16 Ways Artists Can Make Money in a Down Economy

tsnipes · 03-12-2009, 11:51 AM

Thanks to some feedback from this community and others, I started this list as a step to help other artists as we face layoffs, etc.

Here are 16 ways artists and designers can make money using their creative talent and abilities:

Classic “Old School” ideas that never fade:
1. Caricatures at kids’ parties: Charge parents by the hour for this fun addition to their child’s party. EXPAND IT: Rather than you seeking out parents on your own, partner with a kid’s party venue (e.g. Chuck E. Cheeses, etc) and let the owner pay you per party.

2. Caricatures for HR department’s: Human Resources departments always look for special perks for their employees, and with layoffs and bad news hanging over the head of their staff, they need a fun morale builder now more than ever.

3. Start a drawing class like Life Drawing

4. Start a “Gamer Drawing Class” teaching others how to create dynamic character types found in video games. EXPAND IT: Rather than you seeking out patrons on your own, partner with a computer game store or gaming arcade and let the owner pay you per event as an attraction.

5. Have an “Artists Tag Sale” with multiple artists selling their old studies and similar works.

6. Speak, Speak, Speak! Give an artist’s talk or presentation for an honorarium.

Customized gift ideas for those seeking “something different” since money’s tight:
7. Do portraits from photos or in person

8. Pet Portraits from photos. EXPAND IT: Rather than you seeking out pet lovers on your own, partner with a pet store and let the owner pay you per event as an attraction.

See The Other 8 Ideas Here>>

maverick · 03-12-2009, 01:51 PM

rob a liquor store

**Lovecraft13** · 03-12-2009, 02:32 PM

Sell bloody semen to gay vampires.

Aaron Hübrich · 03-12-2009, 04:49 PM

Ahh cynicism...

Jeez guys, way to contribute. You can also make more money by not being dicks.

I got one for ya. Get better and get out there any way you can. My instructor in college said an average artist can do a lot and get a lot of coverage if they bring attention to themselves. One way...go down in the middle of downtown, set up an easel and start painting. People will pass you by. Later, take off all your clothes and then continue painting...you'll get plenty of attention then. Yes, it's cynical, but the point is...get out there and promote yourself and don't apologize by doing so. You ahve to have the goods though, so keep getting better.

Mike225 · 03-12-2009, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mic. Gee

If artists actually contributed something useful to society they wouldn't have to take off their clothes to be noticed. Plus, you can't fight cynicalism with cynicalism. That's why I urge everyone here, includinh myself, to start selling teenage abortions and cocaine outside the nearest strip mall. If a customer orders an abortion and cocaine, they should get a dirty needle--free.

Not only will there be a decent income, products that the average person might actually want will be provided to them.

Could you get a little quicker with deleting all your dumbass posts?

Aaron Hübrich · 03-12-2009, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mic. Gee

If artists actually contributed something useful to society they wouldn't have to take off their clothes to be noticed. Plus, you can't fight cynicalism with cynicalism.

Please don't puff and post.

STILLBORNSAVAGE · 03-12-2009, 06:24 PM

Free comic book day is right around the corner you can see if a local shop wouldn't mind haveing an artist around to atract more people to their store. I know my local shop is looking for someone to do sketches that day. And what better place to get your stuff seen then the same place we all hope to see our work end up.

You could even sell old drawings of popular characters on ebay.

**Lovecraft13** · 03-12-2009, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron Hübrich

You can also make more money by not being dicks.

Your dad has a dick.

The Art Keeper · 03-13-2009, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mic. Gee

If artists actually contributed something useful to society they wouldn't have to take off their clothes to be noticed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mic. Gee

.it makes makes me wonder if art is partially irrelevant.

to even wonder about this proves you've never seen a pinup of Supergirl locked in mortal combat against space tentacles... irrelevant, i think not

otherwise, Great post Tsnipes.

crozonia · 03-13-2009, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mic. Gee

By and large, they don't. The average person may know who Jackson Pallock is but couldn't tell you why his work is significant. If artists constantly feel it's necessary to be shocking or controversial to be relevant...it makes makes me wonder if art is partially irrelevant. For all the good art there is out there, most of it is within comics, there's too much of the "Emperor's Clothes" going on. I understand it's all subjective...but if it's relevant, why were artists and museums asking help from the federal government recently?

I think right now is a time for artists and or artist institutions, if they are indeed hurting, to take time and reflect on what they contribute to society and as you can tell, I don't think it's much. Partially, that's based on how society compensates them which is very uneven, I don't mean unequal, but uneven--meaning how much an editor or buyer pays for something is based on their emotions or emotions they believe it will cause in other people.

I wonder right now, emotionally, if a Jackson Pallock painting is worth owning or selling right now.

Summary: Ok, you're an artist, but who cares?
There's much more art than demand so take a real long hard look at what you're selling.

I have no idea what the Jackson Pollock tangent was about, but I'll take the bait. There's art and a demand for art everywhere. Maybe not as much demand for the painter/art gallery/jury thing, but art is all around you, and if you're enterprising enough, you don't have to be a starving or low income artist. That's what Tsnipe's post is all about. I'm kicking it up a notch because of this economy and actively looking for freelance gigs. Came back from Toy Fair a month ago, I've been busy every day with toy work since.

Artists have an important role in society as well. At least we produce things. Art = productivity = contributing to society.

There's plenty of jobs with a ZERO sum gain. Many jobs and industries are just making money off of money. One big ass ponzi scheme. How does that contribute to society?

The DarkMind · 03-13-2009, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mic. Gee

Summary: Ok, you're an artist, but who cares?
There's much more art than demand so take a real long hard look at what you're selling.

