Working as a freelance artist is fraught with stigma. You’ve most likely heard the phrase «starving artist» enough times in your life. The fact is that the notion of the starving artist is outmoded since millions of independent artists all over the world are earning decent money doing work that they enjoy.
I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that becoming a freelance artist is simple. It will require a lot of devotion and hard work, but it is feasible.
To become an independent artist, follow these 9 steps:
1. Begin by developing a business plan
When it comes to being independent, the most common error most artists make is failing to comprehend and choose a business strategy. You have two important roles as a freelance artist:
- Create something beautiful
- Manage (and expand) a business
If the second job on the list seems horrible to you, I recommend that you stop right now and hunt for a career as an in-house artist for a corporation. You’re not ready to work for yourself as a freelancer. There is no way around it. You can’t call in the second job—running and expanding your business—if you want to succeed as a freelance artist. In today’s society, there are several methods to generate money as an artist.
2. Locate your first few customers
Remember how I said you’re a freelance artist with two main jobs? You can’t do the second job (running a business) unless you have customers.
Clients define the difference between a hobbyist artist and a freelance artist who runs a business.
3. Put together a simple (but effective) portfolio
It’s time to start putting up a minimal portfolio while you seek to locate your first few freelance art clients and establish a firm foundation on which to expand your business. When it comes to constructing your portfolio, notice how I’ve stressed «basic» and «simple». As an artist, you’ll want to make your portfolio the most stunning thing anyone has ever seen. While this may be beneficial to business (debatable), it will take a long time.
The purpose of this procedure is to get your freelance artist job up and running as rapidly as possible so that you do not burn out and quit. However, just because a portfolio is basic does not mean it is ineffective. You may design a client-converting portfolio that will increase your business dependably even if your portfolio site just has one or two complete pages.
4. Creativity, Creativity, Creativity
Remember how I said you were a freelance artist who worked two jobs? Yes, to grow your business (which is primarily what we’ve been doing so far) and to create art. Now is the time to create a lot of artwork.
- Create your masterpiece.
Begin working on projects for the clients you’ve secured and the pro bono opportunities you identified in phase 2. The portfolio you created in step 3 will ultimately fill up with these pieces.
Most importantly, the work you accomplish for customers today will lead to future business and recommendations from existing freelancing clients through word-of-mouth.
An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one.
5. Provide a positive customer experience
You should concentrate on both sides of your work as you continue to balance both jobs as a freelance artist:
- Perfecting art vs. Perfecting client satisfaction
When it comes to balancing your art and your business, there are a plethora of debates we could have.
Adjusting your creative work based on client feedback, for example, is seen as «selling out» by some artists. While that may be fine for a well-known fine artist who has paid their dues, it’s a different story if you’re just starting as a freelance artist.
- Restriction encourages innovation
Consider this if you’re worried about allowing a client too much input into your creative process:
- Working within the confines of the work itself is part of the creative challenge of being an artist.
- Painters are constrained by the size of their chosen canvas. Photographers have a restricted range of options when it comes to what they can picture. Furthermore, freelancing artists must work and produce within the parameters of the client’s creative brief or instructions.
- Your firm will expand quicker if you put greater emphasis on customer pleasure. And the sooner it expands, the more options you’ll have.
- A fresh freelance artist with little employment won’t be able to enforce their artistic freedom on a customer as readily as a seasoned, in-demand artist who’s been booked for months.
6. Don’t be overly picky at the start
You’ve heard more seasoned artists encourage you to «increase your prices» or «charge what you’re worth» if you’ve done a lot of study on gaining your first art clients.
7. Attract a new set of clients (and keep them!)
You may think I’m repeating myself: find clients, find clients, find clients. But the fact is that if you don’t want to fall prey to the feast-or-famine cycle that afflicts so many freelance artists, you must focus on bringing in clients constantly.
8. Increase the number of sources of income you have
You might wish to diversify your income sources once you’ve established yourself as a freelance artist and have a constant stream of clients and earnings.
The largest problem of relying only on client revenue is that it’s all «active» money, which means you’re only paid when you’re working. On the other hand, many artists are discovering new ways to supplement their income by selling their work.
9. Learn how to run a business and master the necessary skills
Becoming a competent entrepreneur or freelancer requires time, hard effort, and devotion, just like it took you years (and will take you decades more) to perfect your expertise as an artist.
Today, you wouldn’t expect someone to take up a paintbrush and create a masterpiece right away. You shouldn’t expect to become a freelance artist overnight and operate a successful business. It will be a lengthy process.
You’ll want to concentrate on the proper skills—traits required to succeed in business—to execute it correctly. You may do this by enrolling in Udemy business classes or hiring a business coach to assist you.
Consistency is crucial, just as it is for becoming a skilled artist. Don’t give up; keep going.
Conclusion
Making a career as a freelance artist is a very practical and popular option. I hope you’ll consider—and even thrive—as a freelance artist by following the steps I’ve mentioned above (and by researching additional resources).
