How Feminist Artists Actually Make Money
Being a feminist artist sounds rad — but just how the hell do you make money doing it?
Even if you graduate with honors from the most prestigious BFA program you can find, chances are no one’s gonna be lining up to pay you for art when you graduate. That’s why the “starving artist” trope is real AF. Toss feminism or any sort of controversy into your work, and you’ll have even fewer people lining up to buy it because as much as Instagram might love it, middle America isn’t trying to pay big bucks to hang sick radical art in their living rooms.
So while the finished product of the art hustle is the part we get to enjoy, it’s hard to know for sure what happens behind the scenes. How much does it actually pay to be a creative in the art world, when it all comes down to it?
Galore sat down with artists like the Kaplan twins and Madelyne Beckels to learn exactly what the art hustle is like.
Interviews by Tonya Burks and Gabrielle Noel
READ MORE: Magical Melanin: 25 Black Women Who Are Killing It Right Now
1. Anais Abeigon | Brooklyn, NY | Instagram: @izaaesthetic
How does feminism inform your art?
I wouldn’t say feminism plays a role in all my art pieces but a decent chunk. I made a sculpture that depicted a crown of thorns out of wire coat hangers covered in “blood”, and incorporated a “warning: not for internal use” sign. I want to start doing more political pieces, especially street art.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
I’m a full time student, I work part time at the Museum of Natural History, and I have an internship. I make money from the museum to spend it on art supplies. I wish I had the time to be a full time artist but as of right now, art is a hobby and side hustle. In the meantime, an Etsy and RedBubble account are in the works! I also have an Instagram for my art as well as the galleries I’ll be displaying my work.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
I’m into spray paint, which isn’t cheap but I’m also into charcoal which is like $3. Each piece differs. I can spend $5 on a piece and $100 on another.
I wish I had more time to dedicate to art. Every break or holiday my school offers, I’m most likely home making art. I minor in art though, so I find way to make time for it even being a student. My notebooks actually have extremely detailed drawings in them, shading and all! Sorry to all the professors that have to see me more interested in a drawing than their lesson!
How much does art actually pay off?
People have become very unreasonable when buying art. They expect great pieces for such a low value, not considering the money spent to make the piece, the time spent finessing it, and the love the artist has for it. Art is supposed to make you feel something! You wouldn’t jip your masseuse, would you? I once had a man tell me I was charging too much for my charcoal body piece. I was charging $300 at the time, frame included. Because I was a beginning artist he wanted it for $100, uh what?! Never let someone determine how much your piece is worth to you.
2. Carmen Morenna | Rio De Janeiro, Brazil | Instagram: @furplies
How does feminism inform your art?
It inspires me to portray women as we are and how we are game changers in this society. It makes me crush perfectionism and focus more on the message that I’m trying to send.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
I dedicate any time that I have inspiration to do it, so as much time as possible.
I’m a huge penny-pincher! It hurts me a lot when I have to buy a new paint or a new canvas! But I can’t say no because it’s what makes me happy, so I buy it anyway. An acrylic paint usually costs around 4,50 reais — a bit expensive in Brazil’s economic view. I’m just really thankful for my mother, she supports me a lot. She helps me to buy supplies when I can’t and and someday I hope to pay all back to her.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
A mix between those two. Social anxiety and depression have been really holding me back but I’m trying to battle it. I help my mom in the real estate field and at her store, but when I’m feeling really inspired to draw or paint I go and do what I have to do.
I wish I could only work with what I love, which is art, but maybe in the future. I managed to find some jobs as an illustrator and I sold a few drawings and paintings. Currently, I’m doing designs for T-shirts and selling on a website called TeePublic. At the end of the month, I get a certain amount and I can say that helps a lot thanks to everybody supporting me.
How do you balance art and other hustles?
I always take paper and a graphic pencil with me to anywhere I go. When I’m at the store, between the comings and goings of customers, I like to doodle what I see outside, a current situation, or how I’m feeling inside. A lot of ideas happen around these moments and when I get home at night, I start to work on them.
How much does art actually pay off?
Creating art is an amazing feeling and that really pays off. Only that feeling doesn’t pay bills and art supplies, right? I think about this constantly but when that moment comes and you sell something you created, it’s so damn good. I was told all the time that art wouldn’t give me money and that I had to do something that would make me rich as fast as possible. But these things take a bit of time and as you start seeing results, how people like your work, it’s amazing! Keep exposing your work, there are lots of people that would love what you do.
