The biggest advantage of using social media is that Facebook and Instagram, for example, offer artists the ability to stay in touch with many artists and nonartists who readily give them feedback and kudos for every piece of artwork created. Things began to change when the century changed.”Īnother substantial change in the last 35 years is the use of social media, although much of “buzz” regarding various platforms promises more than it delivers. To a large extent these career development topics remained controversial throughout the 1980s and 1990s. I would go as far as saying that to some people I was considered a ‘witch’. As I point out in the new edition of my book, “I crossed the sacred line of discussing money, marketing, and self-promotion, and challenging some very basis perceptions about the art world. When I first started working as a career coach and artist-advocate in the late 1970s, hanging out a shingle was not an easy task. When the first edition of my book was published in 1983, the only other book available that addressed career issues for artists was called An Artist’s Guide to His Market! This substantially changed in the 1990s, and today client genders are equally divided. When the first edition of my book was published in 1983, most of my clients were women. The explosion is also instrumental in providing artists with more information about career development. Artists can quickly and easily access information on exhibition opportunities, grants, residencies, competitions, etc.

(However, the pros and cons of selling work on artist websites are covered in the new edition of my book.)Īnother big change, thanks to the Internet, is the information explosion.

Some artists are selling work directly from their websites, eliminating the ungodly 50%+ sales commission to galleries. In addition, the internet has made it possible for artists to research potential exhibition venues without the necessity of visiting the venues in person. The biggest change affecting most everyone and everything in the art world since 1983 is the advent of the internet.įor fine artists, artist websites have eliminated the gruesome slide package that was once a primary presentation tool. Your book How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself Without Selling Your Soul is now in its seventh edition! What would you say is the biggest change you’ve seen in the art world since your book was first published in 1983?Ĭaroll Michels: The art world is comprised of various occupations and components.

How to survive and prosper as an artist