When we consider the integration of entrepreneurship into education, our thoughts typically gravitate towards traditional business school curricula. However, the contemporary landscape reveals a significant shift, with a growing number of artists establishing themselves as independent professionals, operating as sole proprietors and freelancers. This evolution necessitates a broader approach to entrepreneurial education, one that transcends the confines of conventional business degrees and actively incorporates art business education. Such an expanded focus would equip artists with the essential skills and knowledge to navigate the financial and operational aspects of their creative careers, fostering greater autonomy and success in the art world.
Why Entrepreneurship Matters for Art Students
Artists who learn about entrepreneurship, through the incorporation of lessons in business and entrepreneurship, are uniquely positioned to make the most of their talents and creativity, as they learn to leverage modern tools to support artist financial planning, develop marketing strategies, and build their own identity and brand as artists.
The Growing Need for Business Skills in Creative Careers
Whether an artist works for themselves or pursues a career in a creative profession as an employee, they will benefit from possessing business skills. General business knowledge and skills enable artists to effectively manage creative projects by understanding project planning and management, organization, time management and financial budgeting.
Additionally, learning about business will help artists understand and negotiate contracts, enabling them to protect and receive fair compensation for their intellectual property.
Turning Creative Talents Into Sustainable Professions
Once an artist has identified their artistic talents and honed their craft, they must carve out a place for themself in the professional world. Understanding business and entrepreneurship will provide an artist with the knowledge to research the market, build a portfolio, and develop their professional presence through branding and marketing. Additionally, they can apply their knowledge and research to identify how to price their creative work in a way that keeps them competitive, desirable and affordable for their intended market.
Building Confidence Through Entrepreneurial Thinking
Developing entrepreneurial skills and knowledge helps art students build a sense of confidence in their ability to conduct themselves in the professional world while showcasing their artistic talents and abilities. The combination of art and business education provides students with the opportunity to learn a wide array of critical thinking and problem-solving skills in addition to developing leadership potential and a healthy growth mindset.
Key Entrepreneurial Lessons for Art Education
A solid understanding of business is crucial for aspiring artists to navigate the professional world and build sustainable careers. Some of the most important business topics for art students to learn include the following:
Basics of Branding and Personal Identity
Yes, good art should be able to stand on its own. However, artists have the opportunity to enhance and enrich their creations by crafting their own personal brand and identity that goes along with their artwork. This includes things like developing a brand, which might include a logo and brand personality. As artists develop and hone their work, they naturally craft a unique and consistent visual identity. This will help them stand out from other artists.
Understanding Pricing and Value of Creative Work
One of the most challenging tasks for art entrepreneurs is pricing creative work, and several different pricing models exist, including value-based pricing, hourly pricing, mark-up pricing, project-based pricing, retainer pricing, and performance-based pricing. Artists must possess confidence in their work and understand the true value that it provides to their clients, setting fair prices that consider more than just the cost of time and materials.
Networking and Building Client Relationships
For artists to be successful, they must cultivate a large group of clients and work to maintain those relationships while also remaining mindful of building their reputation in the world of art. As a result, networking is vital, especially for new artists who have yet to make a name for themselves.
Art students need to develop skills in self-promotion and networking. This includes designing and distributing business cards, actively promoting their work on social media, identifying and joining professional art organizations, seeking out collaborative opportunities with other artists and attending art industry events.
Teaching Students to Market Their Creativity
While promoting creativity in education, art educators can teach valuable business and professional skills with the following entrepreneurship projects for students:
Creating an Online Portfolio or Personal Website
A valuable tool in digital marketing for artists is cultivating a presence online with a digital portfolio housed on a personal website. For artists establishing their presence, an online portfolio and personal website will help them develop their personal brand and create a professional identity as an artist and entrepreneur.
While many products offer paid features, students can start out using any of the free options available for portfolio and personal websites, such as:
Leveraging Social Media for Exposure
For professional artists, social media is vital to increasing exposure, building a community, showcasing work and even generating an income through social-media-driven sales. Some of the most essential platforms for artists include Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest for sharing visual content.
Create social media-based projects for art students to learn the fundamentals of social media marketing while testing the platforms and strategies that work best for their target audiences.
Crafting an Artist Statement and Bio
Have your art students write an artist’s statement and bio that they can use in the real-world promotion of their art.
Art appreciators naturally want to know more about the people creating the pieces they admire, and an artist’s statement is the traditional way for artists to connect with their audience, provide context, enhance interpretation and showcase their unique voice and style.
Artists should include (on their social media pages, digital portfolios and websites) a short bio and an artist’s statement. A statement and bio should include clear and concise information about an artist’s background, education, exhibitions, awards and other achievements. It should also discuss their practice, the media with which they work and the themes on which they focus.
Incorporating Real-World Experiences Into the Curriculum
As an art student, it can sometimes be difficult to imagine what life in the art world will be after graduation. Art educators can help students learn more about what to expect by incorporating real-world experiences and opportunities into their art curriculum.
