My Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts did nothing to prepare me for actually working as an artist, or dealing with clients or galleries. Nothing about business, not even taking slides. I went to a 4-year liberal arts college - State University of New York.
However, and this is a BIG however, my Master of Arts in Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology has been an exceptional education.
I’ve spent 18 months working towards my Master’s, inspired by and learning from wonderful professionals from all over the world of illustration. It’s a big, unexplored territory, full of niche venues, surprising opportunities, hidden obstacles and self-made successes. The most disturbing news from field is that some familiar markets are drying up, which gave my investigation some urgency.
Along the way, I’ve talked with cartoonists, animators, book illustrators, caricaturists, technical illustrators, a few big names, many struggling to make ends meet. Everyone has a different path. A few have moved into gallery sales, others are making objects, like toys and puzzles, and licensing characters, and still others have ended up doing very technical work with animatronics or 3D rendering. Some started out in fine arts or graphic design and found themselves illustrating. (That’s when the lines between illustration and art and craft become veeerrrrry blurry. Wait - they're gone!)
It looks like every market has some projects that could use your story ideas, your images and your skills, in a range of creative and supportive roles. There’s no foolproof recipe for making a living as a creative image-maker. But there are so many varied opportunities, that your hardest job will be exploring all of them.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is this: Your skills and your ideas will get you some work, but when work is slow, your own love of image-making will help you create your own opportunities. It’s your ideas, your stories, your take on the world around us that will draw the rest of us in, to sit a little closer around the campfire and throw money in your hat.
But enough of that. Time to stop procrastinating and get back to writing that thesis.
;-)
My bachelor's degree program in fine art actually included one required art marketing course and at least one required course from the school of business. It wasn't much but it helped a little.
I had a technical education. I did not turn artists until much later, after a very useful career in marketing and sales. After my self education in art (with a lot of help from local artists and an adult education program) I feel well prpared for a second career in fine art painting.
My Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts did nothing to prepare me for actually working as an artist, or dealing with clients or galleries. Nothing about business, not even taking slides. I went to a 4-year liberal arts college - State University of New York.
However, and this is a BIG however, my Master of Arts in Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology has been an exceptional education.
I’ve spent 18 months working towards my Master’s, inspired by and learning from wonderful professionals from all over the world of illustration. It’s a big, unexplored territory, full of niche venues, surprising opportunities, hidden obstacles and self-made successes. The most disturbing news from field is that some familiar markets are drying up, which gave my investigation some urgency.
Along the way, I’ve talked with cartoonists, animators, book illustrators, caricaturists, technical illustrators, a few big names, many struggling to make ends meet. Everyone has a different path. A few have moved into gallery sales, others are making objects, like toys and puzzles, and licensing characters, and still others have ended up doing very technical work with animatronics or 3D rendering. Some started out in fine arts or graphic design and found themselves illustrating. (That’s when the lines between illustration and art and craft become veeerrrrry blurry. Wait - they're gone!)
It looks like every market has some projects that could use your story ideas, your images and your skills, in a range of creative and supportive roles. There’s no foolproof recipe for making a living as a creative image-maker. But there are so many varied opportunities, that your hardest job will be exploring all of them.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is this: Your skills and your ideas will get you some work, but when work is slow, your own love of image-making will help you create your own opportunities. It’s your ideas, your stories, your take on the world around us that will draw the rest of us in, to sit a little closer around the campfire and throw money in your hat.
But enough of that. Time to stop procrastinating and get back to writing that thesis.
;-)
My bachelor's degree program in fine art actually included one required art marketing course and at least one required course from the school of business. It wasn't much but it helped a little.
They should have offered business classes right along with all of our art classes. I had to learn everything the hard way.
I had a technical education. I did not turn artists until much later, after a very useful career in marketing and sales. After my self education in art (with a lot of help from local artists and an adult education program) I feel well prpared for a second career in fine art painting.