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How to fund your art practice - 12 dos and don'ts for artists
DO build a supportive ‘circle of trust’ around you as a person and your art practice – you only need a small number of carefully-chosen people
DO make a personalised framework that helps you to pick and choose your art developments
DO start to save by adding a % to ALL your costings, however little or infrequent savings are your saviour when things fall through or the car breaks down
DO reflect annually on what you did over the last 12-months, assess whether it was good/bad/indifferent before you launch into the year ahead
DO keep mentioning it if you’re in some way disadvantaged: from a lower-socio-economic class, female, BAME, disabled, have child or eldercare responsibilities as you’re supposed to be getting priority in assessments
DO ask for access support costs/expert assistance to make submissions and applications for publicly-funded opportunity if you’ve any kind of disability or barrier facing you
DON’T take let alone pay directly or indirectly for generic advice and ‘tips’, however well-meaning, from anyone who’s not actually seen your work or know where you’re coming from
DON’T have a portfolio career – it’s a myth you can making a living from one
DON’T accept any verbal, email offer or contract on face value – it’s only a start point for negotiating what you actually need
DON’T apply for competitive opportunities –terms and success rates are generally crap and you’ll waste time more usefully put to the building productive, personalised working relationships you actually need
DON’T think that you have to network – it wastes vast amount of time only salaried people can afford to spend.
DON’T use minimum pay rates for costing your time – these apply to practically no artist’s actual circumstances, especially yours
It’s you the artist who’s the vital ingredient in contemporary visual arts - don’t let anyone make you feel insignificant or worthless or at their mercy
