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

Next, we have art prizes, awards, or contests. When applying for art contests, your work will be analyzed by a jury, before being selected, potentially as a finalist. Generally speaking, the top three receive a cash prize, and the finalists are offered a show at the end of the contest. By doing so, art prizes are a great way to possibly earn some money, but also to get discovered during those exhibitions, and are a great asset to have on your artist resume.

Even if you are only selected for an art prize, you receive a symbolic validation and recognition of the art world that your work matters and is any good, making your profile as an artist more appealing and increases the chances of getting invited by a gallery or a collector acquiring your work later in time, possibly monetizing your efforts with art prizes indirectly at a later stage in your career.

But please note there are different types of art contests; it is clear to say some are better than others. In the past few years, there has been an increase when it comes to new art prizes—most often online art prizes. However, I would call them vanity art contests in the same vein as vanity art galleries, as their business model is based on the application fees paid by artists, with as their main objective making a profit instead of highlighting and showcasing talented artists.

As a result, try to identify the good art prizes from the vanity art contests. Some key indicators are the applications fees, the jury, the history of the art contest, the entity organizing the contest, and the exhibition at the end:

• An application fee is normal, but the very best art prizes are actually free of charge because they are funded by public institutions.
• When it comes to the jury; if they have actually established artists or influential figures in the art world in the jury, then the art prize is legit and will actually mean something and be able to have a positive impact on your career as an artist. If your work is recognized by a renowned art critic, it will have a much stronger effect compared to an anonymous jury or a jury of a group of people that are entirely unknown in the art industry.
• Another key indicator for a good art contest is if there is a long-standing history with previous winners being established artists today.
• Further, if the entity organizing the contest is a public institution, a renowned art magazine, a museum, an art foundation, or a government-related initiative, the art prize will most likely be a good one. Whereas if the organizing entity is an Instagram page or a less-prestigious online art magazine, chances are you are dealing with a vanity art contest.
• And most importantly, if there is an actual physical exhibition at the end of the show, where visitors can see your work in person, the art contest will be probably an interesting one. So go for it!

5. Public Art & Project Open Calls

To complete the list of art opportunities where you can make money as an artist, improve your artist resume, and generate more interest and natural demand for your work, we have open calls for public art and projects.

With public art and projects, there is a public vacancy for a specific project—be it a public artwork or an exhibition project. These open calls will have specific criteria they are looking for in your application, set out a clear budget, and have their own agenda in terms of what message your art should communicate or what topic you should cover.

As a result, one could argue you are less free as an artist with these open calls, and you have to tailor your art to the expectations and criteria of the vacancy. However, as with the residencies, stipends, grants, and contests, these projects are also a great asset on your artist resume and an industry-approved way of earning money as an artist.

As with our previous art opportunities, we highly recommend Artenda to find public art and project open calls.

6. Art Fairs

Up next, we have art fairs. If you are represented by a gallery, it is possible they show your work at art fairs to increase your international visibility and generate extra sales. However, art fairs are also an opportunity to earn money by yourself without gallery representation. In fact, especially in the United States, there is a vibrant culture and industry of artists renting booths at art fairs and festivals in order to make a profit.

However, representing yourself is in the art world seen as a role conflict. You are both the creative soul behind the work of art, but simultaneously you must also act as a salesman, putting your artistic integrity at risk and coming off as commercial—or as not successful; hence you have to represent yourself and not have a gallery doing it for you. Further, this culture of self-represented artists at art fairs often shows and sells their work more as decoration instead of art, filling those booths with so much art one can hardly see the wall, resulting in a less high-end feel and overall tone compared to the renowned art fairs.

Nevertheless, there are numerous artists who are making good money with this strategy. Please note that all the risk, logistics, and costs are at your expense, and sometimes sales will not be what you expected them to be, resulting in a negative balance, making you lose money instead of making money.