3. Nicole Chui | London, UK | Instagram: @thatsewnicole
How does feminism inform your art?
Mainly through reclaiming and reinterpreting the traditional view of embroidery being a “domestic woman’s work.” A lot of the time, embroidery gets this rep for being delicate, pretty, girly, and feeble, which I’m not! I think my remix of this traditional skill represents our generation of females and youths now, as we’re becoming more honest and outspoken! It’s really cool and very important because I feel like female artists nowadays have allowed more discussions to be heard around the world.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
I’d like to say I invest a lot of time into my work, as embroidery isn’t one of those things you can just slap on a surface and call it “art.” I do it anytime I’m in my room not doing anything, every week I’ll produce new pieces.
In terms of money I spend mostly on printing images, magazines and buying embroidery thread. For thread though, I make sure I buy in bulk if I’m in Hong Kong before coming back to London. Usually I spend at least 12 quid and that would be a huge chunk of multi-coloured thread to last me the year.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
It’s more of a side hustle at the moment since I’m studying at university. I’ve been doing what I do since I was a high school student, but this time it’s getting a bit more serious. I’m hoping to push this to higher levels. So my main hustle is finishing my degree at the moment but I do sell a ton of clothes and good quality valuable items I’ve never used on a depop account I share with my sister (@natalierachelpearl).
Other than that, paid creative assisting jobs also fund me! I’m graduating really soon and will work in fashion doing shoot production or assisting so it’s still within the creative field. You’ll definitely see me do art full time someday though. I promise I’ll find a way to make it happen — I always do!
How do you balance art and other hustles?
I integrate it into my life so it doesn’t seem like work. I’m currently including it into my final project at uni, which is a series of zines called “Fem” exploring contemporary female identities in streetwear and subculture (@femfamzine). I’m open to doing more interesting and fulfilling collaborations and holding an exhibition one day.
How much does art actually pay off?
I started selling lots of my pieces through Instagram as I was constantly getting DMs about it and people were sharing my work a lot. The money generally went towards my monthly travel card and groceries which is more than I expected, considering I’m still studying and living in London. I do a multitude of things outside of selling art for pay whilst being at uni, especially the paid assisting work on photoshoots and stuff, but everyone around me who’s in fashion or art doesn’t just do ‘one thing’ to survive in the city. I’m thankful to have supportive parents, but I think it’s fairly normal to be extending your options for bread while still being able to successfully push your art.
4. Brooklyn White | NY, United States | Instagram: @brooklynwhite5
How does feminism inform your art?
Feminism informs my life. I’ve learned so much about the importance of boundaries and assertiveness from the feminists in my immediate circle. I’m not good at separating my existence and experiences from my art, so all that I learn spills over into my work. I like to include positive affirmations in my ongoing series of portraits of women.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
I invest at least 20% of each day to art — and that percentage only drops that low when I’m swamped. And I’ve been homeless before but still managed to buy markers and a sketchbook, so I’m always willing to cash out for my craft.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
Thinking of art as my side hustle is like dating someone for 2 years and calling them your homegirl to your homies. Although I have a lot of of things going at any given time, art is my first love! We are in a committed relationship — this is a full time thang, boo.
Even though art is forever the queen of my heart, I have a full-time job at heymama, a content and membership-based website that’s a network of entrepreneurial mothers. In addition to my Monday–Friday job, I write digital pieces for Teen Vogue and share illustrations on Rookie Mag’s website. I’ve also sold one of my pieces to Noisey before and designed custom jackets, too! With all that though, I still create time and space to work on pieces just for personal reasons. I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve stayed up doodling in my sketchbook or working on pieces in Microsoft Paint just because I wanted to.
How do you balance art and other hustles?
I don’t consciously balance art and other hustles! I mess up when I try to be really rigid and ordered about allocating time for everything. I just live and the balance comes to me.
How much does art actually pay off?
