more valuable as these activities begin to offer you more freedom to create.

Okay, maybe this isn’t new to you. You’ve thought about creating a plan, your supporters have suggested it, maybe you’ve even written a sticky note and it stayed on your to-do list, yeah? Hello, good for you! Unless you have, I am assuming the personal note has carried over across your calendar with each passing day and may in fact be losing its validity. Don’t seek blame or shame here, there is simply no chance to do it now, as if there is no tomorrow.

So whether you need to turn things around and relaunch your career or are launching for the first time, get a notepad (a large one) and a pen and write some notes for yourself as you read this article, quick before you go. panic arises. on!

First, let’s tackle a couple of areas before we begin. Write your own list on your own paper. It’s okay to print this list here for reference, but to make it real and yours, write it down in your own words. This article is intended for painters and illustrators, but it is a good starting point for any creative career. Adjust it to suit your own creative approach.

These listed steps below are quick and basic and are meant to propel you in the direction your inner artist already knows you need to go, so add to the list as ideas occur to you, but keep it simple and small. I’ll put some resources at the bottom of this page to guide you to more detailed steps than are here. These are steps you can start right now that will lay the groundwork for planning and setting long-term goals for your art. The idea is not to make a super detailed plan set in stone; Instead, you want a flexible plan (like Gumby!) that moves and extends with your evolving goals and your exploration path as an artist.

If you want your art to flourish and grow, you must treat it like a living being: nurture it, nurture it, and release it. Once created, it is something external: your seed blossomed!

Like it or not, your art is a product, a thing that you have made. To launch it, you give it away or sell it. Selling it and making money from it is not a sale. Receiving money for your art is part of the circle of giving and receiving … and giving again. The unique way you produce your art, your story about your process, and the methods you choose to sell it will set the tone for the integrity of your work. If you just want to create for yourself then you wouldn’t be reading this far so trust your instincts and go ahead to create and share your unique vision.

Do you have your pen, paper? Write your title:

(your name) Amazing action plan for artists

1. Assess your skills. (p. e.g. artistic, commercial, sale)
2. Research and learn.
3. Write down your philosophy, mission or statement. Make a note to review later.
4. Set up a workspace.
5. Schedule time to create.
6. Create a budget.
7. Create 10 or more finished pieces.
8. Put a price on your art.
9. Have your art professionally photographed and digitally saved.
10. Build a portfolio.
11. Get a bank account for your art and a PayPal account.
12. Select and build a home base for your online presence as an artist. (p. e.g. website, blog, online store)
13. Select and create one or two places to connect and share your story and build your community. (p. e.g. blog, YouTube, Twitter)
14. Select and create where you will show and / or sell your work. (p. eg, Etsy, Flickr, Zazzle)
15. Select the sources you will go to to meet other artists, get inspired, find out what’s new and find resources and opportunities, and schedule a daily or weekly visit. (e.g. Twitter, art magazines, art business blogs, art forums, Facebook groups)
16. Make a list of your favorite artists that you consider to be successful and review how and where they market their work.
17. Find experienced mentor artists to talk to.
18. Decide how you would like to show your work in person and get applications and contact information. (p. e.g. open studio, gallery, festival, alternative space)
19. Determine your audience and buyers.
20. Create a dedicated calendar or planner for your office work.
21. Make room for balanced free time to exercise, meditate, eat healthy whole foods, and rest. A healthy lifestyle supports sustained creativity.
22. Take note to review this list in a week or two and revise it as needed.
23. Find your rhythm.
24. Do # 7 over and over.
25. Continue – Repeat.

Now, take a look at your article and let’s quickly go over it together. Do you have all 25 written? Cold. Schedules # 1-3, 5 and 6 will take place within the next 10 days.

The n. 4 can be a little corner in the kitchen or in the area of ​​your house where you don’t have to move it. It doesn’t have to be a big space yet.

# 7 it’s good to plan a minimum of one painting (change to suit your art) per month. I recommend a lot more than that depending on your style and the speed at which you want to enter the market.

# 8-10 will take a little time to get organized. Decide how you want to archive your images. Just photography or digital film? I still have my work shot on large format (4 x 5) film, it takes a few days to process, then I scan and create digital files. If a piece is late to a show or you’re in a rush, going straight to digital works is fine. It’s a good idea to have a portfolio in more than one form, but I don’t recommend an expensive print product at first. Over time, you can select your best work and create a showcase – for now, an image (with description and price) on a single white sheet of 8.5 “x 11” paper and organized in a binder is a great start and something that You can Duplicate and edit easily and cheaply. Organize your digital files by series and file size and create backups to CD or external hard drive.

# 11 can be done in one morning. # 12 can get started while you work on your art. Get everything you can to your home site right away: home page, bio or information page, a blog page or space for news and events, and a page for your online portfolio. Check what you have learned from numbers 16 and 17 and apply it here.

As soon as you have your focus and philosophy, you can start with number 13. # 14, you can wait until your startup website is complete. Once you have your first goals, # 15-18 will be an ongoing routine of keeping track of what’s going on and where your art is in the mix and that will get you to # 19.

Start the business planner today (# 20). It can be a lined notebook, a moleskin, or a planner with a calendar and place for notes. You can grab this digital if you’re more comfortable with it, but a plain old notebook encourages spontaneous scribbling and sketching, so that’s my pick. As you find your groove, you can update and personalize this vital piece or your art business.

I cannot stress enough how important the number 21 is. You may have the idea that if you are a happy artist you are not a real artist. Stories that we all hear or maybe even a friend or two you know, where artists are tortured, depressed, or have fits of insanity in order to create, can seem like a prerequisite for creative genius. Sadly, depressed states, dark moods, and illnesses are more prevalent today than ever. If a person creates within these states of sickness, self-loathing, or altered states of consciousness, brief moments of creativity can emerge. A better path to longevity in all areas is to support yourself as a whole, which maintains your creative spirit. The key is to find the balance of mind, body and spirit. If you do, you will be rewarded with unobstructed access to your interior space where true creativity lives. Then you can bring out your truth and communicate the meaning with clarity and passion that you will have the power to transform yourself and your community in positive ways, ways you could never achieve with anything less.

Do # 22 often. The numbers 24 and 25 are for life, they will change and grow over time, but you will never cross them off your list.

Before I leave you here, are you glassy-eyed or is panic taking over? Okay, try this to refocus quickly. After a deep breath (always the first step), take a break and ground yourself. If possible, go outside and put your bare feet in the grass, concrete or stone for about 15 minutes. Add your own special touch while doing this (eg deeper breathing, standing stretches, closing your eyes and peaceful visualizations, let all that tension flow to the ground) It sounds silly, but it works. When you get back inside, read your list with your renewed calm and just get started.