How to Make a Living as an Artist
Key Takeaways
It's possible to create your dream craft business by setting a clear vision of your goal and taking small steps towards it every day.
Escape your day job by figuring out what income you need to create to quit, then work backwards to find out how many products you need to sell.
Check in regularly on your end goal. What you want will change over time and you'll need to adjust for that (or end up disappointed in a few years, trust me ;)).
Make sure your vision of your ideal business aligns with the lifestyle you want to live, otherwise you risk being unhappy even when you’re making money.
Cover yourself financially by starting out with a safety net, then diversifying your income streams as you grow.
Speed up your path to success (and lower your chances of giving up) by investing in your business from the start with Handmade & Paid. You'll get personalized advice every step of the way, avoid common obstacles, and can be up in running in just a few short weeks.
how to make a living as an artist
So...you're wondering how to make a living as an artist.
Let's start by pointing out that 'make a living' could mean a few things. Part time, full time...and of course this also depends on how you live!
Whatever the case may be, whatever type of creative life you want to create, I'm confident you can do it. In all my years of being an artist, working alongside artists, and coaching artists, I've noticed one clear thing that I think is important for you to understand:
Talent doesn't make you successful. Drive and follow through does.
I have a lot to say about ^ this exact topic which I'll share in a later blog post, but for now, just keep that in mind ;)
This post is going to cover a general framework of a lot of the IRL experiences I've run into in the past 15+ years of running a creative business. Things I never would have expected that I would run into or considered.
I know as artists we want to dive into the art supplies, make stuff, then cross our fingers that it will all work out, however, that's a recipe for failure.
What I'm going to cover in this post are the more high level aspects you should be aware of as you build your handmade business, and then eventually scale it.
Because while you can easily get caught up in the little details like, "What color should the tissue paper in my packaging be???"...these are not the details that make you money and sustain your business.
So let's jump in. And let me know in the comments what you think!
Make an Income plan
I know at some point you've asked yourself, "Is it realistic to make a living as an artist?", and my guess is that you're worried about the money part. Let's go over how to break this down into small and manageable steps so you can see how it’s actually possible.
When you're on a mission to become a full time artist, it's good to start out by understanding what that vision actually entails financially.
Consider your current income where you're working now...is this number the same amount you need to make with your craft business to let go of your day job? Or can you get by with less? Take some time to figure out your expenses.
Once you have the specific dollar amount you'll need to make, stop and take a breath...I know it probably feels insane to think that you could make that much selling your art, but people do it every day!
Now that you have this number, you can start working backwards. To do this, you'll need to know what you need to make every month, as well as how much you'll be pricing your handmade items at.
For example, if you are planning on selling 3 products at $27, $75, and $125 and you need to be making $6k per month, you can start finding the ratio of how many items you'll need to sell per month. This might look like:
Product 1 $27 x 75 sales = $2025
Product 2 $75 x 20 sales = $1500
Product 3 $125 x 20 sales = $2500
Total = $6025
This will put you slightly over the $6k that you need to make per month. Those numbers aren't as scary, right?? Especially when you factor in different income streams like selling wholesale, online, etc.
*this is a super loose breakdown and doesn't account for shipping or taxes.
From this point, you can start getting creative on ways to increase your sales so you can start hitting those numbers, for example, selling a set of 2 products for a slightly lower price point.
Breaking down your income requirements may seem intimidating when you're trying to figure out how to actually make money as an artist, but it's truly just a numbers game. If you commit to getting there and take small steps every day, you'll be on your way to building your income in no time.
Decide your end goal
We've talked about finances, but what about your dream goal? This can and will change over time as we'll discuss in the alignment section. And you should revisit this as time passes. But you do need a north star to follow even if you're just getting started.
You don't have to be 100% sure about it right away (I know you're having anxiety over this), just think about it as a soccer goal net (yes I had to look up what that was called lol).
The goal is in one place for now, but if you want to move it later, you can just pick it up and move it to another spot. Easy peasy. The important thing is you start moving in 1 direction and adjust as you go.
So, what does an end goal look like? Really whatever you want, but here's what I'd recommend including so you create a full visual. This will make it really obvious if you're suddenly moving in the wrong direction.
First, think about what the perfect day in your craft business would look like:
- what time are you waking up?
- what time do you start work?
- what tasks are you doing throughout the day?
- are you working at home, in a studio outside your house?
- who are you working with? what role do they play?
- where are you selling your products?
- what do your breaks look like?
- who are you interacting with?
- what time are you done with work?
- how many days a week are you working?
- how often are you taking time off?
- what does time off look like?
- what makes you excited about this vision?
Edit this list how you see fit, but try to capture this vision and detail…if you did it right, you should feel super EXCITED about it! (I'll share one of mine in the next section).
This vision will be your north star and also be what you turn to when you're getting discouraged or impatient, or find yourself wondering can you make a living as an artist, like for real, for real. Since you're building an actual business, you need to really understand that you're playing the long game here.
