How To Find Your Place in the Art World

From the outside, the art world can seem like one enormous mystery. However, the truth is, there’s not just one “art world,” nor is there a one-size-fits-all career path for artists. Every artist is different. We all have different goals, different kinds of work, and different ways of living and appreciating art. One of the primary reasons artists struggle to achieve career success is that their art, strategies, and goals do not align, as they cannot figure out where they are appreciated. As a result, the first premise for success is to understand where you belong—where your art has the best chance to connect and succeed, and what you need to do to get there. By reading this article, you will be able to make an informed decision to find your place in the art world.

There are multiple types of art and, therefore, different worlds of art—realm with their own systems, audiences, and ways of working. We’ll discuss five art worlds or types of art that may appear very similar but in reality are very different. Sometimes they overlap or are influenced by one another, but career-wise, they operate in different realms. Understanding their differences is key if you want to navigate your path with clarity and purpose. Throughout this journey, we’ll begin in the periphery of the arts, with a broad definition of what art is, and navigate our way to the center of high-end art today. At first, the differences will be very clear and apparent, but slowly yet surely, those differences will become more subtle and more important to understand them, including the main strategies, drawbacks, and benefits, you need to be aware of as an artist.

1. Commercial Art

Commercial art—not to be confused with the commercial art world, which refers to the commercial realm of the contemporary art world consisting of art galleries, auction houses, art fairs, and more (cf. infra)—is perhaps the broadest and most open definition of what art can be. Unlike fine or contemporary art, commercial art is not primarily concerned with personal expression, conceptual depth, or artistic autonomy. Instead, it functions as a creative service: the artist designs visual content to fulfill a specific external objective, often defined by someone else. The commercial art world uses a very broad definition of what art is, and therefore also consists of various types of artists. Think of illustration, graphic design, advertising visuals, product packaging, comic books, digital art, motion graphics, tattoo artists, and licensed artwork used in merchandise or media. Artists in these different fields may work freelance, in-house, or as part of a creative agency. What unites all these practices is that the artwork is rarely the final product itself, but a means to an end, whether that end is selling something, illustrating something, telling a story, or reinforcing a visual identity.

This doesn’t mean the work lacks creativity—on the contrary, commercial artists are often brilliant visual problem-solvers. But the creative freedom is always framed by external requirements such as a brief, a target audience, or a communication goal. This makes it a fundamentally different realm from self-directed art practices, where art is created for the sake of art or individual expression, without having any other function. Due to this significant difference, commercial artists can thrive in the fields discussed above, but are not able to work their way into the high-end art world of galleries, art fairs, and collectors. However, for artists who enjoy design thinking, visual storytelling, or working collaboratively with clear parameters, commercial art can be a rewarding and stable career path. It offers relatively predictable income, especially when part of a larger production ecosystem. However, it also demands adaptability, speed, and the ability to work without personal attachment to the final outcome.

2. Applied Arts

Whereas commercial art predominantly takes care of the visualization, not the ideazation or the materialization, we move more towards the center of the arts with applied arts, where aesthetic vision meets function, and where the boundaries between art, craft, and design often dissolve. The artist doesn’t just make something to be looked at, but something to be used or worn, while still maintaining a strong visual or material creative identity. The applied arts encompass a range of practices, including ceramics, glasswork, textile design, fashion, furniture design, jewelry design, and object design. What distinguishes these disciplines from art forms such as painting, sculpture, or drawing that are placed further along the center of the typical definition of art is their function. Instead of art for art’s sake, the applied arts have a practical dimension in mind, whether that’s to serve food, furnish a space, hold candles, or make the person wearing the artwork shine. Yet, within that function, there is still immense room for beauty, innovation, storytelling, and cultural reflection.

Artists working in the applied arts are often highly skilled in their use of materials and processes. Their work tends to be labor-intensive, grounded in techniques and a tradition of crafts and the handmade. Unlike commercial art, where the artist executes someone else’s idea, applied artists usually work from their own concepts, often inspired by the material itself. However, because their work has a utilitarian side, they frequently navigate dual expectations: to fulfill functional demands and complete commissions to make their practice viable while maintaining artistic integrity. In terms of audience and career paths, applied artists may sell through design fairs, concept stores, interior designers, specialized design galleries, or as independent designers. However, artists working within the applied arts sphere are not able to enter the art galleries of the high-end art world. There is, however, an increased interest and institutional appreciation for applied arts, think of museums dedicated to fashion or crafts.

3. Fine Arts

Now we arrive at the artistic disciplines that are most commonly associated with the definition of art. Rooted in centuries of artistic tradition, this realm typically includes painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and, more recently, fine art photography. What sets fine arts apart from contemporary art or the decorative art world is the focus on technical mastery and academic aesthetics. This includes academic genres such as landscape painting, nature and wildlife photography, figure drawing, still lifes, portrait painting, or any form of emulation of the Old Masters of the past. Therefore, it is safe to say that innovation or personal expression is inferior to the more traditional conventions of art. As a result, the audience tends to include private collectors, classically minded curators, museums, and foundations that appreciate the historical continuity and material quality of fine art.