There is money in art! For me, it’s been about being proactive and seeking paying opportunities and also being vocal about wanting to be paid for my work. I don’t ball out on people (yet) and charge like 10k for a painting because I’m not in that zone currently. With that being said, I’ll charge like $60/$75 for a flyer in MS paint, $40 for a jacket. I know who can pay $200 for a piece vs who can’t. It’s a knowledge and relationship game.
5. Daniela Cristiana | San Felipe, Mexico | @danielacristianaart
How does feminism inform your art?
I believe that we are living in a crucial time where women in America can do anything, be anything, and achieve everything with work and dedication. I’m inspired by those women that have the strength and voice to pursue what they believe in while staying true to roots.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
I’m managing my own business at the moment. I love to build relationships with my clients, so I do face to face communication as much as possible. When that’s not possible, clients can DM me through my Instagram. My Instagram is my gallery for those unable to make it to my shows.
I’ve been working in the fashion industry for many years now with a lot of companies and designers in visual art direction, styling, and directing fashion shows, photo shoots and have been involved in various projects throughout my career here in the states and in Mexico that has contributed to maintaining an income to support my art business and its development.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
It’s a constant movement — it’s every second and minute of my life. My mind never stops creating. I can’t turn it off. Maintaining a budget can be difficult, but necessary. What’s worked for me is that I have my business mentor that understands my creative process and challenges me to also know and learn the business side to all of this. It helps me to keep my business on track and towards a direction of growth. Each artist is different. I invest in my key materials that keeps my aesthetic and style alive and going. I know that by having those materials with me I know I can constantly be working every single day. It just depends on the what I’m creating. I always work with different mediums from sand paper to coconuts.
How do you balance art and other hustles?
Its definitely been a challenge for me. I have learned to maintain a healthy balance between my wardrobe consulting and building my art business at the same time. But it’s doable. I learned to manage both and be inspired to style and create at the same time and use both to fuel each other.
How much does art actually pay off?
At first I wasn’t selling my work. I was creating to make a movement for myself, because I felt frustrated not being able to move to a major city where I would find my dream job. One day it hit me that I needed to create that for myself, first from where I was standing. So then, I started working and throwing it out into the universe through IG, mainly to express myself and to see what reaction I would get from people. And when you are the most honest and vulnerable is when you get a reaction and honest response from your audience.
I can say that my goal has always been to have my art income get closer and closer to my full-time job income. So, every month I review my art income to my full time income and if it’s anywhere near or close every month I know I’m headed in the right direction. Because I want this to be my world and life. It could be different for someone else. For me, it’s a realistic goal and so far it’s been working for me. I’m close to having it be, if not almost, my full income each month. I’ve paid must of my bills each month with pieces that I’ve sold. Because at the end of the day if my art is making me more income than my full time job at some point, I would have to make the decision of dedicating my life to my art business. That should be every artist’s goal.
I used to be afraid of pricing my work when I started selling pieces. But people will respect you more when you start respecting your work. Don’t be afraid of charging and pricing your work for what it’s worth. Just because you’re up and coming doesn’t mean your work is less and not worth much.
6. Madelyne Beckles | Toronto, Canada | @bellhoox
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
I would say that question is somewhat reversed… unless you come from an enormously privileged background, it’s really difficult to be a full time artist with no other source of income. Additionally, I would argue that it’s near impossible for art to be a side hustle as it takes a lot of energy, time, research, introspection, and vulnerability.
When I do get paid for my work, it’s usually from live performances. Unfortunately, it’s somewhat rare to be paid for your participation in gallery shows, even though artists invest their time, money, and labor. Unless you sell a piece (even then, the gallery gets a cut), you will not necessarily be compensated. I would note, however, that making money isn’t necessarily my main intention with being an artist, and I think many would agree with me. Not to be cheesy, but I make art to express myself, and that’s the first and foremost catalyst for my making work.
That being said, in Canada we have government funding and resources set in place for arts programming and individual artists. There are quite a few grants available for young and emerging talent to create work, which I feel very lucky for!
I’ve worked every job — from retail, to service, to cleaning houses, DJ-ing, etc. Right now, I work an office admin job three days a week.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
All of it — I have no choice! If you’re given the chance to show some work or create new work, most of the time the platform is the only thing promised to an artist, and in turn it is their responsibility to make magic happen — i.e. invest all of their time in money into the project in hopes that it will get attention, and thus lead to other opportunities.
