Many artists would like to make a living from their work. It is often a difficult feat to pull off for many reasons, not the least of which is that artists often don’t know the basic business model of the field they are trying to enter. Whether you are a writer, a painter, a YouTube creator, musician, or any other type of creative specialist, knowing the ins and outs of the business of selling your work is going to give you an advantage over the thousands of other artists who are out there “winging it” with the business of selling the things they create.

• How much do tickets cost for non-union theater in your area?
• What percentage commission is reasonable for an art gallery to charge per painting?
• What agents in New York will read musical comedy scripts within a reasonable time frame?
• What is the going CPM for an ad played on videos in your geographic region?
• Do you need a busking license to play the guitar outside of a train station in your city?

The above are just some questions you may have about going into business for yourself as an artist, depending on the type of art you create. Art and creative work are unique in many ways to other small, owner-operated businesses in that much of your work has to be created without any expected customer, and the going rate for your work can fluctuate depending on the whims of the people who want to buy. Many artists are also undercutting you by giving their work away for free, or charging so little that competitors can’t expect a reasonable rate to sustain a business or even a paycheck from your work.

The idea of a starving artist is cliched, but it’s rooted in something very real. As a society, we often undervalue creative work, because it’s considered fun and enjoyable to do. Artists often don’t consider themselves business people, because we’ve been told that’s antithetical to the creative process. However, barring good representation, we are involved in small businesses that are reliant upon us to serve as creators, promoters, accountants, and negotiators. Knowing the basics of what to expect from our work, how difficult it will be to sell or make a living from, and what adjustments need to be made in order to live from our creative output is essential.

All is not lost, however! We luckily live in an age where researching the business models of other artists and diving into the rules and regulations of transactions is often just a click away. Part of our days as creative professionals should always be spent learning more about how the business of our particular art works, and how we can better position ourselves to make the maximum amount from what we do. That’s what other good businesses do for themselves.

Don’t neglect the business of being an artist. Otherwise, you’re working at a hobby.