The fine artist is most often an independent individual in search of commissions for private collectors who are looking for a pretty picture for their home or collaborations with fine art galleries that focus on this type of art and clientele, which can also be seen as part of the decorative art world (cf. infra). However, as most of these artists paint very similarly, there is a very large pool of artists for a relatively small niche in the art world. Due to this rather conservative approach to art, the higher end of the art world respects fine arts, but it is not what they are looking for, limiting fine artists to work within this niche where craftsmanship is at the center of their career success.

4. Decorative Art

We move further towards the center of arts and now the differences start to become more subtle. That is to say, decorative art also consists predominantly of painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and photography, and we’ll also see a lot of fine art in the decorative art world. However, generally speaking, it values beauty, originality, and personal expression over pure skill or craftsmanship, as it no longer dogmatically holds on to the academic conventions of those artistic disciplines. Although the term “decorative art” has a somewhat negative connotation, implying that it is not true art but merely decoration, it is very close to what one would call high-end contemporary art, differing only in a few subtle nuances. Decorative art often overlaps with contemporary art, and only a seasoned art enthusiast or professional can distinguish them. Yet, from the perspective of an artist, being aware of the difference between the decorative and contemporary art world is crucial.

In a nutshell, the decorative art world is more focused on the visual spectacle of the art—a pretty picture or nice skills, which goes a bit closer to the aforementioned fine arts. They are in search of art that is beautiful and preferably original to sell it to private collector who use it to decorate their home—hence the terminology. This is also exemplified by how they present the works, both in galleries and online. Very often, they will place a painting above a couch or with a chair next to it, to give the clients an impression of how it would look in their home as decoration, whereas in the contemporary art world, this is not done. Therefore, one can also argue that the decorative art world is more transactional and very sales-focused. They do not engage as much with art critics, institutions, and publishing houses, or are not that occupied with the canon of art history. They focus on connecting the art the artist loves to create with the private collector who loves that style for their home.

This comes with a few benefits but also some drawbacks. First and foremost, today, an artist can make those connections themselves. This would be the self-represented career path and realm of the decorative art world, consisting of artists with web shops, building an online audience as influencers following the trends on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, or use online advertising to drive traffic to their webshop to sell their work. Other common strategies are having a mailing list, having open studio days and participating in art world initiatives for self-represented artists such as art festivals exhibiting art in tents, art fairs for independent artists, working with vanity art galleries, or creating their own exhibitions by renting a space. Examples of artists who are successful in representing themselves in this realm are Erin Hansson, Alpay Efe and Werne Bronckhorst—with all strongly differing but self-represented career paths. Whereas these strategies are essential for self-represented artists, they can simultaneously be very harmful if those artists also want to work with contemporary art galleries, illustrating the importance of finding your place and career path where you feel at home.

The main benefits include not having to wait for others and the possibility of seeing short-term results. On the other hand, you will be working in a rather low price range as your work will be valued for a decorative value, your audience are not big art enthusiasts but people who want something nice and affordable for their home, and the entire workload and costs are 100% yours. In short, you will be as much of a business person or influencer as an artist. That is why the galleries of the decorative art world often seem to be more appealing, galleries that also focus on this transaction of finding a new home for an individual artwork. This will liberate the decorative artist from the promotional activities and high costs, and can also give you access to dealer-oriented art fairs and online marketplaces where you can find a more high-end art clientele, hence higher prices and profit margins. A significant drawback, however, is that these galleries want extremely consistent work which might compromise your artistic freedom, you need to produce what they ask—what sells in their gallery—and you become very dependent on them. If the collaboration stops, all sales will stop, and you won’t even know who your past clients were. This is also where you hear the most horror stories of “bad gallerists” that do not return works, demand exclusivity even when they are not selling enough, sell work without informing the artist, or take larger commissions than they say.

Some examples of artists and galleries working within this realm are Alec Monopoly, Alyssa Monks, Mario Matera, Joseph Klibansky, or Eden Gallery, Galleries Bartoux, Villa del Art Galleries, Forum Gallery, or Rarity Gallery. Just by having a look at the works of these artists or the programs of these galleries, you can already see and feel the aesthetic focus of the decorative art world with lots of bright colors, pretty pictures of beautiful women, frontal compositions that are easy-to-consume, and the dominance of figurative art combining skill and expression. Now, let’s compare this with the art of our final category, the contemporary art world.

5. Contemporary Art

Whereas the decorative art world is more focused on the visual spectacle of the art, the contemporary art world is looking for a more refined, experimental, innovative, or unique visual language with more attention to the conceptual foundation of the artworks and how it engages with the canon. This means that art can be paintings, sculptures, prints, or photography, but also more experimental and less decorative or collectible artistic disciplines such as installation, performance, video art, sound art, land art, immersive art, and more. These experimental art forms are only active and successful in the contemporary art world and not in the decorative art world. Art is no longer obligated to be beautiful or collectible.