There’s a really great initiative happening online that I recommend checking out called GET ARTISTS PAID that aims to change the discourse in free labour, to uncover the myth of “exposure” as exploitation, and to promote critical creation and consumption of art and ideas.
How do you balance art and other hustles or managing day to day life?
It’s very difficult! As an artist, when you are presented with opportunities, you have to say yes to everything, because you’re worried that the opportunity may never come up again, or that if you say no, people will think you’re not interested and therefore not serious about your work. This means balancing and choosing between your art practice, your job that actually pays you, your time, your money, your relationships, and your mental health and self preservation — it’s not for the weak! I’ve just been working non-stop for the past two months, which not only includes taking time away from my job, my boyfriend, and my cat, but also means a lot of traveling, loosing sleep, not having time to do laundry, or groceries, etc.
It’s important to take time and retreat, not only to rest your body, but to have some time to think, read, watch movies, hang out with people… to get inspired! I’ve just decided that for the month of June I’m gonna lay low and say no, so that I can start the summer season with a bit more clarity. But then again, if something incredible comes up…
How much does art actually pay off?
Art pays off if you have the desire to create! It’s amazing to have platforms to show your work and I’m always grateful for opportunities, but it’s definitely a struggle. There’s kind of a joke in the art world that female artists historically don’t get recognition for their work until they are dead. This is definitely changing because of the accessibility of the internet — you are more able to self-represent and form communities online outside of the traditional gallery setting, but it’s hard to make money from art. We are all struggling to feel legitimized in our practices, but there are always moments of refuge when you are part of a show or make a piece that you are really proud of, and I think that’s why we do what we do anyway.
7. Kayla Scurry | Brooklyn, NY | @kaylunaaa
How does feminism inform your art?
Women have always been the center of my art, I could relate more to how they look. I always describe women as having these soft curved lines. It makes it easier to seamlessly paint or sketch them, allowing all lines to flow into each other and telling that story effortlessly.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
I’m not a full-time artist, but honestly, any person who is an artist works full-time. I first started to consider art a hustle about two years ago when I was working at a hair salon that literally drained my soul. I would work tiring hours just to come home late with no motivation to create. At the same time, the art in my home had started to leave me with no space so I decided to sit on my block and sell. I loved it so much. Just simply meeting people, sitting out in the sun, and enjoying my free time birthed this determination to create. I would stay up every night until 2-3 a.m. and paint until my eyes burned just so I had new paintings for my neighborhood supporters. I didn’t care how tired I was the next day at work, that grind literally tossed me into this side of the art world I never knew I could personally experience. That it was possible to create and share and be able to make money.
Technically, art is my side hustle and I currently work in an elementary school, which I truly love. I have a ton of space to create freely now. I’m finally working towards building a career around children and art. I sell my paintings through my social media, and on sunny days, on the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan. Those street sales and social media dropoff sales fund my art life. I keep everything simple and minimal because the only goal for me is to create.
How do you balance art and other hustles?
Everything in my life is art. The men I date, the food I eat, all of the outside world, down to the pillows in my room. Art is the basis of life so there isn’t really a balance with art and any other hustles for me, they’re all mixed up together.
8. Sydney Vaught | Raleigh, NC | @flame.works
How does feminism inform your art?
A lot of the art I create is inspired by or of strong inspirational women who many people like myself look up to. When creating original pieces I always depict the women as powerful beings because that’s exactly what women are, powerful. Frida Kahlo is a big inspiration in my art, she ignored the norms that everyone else followed — not only in art but how she lived — and I hope to get to a level of depth in my art like she has one day.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
Selling art is more of a side hustle but I’ll claim the “full-time” title in the future. My main hustle is currently school, but I do have a part-time job to fund my art supplies.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
I invest LOTS of time and money into my art. I can sometimes spend over seven hours behind a computer screen creating an illustration or hours repainting the same eyeball over and over because it’s not up to my standards. I try to finesse deals or sales at local craft stores for the best bargain because after a while, canvases and paint bottles add up. In the end, I make sure I take my time so that I can put my best work out there for others to enjoy.
How do you balance art and other hustles?
I try to integrate art into everything because at the end of the day, I enjoy creating. If I have a project for school, I’ll try to pull my creativity out and hope that it boosts my motivation.
