20 Ways How To Make Money As An Artist

Introduction: Ways To Earn a Living as an Artist—Ranked from Best to Worst

Becoming a professional artist is a major goal for almost all artists. You love creating, and you would like to do it full-time. However, we must also pay our bills and put food on the table. So how can we earn a living as an artist?

The truth is, art is a lasting product, with no natural or practical demand for art, making it a luxury product. Further, there is more art out there than there are collectors to collect those pieces, more paintings than walls to hang them, and more artists than galleries to represent them. As a result, the road toward becoming a professional artist is very competitive and thus challenging.

However, dear artists, do not despair and especially do not starve. There is money in art. In fact, there is a lot of money in art! Nevertheless, you need to be careful how you pursue your financial objectives in the art world. The art world is marked by an enormous set of unwritten rules in which some things are not accepted and can harm your profile and career as an artist. This is especially the case when it comes to making money as an artist.

Art and money have an ambiguous relationship. Money or wealth is a pretext for art, and so it is for artists. However, as an artist, you are not creating commercial goods. You are not creating a utility product, you are not creating handbags, and you are not creating decoration—you create art, and your integrity as an artist is essential to respect this essential difference between art and other commercial goods. Therefore, it is not allowed to come across as commercial, sale-focused, or in some cases, selling your soul for some dollars. Respect yourself and your art, and the art world will respect you too.

We have always mentioned you need to pursue artistic quality, and the money will come naturally. However, it does not suddenly fall from the sky simply because you’re producing good art in the studio. So where does the money come from? And what are the best ways—read: industry-accepted ways—to earn money while also maintaining a high-end professional profile as an artist, respecting your integrity as an artist, that will actually benefit not only your financial situation in the short term but also your career as an artist in the long run.

If you follow this advice and focus on the industry-accepted ways to make money as an artist, you will be able to see the prices of your works rise from $2.000 to $20.000 per piece in time instead of hitting your ceiling early along with so many other artists, preventing you from going full-time, let alone making a six-figure annual income—or more. Further, if you would be interested in learning more about how much money artists earn, make sure to read our article on How Much Money Artists Make next.

Therefore, we are pleased to present the ultimate list of how you could and should make money as an artist, where to start, and what to expect, ranked from best to worst. We have ranked the twenty different ways how to make money based on how lucrative they actually are, if they are industry-accepted, and your chances of success in the short term and long term.

1. Selling Unique Artwork

The number one way of making money as an artist is by selling your unique artwork to collectors. You create what your heart desires most, expressing your own technique, style, vision, and subject matter you are passionate about, and later on, you get paid for creating these pieces when they are purchased by a collector or at a later stage in your career by an institution. However, this is, of course, easier said than done.

Before we dive into the different industry-accepted avenues how to generate sales, the most important thing you need to understand when it comes to sales in the art world is that you will have to create a natural demand for your work by working on your overall profile as an artist. The reason you are not selling your work is not because of the aesthetic quality of your work; it is not necessarily because of the pricing of your work; it is not because of your sales pitch or artist statement—it all comes down to the natural demand for your work.

The truth is, nobody is waiting for another artist; there are plenty. But, if you stand out with your work—doing something different, creating your own niche, or contributing distinctively to a specific niche—you work on improving your artist resume by doing exhibitions, participating in art contests, and applying to artist residencies, or if you build a following on social media, a natural demand for your work will develop over time. This natural demand is the main reason why art galleries invite you or collectors purchase your work—because they like how it is different or because they believe in your budding career.

The best way to sell your work is by exhibiting your work. The entire art world relies on exhibitions, and the bulk of all sales will take place during exhibitions. The best way and most-industry-accepted way to sell your work is in an art gallery, represented by a gallery director who supports your work and can be a bit more commercial, so you don’t have to—ensuring your integrity as an artist. How to find gallery representation is another topic for another article, so feel free to read our articles How To Get Discovered as a Contemporary Artist or How To Succeed as an Artist next.

If you do not receive any invitations from galleries, do not start cold calling them—the conversion is absolutely terrible, and it is frowned upon in the art world. Instead, take matters into your own hands. Apply to open calls for exhibitions on platforms such as Artenda, where you can also apply for art contests and residencies that often have an exhibition with the selected artists or at the end of the residency.

You could also rent an exhibition space yourself, possibly together with some other artists, to share the costs. This is a great way to gather some exhibiting experience, have a show to put on your artist resume, take great pictures of your work in the form of exhibition views to add to your website, increase your credibility as a professional artist, and also to sell your work. Another opportunity to host your own exhibition is by organizing an open studio day.

The only thing you must avoid is vanity art galleries. Those art galleries charge you tremendous amounts of money, and the sales are most often very underwhelming, and they are less prestigious to have on your resume. Two other avenues to sell your art is selling online or by participating in art fairs, but we’ll discuss both later on in this list.

2. Artist Residencies

Next, we have artist residencies, a topic we touched on briefly in our previous chapter. Artist residencies are programs in which the artist stays for a temporary period in a specific environment offered by the host of the residency. By doing so, you can work on your art, develop new ideas, and receive the support and facilities you require to do this in the best way possible.

There are numerous different types of residencies, from studio residencies to artist-in-residence programs, and research residencies to the more leisure or holiday type of residencies. Ideally, you want to apply for a residency where you have a studio and lodging, receive a daily allowance, are paid a fee to complete the residency, are offered a budget for materials and other expenses, and have an exhibition at the end of the residency.

These residencies are most often funded by public institutions or wealthy private collectors who aim to support emerging talent. In return, they might acquire your work free of charge or have a commission share on the sales during the final exhibition—as a gallery would have during a traditional gallery show.

Artist residencies are not only a great opportunity to create work and get paid or supported to do this, but they are also a great asset on your artist resume and an opportunity to meet new people that could be instrumental in your career. Artist residencies most often attract people close to the collector or institution organizing the residency so that you will get in touch with renowned collectors, gallery directors, curators, critics, and more.

The downside of artist residencies is that you need to be able to leave home or work for a long period of time. Plus, the really good ones are very competitive, with numerous talented artists applying for the same spots. Nevertheless, it is an avenue that is certainly worth eploring and can truly be life-changing in terms of your career as an artist.

You can find an overview of artist residencies at Artenda or Res Artis.

3. Art Stipends & Grants

Similar to artist residencies, art stipends and grants offer the possibility to work on your art while getting paid for it—regardless of future sales or with a specific topic or objective in mind. An art stipend or grant is a temporary financial support awarded by an institution based on the artistic quality or societal relevance of the artist in question. They provide the necessary funds for artists to complete their work and, most often, to get paid as well.

Please note applying for stipends and grants is once again very competitive. In most cases, it is best suited for art with societal relevance, purpose, or message, in artistic disciplines with high costs—think of Installation Art or Experiential Art—and long periods of research. Therefore, it is less common and useful for the more traditional art forms such as painting, sculpture, and drawing.

Having received a grant or stipend is also a great attribute to have on your artist resume. It is a validation of the art world and an indicator your art is approved and supported by official institutes and other entities. By manner of open calls, artists can apply for grants and stipends—once more, you can find an overview at Artenda based on your personal recommendations.

4. Art Prizes