ArtBistro

I think this article is great but not neccesarily you have to follow it like a recipe.
I decided to join a small art school, to do that, I did some research, the teacher has the greatest CV in art I have ever seen. So I was pretty excited to start my "formal art" education with someone with more than one degree in Art. I join, I pay the inscription, was not cheap!!. But I was sure that I was going to get more back.
Shamefully life is more complicated than a selfhelp book. This teacher was happy to have a whisky everytime I was on he's class, he basically was just drinking away and not teaching anything!. Besides, He was eroding the little confidence that I have on myself as an artist, which happens to a lot of artist by the way, even the most succesful ones. Anyway, I decided that I would never pay anyone a dime to take my hope away and to drink in front of me!!!, if I want to drink, I go to a bar or stay home, I do not open an art teaching clasess.
I do believe in Do it Yourself, it may be complicated, but now days we have many tools to learn maybe faster, better and even more comfortable than with a drunk teacher!.

A degree will not guarantee you a career in the art field. It will guarantee that you will have student debt for at least 12 years. Independent studies, hard work, networking and above all passion for what you do and believe in will help you create a comfortable life in the art field.

I, personally do not know any wealthy artists and I have been in the arts for over 30 years.
Find your passion,and be prepared to have lean years, recession or not.

This is good, but in my city were in a recession since xmas, My hours have been cut, and I'm trying to save for a wedding and help pay off my Fiance's school loan so I don't have an option to go to college. To make money you need a degree, and to go to college, you need a job, so I've been stuck for five years, so far. I love to do art on the side, I am designing my own wedding dress now, and will be making it hopefully in the next few months. I would be nice to go to school to learn how to perfect my skills and make me even better, but I've got to figure it out with books, and garment designs to help me make mine. Is anyone in the same state as me? No money for college and no option for extra hours or a raise above minimum wage? I hope I don't have to wait till I'm 40. I wont give up, I am an artist with many mediums of art methods, it'll just take some time. I enjoyed reading what everyone has commented on. I hope I'll get to read more.

fine article. amazing! :)

I would like to know who wrote this.... I am doing a project in school and I need to know

It also needs perception, imagination, passion cause without them you do nothing. Kisses

great advise but some of those tips are only usefull dependingon where you live, i live in a country where creativity is a minor detail, where cheap and effortless work sells for little or nothing, but great work sells for nothing unles you're from another country contracted to do the same work that someone living in the country can do.
My country is also very traditional and close minded to things outside the norm, in the art world that can vary from graphics to music, people rather buy african art no matter how badly done it is, they rather buy a beach landcape than buy impressionistic paintings, they rather listen to badly composd music they grew up hearing than listen to a well composed form of music ouside of their tradition. We have one art college and when you leave their the only job you are required to get is with a graphic firm if you studied graphics, and getting that job is a million to one chance.

So you end up working for you relf making money outside the country, but stil wont get thta much opertunity of being a great artist unless you leave the country, because the only "great" artists here are those well known for doing sculptures and paintings of poor people living on the street, or celebrating their oh so awesome independence from slavery (which is getting old now), now in a country like this who's perception of art is limited to a beautifull sunset painting, then what's the hope? can you blame artists like me who decide to find outlets else where, maybe even a home for my art itself?

so yea all those are good advise but location helps a lot too.

Yes, good advise, but still :::) I've done all this!!!LOL! just sometimes we have to be way too much involve and search but I have no time!!
I need to work in order to make it for a living as well!!
I WISH WE NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ECONOMIC ISSUES! Than I would have paint nonstop!! CREATIVITY TAKES OVER THE LIFE PROBABLY! in my case. Of course YOU'LL NEVER GIVE UP!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!:)