This was posted recently as 8 things we, as artists, can do to keep the arts as a way to be creative and make a living:
- Be active: support each other - This means support all of the arts, not just your art form. Go to the symphony,
- Be active: be an activist - Don't sit back and let others voice concerns about injustices. One person can make a difference and many can make the difference.
- Be active: be an artist - if you are an artist, you should never be bored. There is always something to create. Many successful artists created mounds of work, most of which doesn't see the light of day.
- Value yourself, your time and your skills - Don't give away your art/time. It not only hurts you, but it hurts every other working artist.
- Share your knowledge and resources - be a mentor to a younger artist, share your bad experiences, so others can avoid those pitfalls.
- Focus, strategize and plan - approach being an artist like any other business.
- Be critical, be fair - it does no one any good to live in a fantasy world. The truth (doled out carefully), can help others over hurdles and grow into great artists, rather than stagnate as so-so artists.
- Know your rights - the internet is a wonderful tool. You now have at your fingertips information that was only available through a lawyer with a library of books.