Generally speaking, I am personally not a big fan of this strategy, but it has proven to be very lucrative for some. It enables you to make some decent money in the short term but will possibly hold you back from high-tier gallery representation, so you’ll hit a ceiling at a certain point sooner rather than later. So it all comes down to what type of artist you want to be. Do you want to be an artist pursuing to highest achievable goal in the traditional art world, possibly having to wait longer for results without any guarantees for success? Or do you want to be an artist representing yourself, being both an artist and a businessman or woman?

7. Online Market Places

Up next, we have online marketplaces and selling your work online. If you have a decent Instagram following, chances are you will be able to sell some work directly to clients across the globe—which is great! The transaction takes place directly and discretely. However, it is also possible to sell your work online more publicly using online marketplaces.

Here, it is clear to say there are two different types of online marketplaces. First, there are industry-approved marketplaces such as Artsy or 1stDibbs. These marketplaces have a high standard and only accept artists represented by approved galleries and dealers. These online marketplaces are a great way to sell works online and actually improve your credibility as an artist as it illustrates that you are being represented by a gallery or a dealer.

Then there are also the online marketplaces that do not require a gallery or a dealer for you to sell your work online—think of the likes of Saatchi, Mutualart, Fine Art America, Singulart, or even Etsy. Here, (almost) anybody can upload their art and start selling, resulting in an immensely oversaturated offer of artists who are unable to find gallery representation, almost begging for a sale.

Therefore, the results of those online art marketplaces are tremendously underwhelming, and you will be associated with those unsuccessful artists, decreasing your credibility and chances of being invited by a serious gallery. It also shows your prices to everyone, lacking discretion and price flexibility, which can be harmful if you would have a gallery that wants to work with you.

In short, avoid online marketplaces except for the ones that have a strict and high-quality selection process via acknowledged dealers and galleries. Some platforms will say they have a high-quality screening process and you have been accepted, but this simply is a flattering poaching strategy to attract more artists to their platform.

8. Art Prints

Selling art prints is another opportunity to make money. It is still industry-accepted, but it is a lot less lucrative, hence the lower ranking on our list. Especially when the natural demand is rather low for your work, it would be naïve to expect life-changing results by offering some art prints. Simultaneously, it can also devaluate your original works of art, offering a multicum next to the unicum.

Nevertheless, you can maintain your full artistic integrity and offer work for sale at a lower price. Art prints can work well at art fairs or during an exhibition, where you offer a signed and numbered limited edition print of one or possibly two artworks. Do not go crazy on the edition. Especially for emerging artists, I would advise you to print no more than fifteen copies of a single artwork.

Please note printing your art in a qualitative and professional manner is not cheap either, so you could ask yourself, is it worth it? In some cases, it is, but I would advise only doing art prints in collaboration with your gallery on their initiative.

9. Commissions

Another way to make some money is by accepting commissions. In this case, a collector approaches you to create an artwork on demand, most often with a specific subject in mind. A great benefit is that the artwork you’ll be creating is sold from the start, but the rather important downside is that it may confine your artistic freedom and even your integrity.

In some cases, the collector will ask for one of your characteristic pieces and will request specific dimensions or colors. In my humble opinion, this is the best way to do commissions. However, in some cases, they will decide the entire artwork—from dimensions to color, to the subject, and the composition—and your role as an artist is reduced to being a craftsman, executing their idea.

This is, of course, less industry-accepted and might be harmful to your career, so be very discrete when you do accept these commissions and make sure to clearly differentiate your commissions from your so-called artistic oeuvre.

10. Art Books

Selling art books or artist editions is another industry-accepted way of making money as an artist, but here—as with the art prints—it is also rather difficult to make this a profitable strategy. Book printing is very expensive and very time-consuming. Further, you will already need to have an audience or a collectors base to see some book sales to make up the costs, let alone make a profit.