9. Heidi Wong | New York, NY | @heidiwongofficial
How does feminism inform your art?
Despite enforcing diversity and giving voices to artists who belong to marginalized groups, I still feel as if the art industry is dominated by straight cisgender white men. While I tend to create works that are more personal than sociopolitical commentaries, as a third culture woman of color, I feel as if my persistence in fighting for my art is in itself a form of feminist empowerment.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
I don’t think I’d be considered a full time artist right now, but art will never be a side hustle for me either. I’m currently studying creative writing and art at Hamilton College, where I’m trying to both focus on academics and use my experiences here to create as much art as possible.
I’m not currently selling any works, but I have before. I’ve sold art on national TV in China for $43,000, which was donated entirely towards leukemia treatment for children in rural China. I’ve considered selling works in galleries in the future, perhaps after I graduate from college.
If I were to be asked what my official “occupation” is at this point, I would probably have to say student, but it only feels that way because I’m living on a college campus. Essentially, art will be a part of my life regardless of what I do — it’s come to a point where I don’t think it’s a choice anymore. I could be the busiest student on campus, or a college graduate with a stable 9-to-5 job, and art will still be the one thing that strings everything in my life together.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
Because my college’s art department provides some materials I need for painting, I don’t invest as much money as I probably would. It’s still a solid investment to buy all the canvases and extra materials I need though. As for time, I almost spend every waking minute thinking about art, which definitely has to do with synesthesia. In times when my synesthesia is particularly heightened, I see the world as a painting. Every word I read is a color, and so is every person I meet, and the emotions I feel.
Once my painting professor took me outside the studio and said to paint what’s in front of me, so I painted an orange and purple sky with green highlights. Everyone is able to see the world in its original, natural state. Art and life, for me, has no distinct separation. I want people to see what it’s like to live in art.
How do you balance art and other hustles?
I don’t feel as if it’s a balancing act, it’s more like everything in my life moves along and art encompasses everything. I don’t even feel like I need to make time for art, because whether or not I create is out of my control — it’s something I will do, must do, am made to do.
I remember getting insanely frustrated that one of my paintings wasn’t coming along the way I wanted, so eventually I dropped everything and said “I’m never painting again,” took a walk around campus, came right back to the studio, and painted for another seven hours. To me, that is what it means to be an artist.
10. Maya Ajani | Greenville, SC | @preadolescentboy
How does feminism inform your art?
Feminism informs my art because looking back at the history of art, a majority of the art that gains recognition is made by men, for men, and sometimes even against women. It’s common for notable female artists to get left out in art movements. Being a female artist in a patriarchal society is hard, especially if you’re a black female artist because the world is constantly against you. I love making art to uplift my people. I make art to retaliate against living in an unjust patriarchal society. I make art that is representational so that brown and black girls can envision themselves in my work. It’s reassuring to me when people tell me they can relate to my work and resonate with it.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
I’m actually a full-time student studying graphic design at Coastal Carolina University. I’m just now finishing up my freshman year so making art is my side hustle. It’s dope because I’m doing what I actually want to do while still getting the education thing down. The summer is going to be a more productive time for me as I’ll have more free time to work on my art and commissions.
I’m fortunate enough to get the opportunity to participate in local art shows. Whenever I do shows, I make art prints to sell at the show and network. I’ve met so many cool people through the couple of shows that I’ve done. Local shows are dope because you get to meet other creatives that you didn’t even know lived in your area. It took me a minute because I procrastinate a lot, but I just recently opened up an online store to sell my prints. I receive so much support from people all over the world and I’m very grateful for my supporters, they help motivate me to not be lazy and actually make some art.
If I’m not busy in school and I’m on a break, I’ll make money serving tables at this local restaurant back home. It’s just a regular little waitress job, nothing special. It’s easy pocket money that I can use to buy materials for my art, making and selling prints, and buying food haha.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
A majority of my time and money goes into my art. It consumes so much of my energy and time especially when I’m working on a big piece. I really appreciate taking my time with my work to fill it with sentimental details. I feel like the more energy and patience I put into a piece, the better it turns out. My money goes to the materials I need to draw and make prints. Copic markers are my favorite medium yet they’re so expensive, so whenever I get money I’m always trying to cop new markers or refills. Along with that printer ink to make art prints is also very expensive so making prints in general costs me a lot of my money. But I look at it this way, all the time and money I put into my art is an investment. So I don’t mind putting in the extra time and money when it comes to my art as it’s pays off in the end.
