The most important thing I think in terms of career is tenacity. You have to have thick skin. You will be rejected more than you are accepted. You need to be tenacious. Community matters, too. Opportunities come through community. Community gives you emotional and psychological support when things aren't going that great. It matters to have someone who also makes work look at your work and say, “I respect what you're doing”. Have studio visits as much as you can. Have them with other artists, writers. Do trades with other artists! Your work will be in their studio and yours in theirs. More people will see the work. Make friends with writers, critics and curators. Read their articles and make a list. Get to know the curators and send them your images. Show up at the galleries you want to have a relationship with. Go to openings. If you're interested in a gallery and one of their artists gives an artist’s talk, go to it. Talk to the gallerist for she or he is part of the whole network and system of the artworld. To get a gallerist to come to your studio,  show up at the gallery and talk to them. Be persistent, but not annoying. They, too, have schedules. Look at when is their slow season. Don't approach them at the opening with anything about your art business. It’s insulting to the artist who is having the opening. Wait until it’s not the opening. Give honest compliments about the show at hand. Like the work on their Instagram site. Make a comment. Say “yes” a lot when you first start out. When you get further along, then be more discerning about what art opportunities you accept.

I do think that the BFA in the long run really matters because it takes more time and you're perfecting your technical skill more. It’s an indication of your commitment to your practice on the whole. As for the MFA, if you can get a “free-ride” or have most of your expenses paid, go to grad school. Not all artists need an MFA to have a gallery career. Gaining a foothold in the gallery scene can be done without the MFA although the MFA provides another layer of validation. However, if you want an art related job with benefits and a chance to advance financially, you are more likely to get one with an MFA.

Business cards are not as important as they used to be, but they still matter. At Triste, the alternative art fair connected to the Torrance Art Museum, Greg Rose (my husband, fellow artist and sometimes collaborator) followed the example of other artists who used a QR code linked to their websites. We also had mailers and business cards.

Joe Biel, who teaches at Cal State Fullerton and is the creator of trees _podcast. [Mary Addison Hackett: Desert Lady Diaries. Meg Linton – artist interviews (found on YouTube)

I had a show at a gallery, and they jumped my prices too much. You have to raise your prices gradually. You can't let your ego get in the way and you can't let the gallerist’s ego get in the way. To go over a certain price point you must have an extensive resume and selling out shows. Keep your prices as low as you can. If you have one gallery, you want to look for a second gallery out of town. Real collectors keep on collecting. They will follow you. I wish I did more residencies sooner. Residencies give you isolation from all the demands of your life thereby enabling you to do the work and with the added benefit of broadening your network.

The income on the art is about 50% of the selling price when working with a gallery. If you sell something for $5,000, you're probably only getting about $2,250 [$5000 – $500 (the collector’s discount) =4,500 divided in 2 (the gallerist gets 50%) = $2,250)]. Do the math: profit from the sale of artwork minus the cost of making the work. Who will pay for materials and a place to make the work? Keep your expenses low. If your expenses are low, then you maybe you won't have to work at a day job. But, in most cases you're being flat out foolish if you don't consider having a second career. Unless you are independently wealthy or have a partner who will support you, you will need income to ride out periods of no sales or low sales. What are your options? What is it that you want from the art market? There are choices!

Teaching: As an artist, even if you are making enough income from art sales, you should have a plan for economic stability as you age.  If you feel that you have something to offer and your communication skills are good, teaching is a possibility. Working in kindergarten through 12th grade is a five day a week job, in exchange you get steady income and benefits. You get more studio time if you teach at community college or a 4-year college. However, it is more difficult to get a full-time job in academia, especially in the 4 year institutions, than in K through 12. Furthermore, you must weigh the benefits of a full-time job or adjunct work. Financially it’s better to be full-time, you get benefits and a pension. However, if you're an adjunct and your fine art career is taking off, you can drop out of academia and then dip back in. But to do this, keep the lines of communication open and your foot in the door.

People skills and knowing your legal rights are important when teaching. Join the Union! Learn to work the system because you must protect yourself. The great thing about academia is that you can get health insurance and a pension after you are vested. To maximize the benefits, be informed. Read all your emails and be proactive! You need to know all the rules wherever you are working. You need an MFA if you want to teach in higher education and for K-12 you need an art education degree.

Art Preparator: Another day job is being an art preparator/handler. All the well-known and financially successful artists have a staff and one of the positions is an art preparator/handler.  Also, you can work for an art packing firm and be an art handler. You don't even need an advanced degree for these jobs but it helps. It’s great because you're in the industry and you're meeting people, and if employed full-time, you may get a health plan and 401K. The downside is you don't get as much time off as teaching. However, you can more easily dip in and out of this work. With experience you can be a freelance art preparators instead of working for a company like Crozier Fine Arts and Cookes Crating. You can also be an art preparator at one of the museums in town or one of the blue chip galleries. It’s a great way to get into the art world and to learn more about that world.

Art Fabrication: A canvas/panel making business is another way to make money or working at a framing shop. Learn a craft and use it.

Artist assistant: Artist assistants can make a good living, but that’s a “who you know situation” in terms of getting a position. If this job is with a major artist, it can have benefits like health insurance, pension, etc.  Additionally, you get to see behind the scenes. You can learn a lot about the business side of the art world both locally and in the larger art world.  

Another position is that of an art registrar, the person who manages the inventory., or a photographer. These positions could be at a museum, big gallery, or for a major artist.

To make a steady living to support or supplement your art practice, you're either going into teaching or into the business side of the art world. This also includes the film industry here in LA. You can also be an independent curator or art critic. These freelance jobs don't pay a ton of money, but the can give you additional connections and exposure.

Beyond past sales, I look at the current market and where I fit. It can be hard to find the sweet spot.

This varies. Making and marketing both matter.

Being consistent with social media and actually making good content. I do it all myself. Sending my newsletters, updating my website. It needs to be done well, in a timely manner and it’s a lot of work.

Artwork archive. They have a great social media account and Brandy Hofer studios. She’s an artist and has a podcast.

I usually try to set aside one day per week to be at my computer for writing and creating content. I do work many evenings after the studio answering emails and updating my materials. 

It depends on your values. Do you plan on being an artist in 10 or 15 years from now? If so, it’s probably good to get as much education as you can. 

The most helpful tool that has helped me get profitable opportunities is learning how to present and talk about my work. Learning programs like Illustrator to compose mural designs, and composing presentations that convey ideas thoughtfully. Graphic design skills have helped me organize and present ideas for projects, as well as for marketing them online.

It depends on how many pieces. If it’s one piece I package myself and use either FedEx or UPS. If I am going to crate/ship a whole show I will hire Castelli Fine Art. They have access to freight shippers who charge less.

Only for the SEO (Search Engine Optimization). If someone Googles my name, it will increase visibility. I do not sell fine artwork on those sites. I do however sell fun products I think people might like. I keep fine art separate from artsy products that might appeal to a wider audience.