Art books can also function as a statement or a printed portfolio. Especially for photographers, art books are a great way to show your work beyond the traditional exhibition format. Having a monographic publication is also terrific to have on your resume and increases your credibility as an artist. However, ironically, the artists who can make money from monographic art books are the ones that are already doing really well financially, hence the lower ranking in this list.

11. Art Speaker

From this point on in our list, we encounter a number of ways how to make money as an artist beyond being an artist. One could call them art-related side hustles but that could make a nice chunk of money or even improve your credibility as an artist and, in some cases, harm it. As a result, we’ll expand and illustrate them a bit less than our previous most-important ways to make money as an artist, but we’ll still discuss everything you need to know.

The first art-related way of making money is as an art speaker. Share your experiences as an artist, participate in discussions on contemporary art, inspire others, and be involved in the art world from a different perspective and in a different role.

Although it is rather hard to find a job as an art speaker, they offer some good money, you do not necessarily require an academic background, and they profile you as an authority on a specific subject, increasing your credibility in the art world. Being an art speaker is also something that can be added to your artist resume.

12. Art Curator

In a similar vein, you could also work as an art curator. There are numerous artists who also work as curators; think of Luc Tuymans or Damien Hirst. The artist-curator is most often seen as an intellectual authority in the art scene. As a result, adding this dimension to your profile as an artist is once again very beneficial for your credibility.

Furthermore, working in the art industry will possibly result in getting to know people that might be influential for you as an artist. By doing so, you are networking as an artist while earning a living as a curator.

Please note that becoming a curator is not as easy or straightforward. It does require some experience and knowledge and is most often accompanied by a degree in art history or curatorial studies, whereas art speakers do not necessarily need this professional experience or academic background.

13. Art Teacher

Another great combination is being both an artist and an art teacher. Here you can share your skills and knowledge and make a living while creating art, albeit in an academic context, with the objective of educating and not developing your oeuvre.

This is a very common combination and thus is accepted by the art world. You teach the basics of your artistic disciplines without spilling your personal secrets and characteristic techniques, all taking place in an established and accepted setting. So if you have the chance to do this and you enjoy it, do not hesitate!

14. Patreon

Patreon is an alternative way to get paid as a creator or artist. By doing so, your followers, fans, or in this case, patrons, have the opportunity to support you by paying a small monthly contribution. Although I am a big fan of this idea and platform, I do not think it is the most effective way to make money as an artist.

To make a decent amount of money on Patreon, you need a rather large and supportive audience, so it probably will not make a difference. Further, it is not common at all in the art world, so it is a bit strange. However, it is not something too commercial, so it will not harm your integrity as an artist too much.

15. Crowd-Funding

Crowd-funding is another way to generate money in order to realize a project. It often happens when an artist fails to get a grant or stipend to complete a specific project. So they set up a crowd-funding. When done right, crowd-funding is kind of accepted in the art world, but it does not communicate an image of success either.

On the other hand, whereas crowd-funding can be effective in finding the resources to realize a project, this does not yet guarantee that you will have any money for yourself. And if you would set up crowd-funding, not for a specific project, but simply so you can make art and still pay the bills, then it would be frowned upon because it does not really seem right. In this case, Patreon is the better option.

16. Starting a YouTube Channel

YouTube is arguably the only social media platform with a clear and effective monetization strategy. You create content, the content results in views, and the views result in ad income—clear as day. However, even though YouTube can be incredibly powerful in building a following and also earning some money, it is still somewhat frowned upon in the art world.

However, I strongly believe this is changing with all major art galleries, institutions, magazines, platforms, and now also some renowned artist’s studios being active on YouTube. The most important thing is the overall tone and style of your channel and video content. If you create professional videos in which you don’t sell out or use clickbait titles and thumbnails, it won’t do you any harm. In fact, I have encountered some artists talking about their work that I really enjoyed.