Translation: Start collecting aluminum cans in shopping carts, or get a real job until the economy picks up.

Caio Reis · 03-13-2009, 07:19 PM

What about classic art? renaissence? What would be of our current society, our current state of evolution if there weren't groundbreaking artists of all sorts in the history of mankind??? Art, whatever definition of it you can come up with, is as assential to men as the very air we breathe!

You may consider it irrelevant in face of economic cataclisms, or natural disasters or war times but all those events are not permanent while a good piece of artwork can last for ages and ages...

Scribbly · 03-13-2009, 11:13 PM

You can do what every artist living in Indonesia
with a salary wage of less than $100 dollars per month does.

Get sat in your chair and start producing artwork!

JuanNavarro · 03-20-2009, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scribbly

You can do what every artist living in Indonesia
with a salary wage of less than $100 dollars per month does.

Get sat in your chair and start producing artwork!

Exact-a-fucking-mundo!

I made the decision some time back to STOP TRYING TO MAKE MONEY OFF MY COMICS. It was just maddening and sad. Now this is a personal decision and all that, but lucky enough to own my shop and making money for myself, I really didn't see the point in killing myself and tearing a new asshole to make money off my artwork. The whole idea of making a Passion into a Profession is kind of a bitch, at least to me.

Now hey maybe my work sucks asshole, or maybe I haven't worked as hard as I could/should (BULLSHIT, I do!) but I'm really happy making my work and not having a monetary scale attached is quite liberating.

I know not everyone can do this, and for you guys out there, keep doing what you do. I think biggest hurtle isn't talent, it's discipline: if you want this shit so bad, bust your ass on that drawing board son!

The other thing is to get your name out there and show your work. It's like anything, if you run around saying you have the idea for the Flying car, nobody gives a shit, but they day you fly by, and land the flying car in front of them, they'll shit their pants and blow you!

So what was I saying?

Oh yeah sell weed!

03-12-2009, 11:51 AM	#1
tsnipes Southern Fried Sci-Fi Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: South Carolina Posts: 236	16 Ways Artists Can Make Money in a Down Economy Thanks to some feedback from this community and others, I started this list as a step to help other artists as we face layoffs, etc. Here are 16 ways artists and designers can make money using their creative talent and abilities: Classic “Old School” ideas that never fade: 1. Caricatures at kids’ parties: Charge parents by the hour for this fun addition to their child’s party. EXPAND IT: Rather than you seeking out parents on your own, partner with a kid’s party venue (e.g. Chuck E. Cheeses, etc) and let the owner pay you per party. 2. Caricatures for HR department’s: Human Resources departments always look for special perks for their employees, and with layoffs and bad news hanging over the head of their staff, they need a fun morale builder now more than ever. 3. Start a drawing class like Life Drawing 4. Start a “Gamer Drawing Class” teaching others how to create dynamic character types found in video games. EXPAND IT: Rather than you seeking out patrons on your own, partner with a computer game store or gaming arcade and let the owner pay you per event as an attraction. 5. Have an “Artists Tag Sale” with multiple artists selling their old studies and similar works. 6. Speak, Speak, Speak! Give an artist’s talk or presentation for an honorarium. Customized gift ideas for those seeking “something different” since money’s tight: 7. Do portraits from photos or in person 8. Pet Portraits from photos. EXPAND IT: Rather than you seeking out pet lovers on your own, partner with a pet store and let the owner pay you per event as an attraction. See The Other 8 Ideas Here>>

03-12-2009, 02:32 PM	#3
Lovecraft13 Diabeetus! Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Our House Posts: 6,821	Sell bloody semen to gay vampires. __________________ The "Abigail & Rox" series is available exclusively for download on the iTunes Store, and come visit us on Facebook.

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03-12-2009, 01:51 PM	#2
maverick Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,543	rob a liquor store

03-12-2009, 04:49 PM	#4
Aaron Hübrich www.conceptopolis.com Join Date: May 2002 Location: Cincinnati/Northern KY Posts: 423	Ahh cynicism... Jeez guys, way to contribute. You can also make more money by not being dicks. I got one for ya. Get better and get out there any way you can. My instructor in college said an average artist can do a lot and get a lot of coverage if they bring attention to themselves. One way...go down in the middle of downtown, set up an easel and start painting. People will pass you by. Later, take off all your clothes and then continue painting...you'll get plenty of attention then. Yes, it's cynical, but the point is...get out there and promote yourself and don't apologize by doing so. You ahve to have the goods though, so keep getting better.

03-12-2009, 06:24 PM	#7
STILLBORNSAVAGE Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 71	Free comic book day is right around the corner you can see if a local shop wouldn't mind haveing an artist around to atract more people to their store. I know my local shop is looking for someone to do sketches that day. And what better place to get your stuff seen then the same place we all hope to see our work end up. You could even sell old drawings of popular characters on ebay.

03-13-2009, 07:19 PM	#12
Caio Reis Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Brazil Posts: 454	What about classic art? renaissence? What would be of our current society, our current state of evolution if there weren't groundbreaking artists of all sorts in the history of mankind??? Art, whatever definition of it you can come up with, is as assential to men as the very air we breathe! You may consider it irrelevant in face of economic cataclisms, or natural disasters or war times but all those events are not permanent while a good piece of artwork can last for ages and ages...

03-13-2009, 11:13 PM	#13
Scribbly Easy Reader Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Amerika Posts: 3,769	You can do what every artist living in Indonesia with a salary wage of less than $100 dollars per month does. Get sat in your chair and start producing artwork!