Success will not actually feel like success for a long time. You'll make continuous progress and small steps every month, but you'll also have plenty of setbacks, second guessing, and mental hurdles you'll need to overcome.
This is when you'll need to come back to this end goal to remember why you're working so hard. It will help you reset and get remotivated.
Last but not least, as you check in regularly over time with this goal, ask yourself:
Is this still what I want?
If anything, what has changed?
Is there any idea I've been playing around with or a feeling I'm feeling that might change this vision?
^ (with this last question we are trying to catch any early clues of a shift. For me, a clue would have been that I was starting to feel trapped and unhappy in my studio because of the type of work I was doing.
If I had caught this early I would have been able to change my vision to a remote business faster and saved a lot of time...more on this in the next section).
Get Aligned
I think this is a very under talked about topic that can create drastic problems later down the line if you're not paying attention. A lot of us get so caught up in the effort to actually make sales, that we don't think much about how those sales are actually shaping our business. Because whether you notice it or not, each sale is slowly building the foundation for your future income streams.
Let me explain:
As you begin to make your first sales, it's natural to accept any order that comes your way. A custom piece you wouldn't normally make for a close friend...your first wholesale order that fell into your lap even though you don't really want to sell wholesale...a few craft shows here and there even though you find them exhausting...
This is a slippery slope, and here's why -
Accepting these orders may seem like a step in the right direction. And while, yes, every dollar does signify growth, you need to be extremely aware whether you are staying in alignment with your end goal.
It may start off with a few orders here and there, but before you know it, you're fulfilling dreaded custom orders every week because there is now a high demand for it, and you can't say no to money. This is what you want to avoid.
Wanna know what the worst feeling is? Hitting a goal you've been trying to hit for 10 years, only to realize when you get it, you don't want it anymore...and you have to start over.
Because your goal doesn't ALIGN with the new you.
This happened to me. I moved to San Francisco, with a far off dream of having my own dedicated home art studio, and working as a full time artist (SF is NOT cheap, I was not very hopeful). I put every ounce of my energy into starting and growing my business with this goal in mind.
By year 6 of living in the city...I woke up one day and realized I had done it. I was living in the center of San Francisco in the top flat of a gorgeous green Victorian...in an in-demand neighborhood where it was impossible to get an apartment, right next to Golden Gate Park.
I had taken over a spare room that didn't make sense to rent out, and was hosting 3-4 private printmaking classes a week. I was also doing large scale custom printing projects for interior designers, selling online, and selling at a handful of shops in the Bay area.
After a few years of this, I realized that while my day to day was 100% better than if I was working a day job, I had essentially trapped myself in a beast of my own making. I was tied to my studio. I couldn't really take time off or leave town without it effecting my income significantly.
The only option? Start from scratch again. This took years of learning new skills so that I could pivot successfully and design a more 'mobile' creative business.
I'm happy to say now it was worth it and I'm happier than ever with my creative business, but had I checked in with myself along the way to make sure I was still aligned with my original goals from the beginning, I could have made a shift sooner and saved a lot of time.
So as you expand income streams, and as the requests from customers and brands start flowing in, check in regularly and ask yourself these two questions:
"Is (your end goal) still what I want?"
"Does this project or sale align with my end goal?...or is it taking me in another direction I don't want to end up at?"
Put it on your calendar. i.e. the 1st of the month, review your finances and do a mental check in on this (it takes 10 minutes). Stay on course and save time and headaches later!
Take time to research
This is the no fun side of things, but when it comes to becoming a full time artist, there are going to be some things you don't want to do. Do them anyways :) - this is the important stuff.
Before you make a product you should always research to find out if people actually want it...and this goes way beyond if your mom and sister say oooh yeah I'd probs buy that...😳
No, you need like ACTUAL proof, from humans who don't already know you (sorry mom). Turn your attention to sites like Google Trends, Answer The Public, and Etsy to learn about what people are searching for, what they like, and especially what they hate (because you can fix that!).
The risk of not doing your homework is that you end up with a beautiful product that no one is buying. It happens all the time. The trick is to give your customers what they want.
In addition to this, beyond researching what products people want and who your competition will be, you'll also want to take notes on how others are marketing similar products. You'll learn a lot from looking through product listings, descriptions and pricing.
Use this information to not copy (never copy), but to get inspired and put your own personality into. It will also help you find out what might be missing in the market and what features you can add in to really shine and highlight why your product is the best choice.
Do it in stages
If you're currently working a day job and not sure how to become a full time artist while also supporting yourself, know that you don't have to immediately quit and go 100% all in on your craft business right away.
Building it up on the side is absolutely a great way to get started. Instead of dropping everything and spending 24 hours a day on this venture, explore other creative ways to free up that time in your week.
You can negotiate with your boss if you think you might have a little wiggle room there - maybe reduce your hours slightly, or come in 1 hour later so you can carve out that time to work on your art.