On the other hand, if you opt to go for a ‘vlogging’ style channel where you are chasing views for the sake of views, you might earn some income via video ads or sponsors, but it will destroy your chances of having a career as a full-time artist. So here you’ll have to ask yourself, do I want to be a YouTuber or an artist? If tend towards artistic integrity, the YouTube results will be rather poor, and if you tend towards possibly good YouTube results, your artistic integrity might collapse.

As a result, having a YouTube channel is currently ranked rather low on this list, but I do think it could move up a few places in the foreseeable future.

17. Starting an Art Blog

When it comes to starting a blog as an art-related side hustle, I would strongly advise doing this discretely, especially not on your own artist website. Keep your blog and profile as an artist as separate as possible, and even avoid using your actual name or artist name on your blog.

Blogging about your own art will not result in any decent income, nor will it do you any good for your career as an artist—the contrary. You can start a blog on art and try to monetize it with ads and affiliate products, but please know that this is a long shot due to the tremendous competition and established authorities in this niche.

18. Offering Online Art Courses

Another art-related side hustle is offering online art courses on platforms such as Skillshare. Whereas being an art teacher is still accepted in the art industry due to the official setting and the nature of the courses/lessons, selling your artistic secrets and techniques online is really on the verge of losing your artistic integrity.

It, of course, depends on how you share your knowledge and what you share. For instance, if you would share the basic principles of your medium—as one would do as an art teacher—and you do it in a professional manner, you are probably all good. However, it is still rather strange and risky, so the real question is if it is worth it. As a result, I would advise you not to.

19. Affiliate Marketing as an Artist on Your Social Media

If you try to earn some money by promoting products on your social media as an artist, you are being way too commercial, and your credibility as an artist will collapse instantly. Further, only if you have a tremendous amount of followers this strategy will be able to make you some money. But even then, it is not worth it to jeopardize your chances in the art world for a quick buck.

20. Merchandise and Print-On-Demand

We conclude our list with merchandise and print-on-demand, where your artwork can be printed and sold on t-shirts, coffee mugs, caps, handbags, and so on. This is an artistic death warrant. If you are an illustrator or a creative soul looking to make some money, be my guest. But if you are an artist who wants to make it in the art world, do not do it!

This is one of those things to make money that one can find on almost any list on the internet on how to make money as an artist. But in reality, and especially in the long run, this will make you miss out on any potential good money. Therefore, think long-term, not short-term.

Final Thoughts: Short-Term versus Long-Term

It is clear to say that there are numerous ways to make money as an artist, and they all have their plus, cons, challenges, and opportunities. Options one to five are, without any doubt, the most effective and the most industry-accepted ways to earn money as an artist. To go full-time, you must think in the long term and do everything you can to create that natural demand for your work.

The short-term alternatives, such as representing yourself at art fairs, online art marketplaces, and art-related side hustles, are arguably ways to make some money fast. However, as they are frowned upon in the art world, you will hit a ceiling sooner rather than later, preventing you from growing any further as an actual artist.

Therefore, we always advise you to have a good work-life-art balance. Find a stable source of income in the form of a normal job, or preferably a job related to art—think of becoming an art handler, creating art frames, as staff in a museum, or working in an art supplies store. Make sure to have enough free time to dedicate to your art, so it can grow slowly but surely, without having to make any artistic compromises to make money fast with your art because it will not work. Trying to go full-time too soon is something to avoid at all times. You’ll either starve or jeopardize your long-term success to have a full-time career.

Focus on creating the best art possible, work on your profile as an artist, and be involved in the art world to increase your chances of getting discovered. If you have the patience, talent, and the correct information available on how things work in the art world, you will be able to make good money and go full-time, living the dream job that many are pursuing.

Therefore, feel free to consult our articles on How To Get Discovered as an Artist, How To Become A Successful Self-Taught Artist in 6 Steps, How To Succeed As An Artist, and 8 Mistakes Artists Make next—or request personalized 1-on-1 career advice here.

Last Updated on August 30, 2024