How do you balance art and other hustles?
Balancing art and school is pretty hard. If I’m not working on a project for school I’m probably making art prints in my dorm room. I have to choose between getting an assignment done for class or working on my own stuff. I usually draw in my sketchbook in class like during a lecture or something. I find that to be very productive because it’s hard for me to sit in a lecture without doodling or something.
11. Benita Bamfo | Brooklyn, NY | @AKOS_22
How does feminism inform your art?
I’ve never actually considered myself a feminist. My art is geared towards the celebration of the African American woman. The life of the Black woman is a beautiful celebration of the human spirit, thus I am compelled to create an ample body of work dedicated to us. My work examines the ideas of femininity and race and the complexity and vulnerability not often associated with being a black woman based on the socio-cultural stereotypes assigned to us.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
After graduating, at the beginning of the recession, my transition into the art field felt…impossible. Even internships were difficult to come by. Jobs were scarce, even if you held a Master’s degree. So, I took up a couple administrative positions to pay the bills alongside a few internships, but never really dove in head first. After leaving my last administrative position, on a maternity leave, I was able to stay at home with my now 18 month old son and refocus full-time on my art career once again.
A couple years back, I found out about a site that allowed me to upload high res images of my pieces in order to have them duplicated as canvas, giclee prints, or even on outerwear and home decor. I’ve been able to make some sales via that site and obtain a small commission. Alternatively, I also joined another website that allows me to upload original pieces, fully priced, and have them sold through their third party site. They take care of all the legalities of the transaction with no commission to their company. To supplement this inconsistent cash flow, I enter juried art shows and competitions. These shows are great for exposure, experience and in some cases creative critique.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
With this time period being my transition, as much as I’d love to spend night and day in the studio, I spend the majority of my time researching and educating myself further on the market. I’m constantly keeping an eye out for what’s new in the contemporary art world and comparing it to historical art periods. It allows me to continuously evolve in my various mediums of art and refine my vision.
How do you balance art and other hustles?
Right now, my number one priority is being a mom. However, whatever time in the course of a 24-hour day that I can sneak in an art article or two behind a locked bathroom door, jot down some creative ideas while singing the ABC’s with Elmo or serial scrolling on IG through my favorite art influencer’s page during a walk to the park, I’ll squeeze it in between diaper changes, messy meal times, screaming fits, playtime, and cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Does art actually pay off?
Consistency, tenacity and determination are key to having a lucrative art career. Connections are pretty huge too, so networking really works in your favor. Flexibility has proven helpful to me as well. Although painting, printmaking and drawing are what I’ve been trained in, I’ve also taken interest in photography and interior design. That’s not to say to stretch yourself thin dabbling in everything, but rather express yourself in various creative outlets so that you’re constantly exercising your artistic muscle. All in all, it ain’t an easy market to be in, especially as an African female in a white male dominated field, but if you believe that your work has something to say, then make that statement loud and clear!
12. Sabrina Rupprecht | Capetown, South Africa |@sabrinarupprechtart
How does feminism inform your art?
Strength and power of women and the beauty that lies within them have a very clear and constant influence on my art. The mostly female subjects of my paintings and drawings captivates, physically engages the viewer, and connects the viewer to the subject. However, my inspiration comes from my personal observations of people, nature and my own life experiences, hence I wouldn’t say that feminism has been a conscious topic of my art yet.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
For the last six years I worked in customer service three days per week and only recently resigned from this part-time office job. I am excited to finally be able to focus entirely on my art business as a full-time artist.
As a full-time artist, how have you managed to monetize your art? Selling it in galleries? Videos/blogs based on your art? Do you sell it on a website?
Monetizing my art did not come naturally to me. After my friend talked me into selling her an art print of my drawing, I received inquiries from other people who wanted to commission me for drawings. But I was so attached to my work and also too insecure and unknowledgeable about the industry to demand appropriate prices.