Sign up for an extra hour of daycare during the week so you can get that time in if you're struggling with balancing work, kids, and your art dreams. Or bribe a friend to take them on an adventure...get creative!
Small steps add up quickly. Imagine if you spent 1 hour every day on your handmade business? That's around 30 hours a month. You could easily design a killer product or get a basic website up in that time.
If you spent one hour reaching out to shops and sharing your products every day...you could have a thriving wholesale business in no time. These small (sometimes tedious, I know) actions are the key to fast success.
However, if you're lucky enough to have the support or means to jump in and go full time right away, you'll obviously be able to progress much more quickly. But either way, this journey is all about baby steps.
So don't ever feel like you need to 'be a full time artist' by a specific deadline. Growth will happen gradually, and when you start hitting a revenue number that *consistently* makes you feel comfortable leaving your day job, then that's the right time for you to GTFOutta there.
Diversify your income
As a full time artist, you're going to want to create stability. Imagine if you're only selling your products through 1 marketplace site like Etsy, and your website.
With 50% of your income coming from each site. It seems like an ok setup, but imagine if the marketplace site goes dark. Or they double your fees. This doesn't leave you in a great spot.
That's why when you make the jump, you should have a wide variety of places you're making income from in case one suddenly falls through. Putting all your eggs in one basket is definitely easier, however it's not safe by any means.
Here are some ideas for income streams that you might consider adding into the mix:
Your Own Website - this is a must! It's the only place you'll have full control of your content and sales.
Wholesale - even selling in a few local shops can provide a solid stream of income.
Digital Products - something I recommend for most artists, it can be as simple as a digital sewing pattern, get creative.
Online Marketplaces - think beyond Etsy, like Faire, etc.
In Person Workshops - not for everyone, but if you like to teach your craft this can be VERY profitable.
Online Workshops - same kind of thing but you should be comfortable learning a little tech.
There are a ton of ways to create new income streams around your niche if you only take the time to think about it. Start with one or two, then you can add in more from there!
Creating a safety net
Before making the jump, I highly recommend making sure that you have some backup funds saved if possible, in case of emergency. It's always better to be safe than sorry as I'm sure you've heard :).
Another point I want to make is that you can still be a successful craft business entrepreneur while making money in other ways as well. You can be working part time or even full time selling your art online, while also picking up freelance work or working part time in other areas too. It doesn't make you any less of an entrepreneur.
I think that this also helps to create a healthy balance where you're both receiving a steady paycheck with predictable income, while also growing your art business and making money there as well. However, this all depends on what you prefer, how much time you have, and what your end goal is.
Speeding up your success
After spending many hours on calls with craft artists over many years, I've noticed one obvious thing. The biggest takeaway I've gotten from all these calls is that creatives that want to start a craft business are up against the majority of their biggest obstacles within the first 2 months of starting.
Take a look at the graphic I made below:
Now that you understand a little more about how to make a living as an artist, you can see in the image how many foundational and important tasks you need to deal with as a new handmade business owner. Additionally, at the same time you're also dealing with the bulk of the mental obstacles because it takes time to grow confidence in your work.
See this related graphic with the thoughts you’ll also be dealing with:
This is why there is so much overwhelm and so many mental blocks in the beginning stages, which can lead to slow progress, little results, and discouragement.
How can you prevent this common cycle?
>> Invest in your handmade business from the start.
When you're working alongside someone who can talk you through the hard parts, you'll avoid the common obstacles that trip up most artists...mistakes that slow you down, even causing you to give up all together.
That's the last thing I want for you, and I'm here to make sure you get past this stage so you can see how amazing it is on the other end -
To be running a handmade business that is all your own.
To have the ability to work when and where you want.
To be creative every day, working on something you love. And to inspire other creatives to do the same.
Investing in help is the number one way to put yourself on the fast track to success.
Not sure where to start? Let's talk about your creative goals and see if Handmade & Paid is the next step towards making them a reality.
Hit the button below and meet me for a quick artsy convo on a no pressure Creative Clarity Call!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Although building a career as an artist is not as easy or simple as applying and accepting a traditional 9-5 job, it is absolutely a realistic to make a living as an artist. While it takes time, effort, and mental toughness, like any path that’s worthwhile, it’s a creative and rewarding path for those that follow it.
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Selling online requires a great craft product, a place to sell, and good marketing. By creating a mix of online income streams, like affiliate sales, digital art products, online craft workshops, and online sales, you can easily make a living over time.
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There is not a specific ‘type of art’ that makes money, but rather you should choose a product you are excited about, then study successful sellers in that niche to find out exactly what your customers want…and then adjust your product accordingly.
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Whether you’re selling online, wholesale, or at craft shows, you’ll need a product that people want to buy. Put in the time and effort to make something great, and spend the rest of your time making sure EVERYONE knows about it!
