Profitable Artist

The Indispensable Roadmap Artists Need to Navigate Their Careers"The Profitable Artist's chapters address a spectrum of practical topics for working artists." —Artsy.netWhile all art is unique, the challenges artists face are shared regardless of background, experience, and artistic medium. With decades of experience training and helping artists worldwide, the expert staff of the New York Foundation for the Arts—in conjunction with outside professionals—have compiled a “best practices” approach to planning and organizing an art career.In The Profitable Artist, Second Edition, NYFA has identified common problems, examined specialized areas of strategic planning, finance, marketing, law, and fundraising, and distilled these topics in such a way that readers can digest them and apply them to their own experience and practice.This newly revised edition has made considerable updates to reflect changes in the legal and financial landscapes, the vast shift in the tools and culture of both social media and fundraising, and proven planning methodologies from the startup community. All of this continues to be presented in an accessible manner, which encourages artists to apply the information and techniques in a way that is true to their personal and artistic integrity.This invaluable guide appeals to artists in all disciplines of the literary, media, performing, and visual arts—from recent art school graduates to established artists undertaking new arts businesses to artists seeking more from their careers at any stage.

"The Profitable Artist's chapters address a spectrum of practical topics for working artists, from marketing and managing finances to fundraising and setting prices for art." —Artsy.net “Drawing from the expertise of legal, financial, and marketing advisors, The Profitable Artist provides an indispensable, user-friendly guide to developing a successful artistic practice. Comparing tactics to those used by successful start-ups, this thorough guide provides valuable guidelines from a range of consultants to contextualize those factors that can make or break creative businesses. The NYFA ‘Boot Camp’ has been a huge positive resource for our students at RISD, as they develop their freelance practices and set up studios and businesses. The same methods employed there form the basis of this book, now broadly available to emerging practitioners. The book is easy to navigate—readers can dip in and out of topics on an ‘as need’ basis—on subjects such as protecting intellectual property, developing new audiences for projects and events, planning for retirement, pricing work, optimizing digital tools, fundraising, and many other detailed aspects of building a career. This valuable reference provides artists with essential tools to develop a successful and sustainable practice.” —Rosanne Somerson, president, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) “The Profitable Artist is a goldmine for citizen artists of today who are looking to weave their art into the fabric of our society. The importance of recognizing one’s role and responsibility as an artist is more important today than ever before. It is about defining the purpose and relevance of one’s creative enterprise, and this resource offers meaningful insight in this space.” —Aaron P. Dworkin, professor of arts leadership and entrepreneurship, University of Michigan, and Afa S. Dworkin, president and artistic director, Sphinx Organization “Back by popular demand is the second edition of The Profitable Artist. Its debut is as timely as the first edition. Much of the useful information in The Profitable Artist dovetails with recommendations contained in CreateNYC that support individual artists. It continues to be an invaluable resource of information and pathways to success and independence for artists everywhere!” —Ben Rodriguez-Cubenas, program director, Charles E. Culpepper Arts and Culture of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and chair, Citizens’ Advisory Committee for CreateNYC, “Drawing from the expertise of legal, financial, and marketing advisors, The Profitable Artist provides an indispensable, user-friendly guide to developing a successful artistic practice. Comparing tactics to those used by successful start-ups, this thorough guide provides valuable guidelines from a range of consultants to contextualize those factors that can make or break creative businesses. The NYFA ‘Boot Camp’ has been a huge positive resource for our students at RISD, as they develop their freelance practices and set up studios and businesses. The same methods employed there form the basis of this book, now broadly available to emerging practitioners. The book is easy to navigate—readers can dip in and out of topics on an ‘as need’ basis—on subjects such as protecting intellectual property, developing new audiences for projects and events, planning for retirement, pricing work, optimizing digital tools, fundraising, and many other detailed aspects of building a career. This valuable reference provides artists with essential tools to develop a successful and sustainable practice.” —Rosanne Somerson, president, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) “The Profitable Artist is a goldmine for citizen artists of today who are looking to weave their art into the fabric of our society. The importance of recognizing one’s role and responsibility as an artist is more important today than ever before. It is about defining the purpose and relevance of one’s creative enterprise, and this resource offers meaningful insight in this space.” —Aaron P. Dworkin, professor of arts leadership and entrepreneurship, University of Michigan, and Afa S. Dworkin, president and artistic director, Sphinx Organization “Back by popular demand is the second edition of The Profitable Artist. Its debut is as timely as the first edition. Much of the useful information in The Profitable Artist dovetails with recommendations contained in CreateNYC that support individual artists. It continues to be an invaluable resource of information and pathways to success and independence for artists everywhere!” —Ben Rodriguez-Cubenas, program director, Charles E. Culpepper Arts and Culture of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and chair, Citizens’ Advisory Committee for CreateNYC

New York Foundation for the Arts has been providing essential services to artists in all disciplines since 1971. With more than forty years of institutional experience in arts education, NYFA brings an authority and legitimacy unmatched by any single author. NYFA is based in Brooklyn, New York. Visit their website at www.nyfa.org.