Guest Lectures From Industry Professionals
Art teachers can leverage their network of industry professionals to invite guests to give lectures on their experiences in the art world and how they have built their own careers. Teachers can offer guidance regarding the topics that will be most useful for their students and should also provide time for students to ask questions.
Internship and Freelance Project Opportunities
Art educators should maintain relationships with local organizations that regularly offer internship opportunities to art students. Some of these organizations include galleries, museums, design studios, photography studios, art conservation groups and even performance art companies.
Additionally, art schools and educators can create listings for their students to advertise their services for freelance work that could help them gain real-world business experience and a professional portfolio.
Art Shows, Pop-Ups and Public Exhibitions
Encourage your students to participate in school-sponsored (or other kinds of) art shows, pop-ups and public exhibitions. This will help them gain confidence in their talents, learn to plan and prepare for an important showcase, get comfortable with deadlines, receive feedback from an audience and practice professional networking.
Case Studies: Successful Artist-Entrepreneurs
In addition to gaining real-world experience, students can learn by studying and observing successful artist-entrepreneurs.
Kehinde Wiley’s Approach to Building a Brand
Kehinde Wiley received the 2014 National Medal of Arts and has become widely recognized due to his exceptional success in creating his own unique vision, style and message with his large-scale, photorealistic portraits that “blur the boundaries between traditional and contemporary modes of representation and the critical portrayal of masculinity and physicality as it pertains to the view of Black and Brown young men.”
Yayoi Kusama’s Global Marketing and Exhibitions
Yayoi Kusama is a multidisciplinary artist who has gained global recognition due to her vibrant designs, collaborations with luxury brands and experiential art installations.
Shepard Fairey’s Blend of Art and Business
A famous muralist and graphic artist, Shepard Fairey’s first art-business success (a sticker featuring Andre the Giant) occurred while he was still attending design school. He later founded OBEY clothing and also famously created Barack Obama’s campaign poster.
Tools and Resources for Art Entrepreneurship
Art educators can also incorporate lessons to expose students to the wide array of tools and resources that can help support art entrepreneurship.
Platforms for Selling Art Online
Students can learn to leverage and build a presence on online platforms where they can sell their art and designs, such as Etsy, Saatchi Art, Redbubble or Society6 (just to name a few)
Budgeting and Financial Planning Tools for Artists
Aspiring art entrepreneurs should also learn financial management, which often means budgeting. From dedicated accounting software to free budgeting apps, artists can use a variety of financial planning and budgeting tools to support project costs, tax planning and filing and profitability.
Using Digital Marketing and SEO to Gain Visibility
Art entrepreneurship in the modern world not only means exhibiting art at galleries and pop-up events but also marketing your work digitally through social media platforms, online portfolios and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to gain visibility.
Challenges and Solutions for Art Entrepreneurs
Like all people in business, art entrepreneurs face many challenges on the road to success. Maintaining a growth mindset that enables artists to look at failures and difficulties as learning opportunities can help them achieve success. Artists should strive to continuously hone their craft and improve their business skills, as they apply their creativity and proclivity for innovation to solving problems and strengthening professional strategies.
Overcoming the “Starving Artist” Mentality
There is a persistent romanticization of the idea that truly committed and passionate artists sacrifice material well-being for the sake of their art. The idealization of the starving artist, however, is a misrepresentation of what a professional artist’s life should look like. Artists should recognize that there is nothing wrong with selling their work and finding ways to turn their passions, interests, ideas and talents into lucrative careers.
Managing Time Between Creation and Marketing
In the business of art, artists must manage two jobs: making art and selling art. Another major challenge for artists is balancing the time spent creating art with the time spent marketing and networking that art.
Finding Mentors and Business Support Networks
Artists new to the professional art world can often experience initial feelings of isolation as they transition from the classroom to a world where they likely have limited contacts. Making connections during school through internship opportunities can help mitigate this challenge. As professionals, artists should work to join professional business and art organizations, associations and networks where they will find mentors, peers, support and collaboration opportunities.
FAQs:
1. Why Should Art Education Include Entrepreneurship?
Entrepreneurship helps art students understand how to market their work, build sustainable careers and reach a broader audience.
2. What Marketing Skills Are Essential for Artists?
Skills include creating an online portfolio, developing a personal brand, leveraging social media and writing a strong artist statement.
3. How Can Art Educators Teach Entrepreneurship Effectively?
Educators can include business modules, host guest speakers and encourage real-world projects such as exhibitions or pop-up art shows.
4. What Are the Common Challenges for Student Artists Starting a Business?
Challenges include pricing work, finding clients, managing finances and balancing creativity with business responsibilities.
5. Which Platforms Are Best for Selling Student Artwork Online?
Popular platforms include Etsy, Saatchi Art, ArtStation and personal websites with e-commerce capabilities.
Empower Your Future Art Students by Strengthening Your Background in Art Education
At Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, our on-campus and online Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education degrees are designed to develop highly competent art educators who have the artistic knowledge and experience to help their students hone their own artistic talents while also providing them with a well-rounded education that will help them succeed in the art world.
To learn more about earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education, we welcome you to contact RMCAD and request more information today.