So, I would sit for 20-30 hours on a drawing, then pay a print service for a high resolution scan, a canvas print and for framing of the artwork and then ended up selling it to customers at near cost price while keeping all original work to myself. I was not making any money, but the excitement of having people interested in my creations fulfilled me more than money. It took me a long time to better understand the value of my work. I figured that if I wanted to make a living out of my passion, I had to start treating it as a business instead of the hobby that it was for most of my life.
I try to use every channel available to me to sell my art. Exposure is the key of having your work seen and attracting potential clients. Galleries and agents obviously take a big cut off the sales price of an artwork, so I try to promote myself as much as possible and focus on my social media presence. Almost all my commissioned work is ordered through my Instagram page, where people all around the world are able to view my portfolio. In my opinion, social media is by far the most important asset to this business.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
It’s hard to pin down how many hours per week are spent doing work for my art business. If you work another “money job,” whether it’s part time or full time, you are usually forced to put your employment first, which puts you in a constant conflict between making money to live and pushing your art business forward. I’d spend my office lunch breaks replying to all my art-related emails and messages, bookkeeping, preparing social media posts, planning projects and shipping to make sure that I can focus entirely on actually painting or drawing during my time at home in my art studio, instead of spending studio-time doing admin. When I do commissioned work, I pull all-nighters now and then, but I usually try to give clients realistic deadlines to give myself enough time.
Apart from investing every minute I have into my art business, I also make sure I invest financially into the aspects that will move my art business forward. Printing, framing, art materials and a good online presence rely not only on your own time, but the services and supplies of professionals. Financially, art is similar to any business: you need to invest first in order to get something out.
13. Allie and Lexi | Los Angeles, CA | @the_kaplan_twins
How does feminism inform your art?
Our art definitely has aspects of feminism in it. We’re commenting on the hypersexualization of women in society, the exploitation of this, and how it leads to fame. It’s exposing the conflict in our culture, which is our simultaneous obsession and oppression with female sexuality. We play into this ourselves and are really aware of it. We use shock value and our own bodies to start a discussion and begin reclaiming the power to create our own narrative.
Our art is also about doing what we want, and having the confidence to present ourselves in a way that we choose to. It’s so innate to us. It’s about feeling free and having fun. Our mom always told us, “life is a party, shoot for the stars, you can be anything you want to be, as long as you’re a good person.” Women should feel empowered and confident to do what they want to do, and be who they want to be, and that’s what feminism is to us.
Are you a full-time artist or is it more of a side hustle?
We are full time artists. When we graduated NYU we knew that we just wanted to go for it and give it our all.
This is a business like any other. New businesses are going to face challenges until they learn what works and what doesn’t. Not everything we do is going to be super successful. We’re learning how to grow our brand and that won’t happen overnight.
We recently started working with De Re Gallery in Los Angeles and we have a solo show coming soon. Before, we were mostly selling direct to consumer via promoting our products on Instagram, and we still use Instagram as a tool to sell and promote our work. We also have an online store for custom paintings and smaller projects. We’re launching some merchandise soon that will be available on our website as well.
How much time and money do you invest in your art?
We always say there aren’t enough hours in the day! We are in the studio almost every day and when were not physically there and painting, we’re still working. Some days we’re in meetings, some days we have photoshoots, some days we’re taking inventory on materials and buying more of what we need. Right now, we’re investing all of our time, and all of our efforts into this.
How do you balance art and other hustles?
We struggle a lot to find a balance between our work, and personal lives, which can be tough, but everybody has to deal with that. It’s also probably a bit more complicated for us because we’re together literally all the time, so our work and personal lives are completely intertwined.
Does art actually pay off?
We’re not sure if there’s ever a way or a moment when we’ll realize, “Okay, everything we’ve worked for, it’s finally paid off.” Or maybe we are just not quite there yet. We are still hustling, still working. Some days are better than others and success comes in waves. People only see the success, but there’s also a ton of struggle, work, and time behind that.
If you want something, you just need to go for it and make it happen! People ask us all the time, as an artist, how to get their work more noticed. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, do what you love, and take a stand for what you believe in. If a gallery won’t show your work, have your own gallery show! Figure out what works and how people respond to what you’re doing. It’s a business like any other, it’s a constant hustle.
We also try and be as authentic as we can and stay true to who we are. We love to see that people like what we’re doing. Our fans and their support means so much to us because we have invested so much in this, so to know we have support makes it easier for us to keep hustling!
