The True Cost of Being an Artist
By: Linda Laino
Tags: Artist, Lifestyle, Professional, Creative, Art

The True Cost of Being an Artist

It’s more than just tubes of paint.

What is the public perception of artists? I have encountered many. Everything from fascination, to perplexity, to preconceived notions, to disregard, to envy. That last one is the kicker. Many people believe that artists live a “free” life, unhindered by schedules, bosses, cubicles or clock punching.

They spend their time doing what they love and to many, that is an enviable position to be in. Artists do love what they do. Making art brings deep meaning and beauty to its practitioners, and serious artists are compelled to keep making it.

Even though the artist profession like everything else in life is a choice, artists know that their sanity depends on creating, so choosing not to may tend to put anyone in their path at risk. The part that non-artists tend to overlook is the price that artists pay for that choice. All of that “freedom” comes with many trade-offs.

The idea of the starving artist is such an old trope, but it persists because being an artist really is a struggle. Don’t be fooled that all those “likes” on Facebook and Instagram equate to dollar signs. Not to mention, that keeping up with social media posts is almost a full time job in itself.

In that arena, I personally often feel like a screen beggar or needy child, crying “look at me, look at me!! pretty please?” Some artists are natural promoters with celebrity personalities and some are not. The latter try to keep up, but mostly just want all of that internet chatter to pipe down so they can get back to painting.

The other side of the starving artist equation is the “art star”. Those who have found a mega gallery — specifically in NYC — who has the clout, clients and cunning to elevate that artist’s prices and cultivate their reputation to the biggest collectors in the world. The best gallerists know how to orchestrate an artist’s career.

But for every Damien Hirst or Jeff Koons (who don’t even make their own work, employing warehouses full of worker bees) raking in millions, there are hundreds of thousands making serious, dedicated work, receiving scant recognition. The art stars account for less than 1%. Being an artist is not for the faint of heart, and with odds squarely not in their favor, it can take an enormous toll, mentally, emotionally, and financially.

I came up through the ranks of academia. (Side note: when a painting professor was asked by a fellow student for career advice upon graduation, he replied, “Well, if you aren’t going to get a university teaching job, I have no idea what to tell you”). Most art schools are notorious for not giving students any “tools” to actually make a living.

When it happens to come up in conversation that I have an MFA, I am struck by how many times I have heard, “Oh! you went to art school? That must have been so much fun!” Really. Admittedly, my hackles go up. Why would someone feel that an art degree would be any more “fun” than a science degree? Interesting, valuable, challenging, and life changing to be sure. But “fun” was never a word that I would have used to describe my graduate school experience. What it really was, was a lot of work. Just like any other degree.

In fact, I might argue that an advanced art degree is even harder. Art students are largely on their own to figure out their artistic path. They are responsible for finding their own ideas (no one is feeding them any) and articulating those ideas in verbal, written, and plastic forms.

After graduation, their “job” is their life and doesn’t really come with a quitting time. Artists are wired for this dedication and dogged curiosity and are rewarded by a palpable richness. But If you’ve ever thought you’d like to trade your life for an artist’s, here are a few facts you might want to consider:

I am shocked to find there is still anyone who doesn’t understand when they look at a painting in a gallery (and possibly gasp at the price), the artist is only getting half of that money. The standard take of any commercial gallery is 50%. Some are now even taking 60%. OR charging artists rent to hold an exhibition. The exceptions are university galleries or non-profit spaces which average 30–40% commission.

The price of most pieces of art can’t even begin to pay its maker a fair wage. I know many artists who couldn’t bear to keep a record of the hours spent on one single painting, because they are sure it would be in the negative dollar digits. While some artists can claim to make a modest living from their work, you can be sure you wouldn’t want to trade the hours they are logging in order to do so.

If you think having a gallery show insures that an artist has “arrived” and people are lining up to buy, think again. There are a lot of costs to the artists for a gallery exhibition. In addition to the time spent creating, (often a year of work and planning for a solo show) in most cases, the artist pays for framing, shipping of work to and from the gallery, and in some cases, galleries will expect the artist to also pay for postcard announcements and provide the wine and nibbles for the opening. The gallery show may look great on their resume, but chances are high they won’t sell a thing.

In the case of non-profit spaces, artists are also expected to hang and take down their own show.

A large portion of an artist’s life is spent on promotion. It could be argued that social media has made this easier. Yes and no. Keeping up with Facebook and Instagram posts and/or writing newsletters to update their mailing list can eat up many hours that an artist would rather be using to create.

As with all self-employed people, artists often go without any financial security. That means terrible or no health insurance, driving a 15 year old car, no back-up for emergencies, not being sure if they can make the rent. Often, artists work in marginal conditions, with toxic chemicals and poor ventilation.

Art supplies are expensive! A tube of cadmium paint is a miniature gold log. Not to mention professional photography costs. How about storage? Artwork piles up, and sooner or later the herd must be thinned and hard decisions made as to its relevance.

Artists need a place to work, and so are often saddled with paying two rents. One for home and one for studio. I know artists who pay more for their studio than their house or apartment. Many artists (myself included) can’t afford a separate studio, and are forced to share their living space with their work space. To be fair, I personally rather like having my studio connected with my living space, but it does limit the size and kind of work I can produce.

Constant rejection is real. Artists need to develop a very thick skin early on. There are over 2 million of us in the U.S. alone and (according to one report) about 6500 art galleries. Do the math. Even if the work is worthy, there is only so much gallery wall space to go around.

It follows that constant rejection requires constant applications. These include solo shows, group shows, agents, dealers, grants, residencies, commission proposals. All of this takes an amazing amount of time and research and away from creative work.

Artists are often preyed upon with “Free to enter!” solicitations of glossy art books that profess to make your work available to “thousands of curators and collectors” for which the artist — if accepted — must pay several hundred dollars to be featured on just one page. I succumbed to one of these offers many years ago, and while the book was beautifully produced, I received not a single inquiry. This can be chalked up to the cost of doing business and of course it is, but like many opportunities in the art world, the artist must risk money (they often don’t have ) for a very slim chance at a payoff.

Artists are often asked to donate work for auctions and charities. This will always come with a carrot of great “exposure”. And while many artists are not adverse to this ask ( I personally have donated more than a few works for worthy causes over the years) it often feeds the perception that artists are just happy to make their work and give it away and shouldn’t expect to actually make a living or be paid a fair wage for what they do.

Having been an artist for over 40 years, there is nothing else I ever wanted to do, and am proud to have dedicated my life to something that has deep meaning for me, even with all the sacrifices. At the very least, most artists would simply like to be recognized for that hard work and dedication and not made to feel their work is all “fun”, simply making pretty pictures all day. So the next time for example, you encounter someone who’s been to art school, try and give them as much respect as you might show to someone who informs you they have a Phd in physics. I promise you the artist worked just as hard and is just as serious about what they do.