In a recent interview I was asked for my advice towards people wanting to follow their artistic dreams and towards those who are working artists. Here is what I had to say.
What advice would you give to people wanting to follow their dream as an artist?
Use what you have. So many people fall into the trap of thinking they have to have a certain level of gear or professional training before they can take their craft seriously. While good quality gear and informative training are valuable, the lack of them doesn’t have to keep you from doing what you love. You can still learn the foundational knowledge necessary to later make good use of expensive gear or the information you will learn in advanced classes. I know people who have thousands of dollars of photography equipment who take snapshots they could have taken at the same quality with their smartphones, and I know people who mindfully make gorgeous photos with their point-and-shoot cameras or smartphones that you would swear came out of a DSLR. It’s about knowing your craft, knowing the limitations of whatever gear you have–even the most expensive gear has limitations depending on the situation–and working within those
What advice do you have for people making a living as an artist?
I don’t yet make a living as an artist, so this is what I tell myself: most artists have day jobs that are completely unrelated to their art, and that is okay. It doesn’t mean you are not a “real” artist. All it means is you have a day job. It’s not a statement about your worth as an artist.
Here is a piece of advice for working artists in America based on what I have learned from watching others. Get yourself a good accountant: someone who understands tax laws for self-employed people and can help you keep track of what to file and when. I have a friend who is a working artist, and she gets killed each year with tax fees and penalties from not filing in a timely manner. Make sure you have an accountant handling those things for you so you don’t have that problem. That way you can invest more of your money into your work instead of into the IRS.