When it comes to seeing the difference between decorative art and contemporary art in painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, and printmaking, things become a bit trickier. Still, a trained eye can see some apparent differences in aesthetics, compositions, colors, subjects, and subject matter. For instance, in the decorative art world, we’ll see a lot of flashy, shouty, and almost commercial aesthetics based on a visual spectacle, exemplified by the artists and galleries recited in the previous chapter. In contrast, the contemporary art world predominantly has more refined aesthetics, experimental variations of those artistic disciplines, or works that are marked by a conceptual foundation, which is exemplified by artists as Julie Mehretu, Luc Tuymans, Wolfgang Tillmans, Alicja Kwade, and Olufar Eliasson, or galleries such as David Zwirner, Mennour, Perrotin, Pace, Hauser & Wirth, Gagosian, or Lisson Gallery.

Beyond the visual facade of the artwork, there are multiple layers to be discovered. Layers that are not always present in the decorative art world or are less prominent. Whereas meaning in the decorative art world can be pretty easy to consume, communicating the message as clearly as possible, similar to illustration, contemporary art thrives on ambiguity, conflict, hidden references, and a multitude of readings, challenging the viewer and starting a conversation instead of just making a statement or a visual flash of expression and beauty. This is also why the contemporary art world pays more attention to everything surrounding the artwork; think of the attention that goes to the exhibition structure, giving each artwork enough room to breathe instead of packing gallery walls with art to sell as much art as possible, providing materials or activities for critical discourse from press releases to talks and lectures, investing resources in art that is not collectible or sellable yet relevant, and engaging with public institutions and critical voices such as museums, curators, critics art magazines, and more, instead of solely focusing on transactional and commercial collaborations to generate sales.

When it comes to the career paths for contemporary artists, this predominantly depends on your artistic discipline. Artists working in collectible disciplines such as painting, sculpture, drawing, or printmaking will predominantly see their career flourish when focusing on the commercial realm of the contemporary art world. In this case, the most important business partner will be the galleries representing the artist, resulting in sales through gallery exhibitions, dealer-oriented marketplaces, prestigious international art fairs, and other opportunities that come out of the network the gallery to increase the value of the artist’s work through coverage in renowned art magazines, being acquired by institutional collections, and participating in museum shows. For artists working in more experimental artistic disciplines such as video, installation, sound art, land art, performance, digital art, public art, or immersive art, they will be focusing on the institutional realm of the art world to find support and funding to realize their projects and earning an honorarium for their artistic work. Consider applying to open calls for grants, public projects, institutional exhibitions, residencies, and more.

These career paths come with fierce competition, steep learning curves, and the highest demands in terms of quality. However, it is also here where artists can have complete artistic freedom and focus on being artists in the first place. Whereas short-term results are very unlikely, small successes can accumulate over time when thinking long-term, resulting in an organic demand and interest in an artist that lasts, and goes beyond gallery collaborations, promotional activities, or online presence. Artists not only engage with the canon of art history, but they can also become a part of it and leave a lasting mark on art. In this case, prices will exceed the decorative value of art strongly, from a couple of grand for an exciting emerging artist up to multi-million-dollar sales for blue-chip established artists who reach the highest realms of the art world.

If you are interested in navigating the contemporary art world, please visit and consult the resources, tools, and services of CAI Advice for Artists.

Final Thoughts: Fluidity & Influence

Even though the art worlds mentioned above seem to operate in different realms, they often connect. For instance, illustration art and digital illustration are currently influencing the aesthetics in contemporary painting today, as was the case with Pop Art and comic books in the 60s and 70s. Crafts such as ceramics and textiles are being pulled to the center of the art world by artists such as Johan Creten and Sheila Hicks. The high-end decorative art galleries are participating in the same fairs as the lower-end and medium-sized art galleries of the contemporary art world. They are also selling their work through platforms such as Artsy, making it seem like they operate in the same spheres despite their differences in art and working with artists. Furthermore, numerous self-represented artists have found their way to institutions or high-end contemporary art galleries because of their tremendous popularity on social media and beyond, illustrating how these worlds can and may not be seen as isolated entities, but form an enormous web of connections and nuances marked by fluidity instead of rigidity.

Even more important is emphasizing that there is no good or bad here. One could argue that some practices are artistically better, whereas others are skillfully superior. Some realms are more lucrative for the few, whereas others are less lucrative but more stable for the many. Some art forms serve a clear purpose, whereas others only serve as art. Ultimately, it all comes down to the question of what you believe is essential for your artistic practice. What type of artist do you want to be? What type of art do you enjoy the most? And in which realm of these art worlds do you feel at home? Hopefully, having read this article, your path will be clearer—or at the very least, more consciously chosen. There is no universal roadmap, nor is there a right way and a wrong way. Whether you thrive in the gallery circuit, the commercial design world, community-based projects, or digital platforms, what matters most is that your direction feels authentic to you. The diversity of the art world is not a problem to be solved, but a feast. So let’s enjoy it.

Last Updated on May 20, 2025