Selling Art, Not Selling Out

Tag: money

“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” – Andy Warhol Quote Art

“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”  ― Andy Warhol

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Andy Warhol may be one of the most famous artists of the last century. He is well known even among people who know nothing about art. His work and influence on the art world have endured well beyond his death.

[bctt tweet=”While many artists shun the idea of making money, Warhol embraced it.” username=”kevin_chung”]

That is why we must follow his example. While many artists shun the idea of making money, Warhol embraced it.

He was one of the originators of pop art. He not only created paintings of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, he became a celebrity himself.

Warhol did not believe making money from his work was evil. He used money as a tool to spread his ideas.

He did not shun working. He worked hard to make sure his art and ideas reached the largest audience possible.

He did not hate business like most artists do. He turned himself and his work into a business. He used business as a way to continue making art. He used it as a way to make sure everyone noticed what he was doing.

If you have been struggling with the idea of making art for money or turning your art into a business, you may want to reconsider. If you don’t make money from your art or have a good business plan for selling your art, you will have a hard time turning your art into a career.

But don’t take my word for it. Look at the words of Andy Warhol, one of the most successful commercial artists to ever live. He did not take himself or his art too seriously. He used art to make a statement about society while also living life on his own terms.

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Photo by Tech109

Kent Sanders on Taking Breaks, the Obstacles That Hold Us Back, and Changing Our Money Mentality – Cracking Creativity Episode 70

Kent Sanders has lived a life full of creativity ever since he was young, but it never occurred to him that he could make a living from his creativity. When Kent was young, he separated his love of creativity from his love of religion. It never occurred to him that he could combine those two interests.

After working in the ministry for a few years, he decided he wanted to go back to school to teach. He wanted to challenge himself by doing something new.

While finishing up his master’s degree, a realization dawned on him. He realized he could combine his two passions for art and religion. So he became a professor at a religious college where has taught everything from technology, to art, and film.

In this episode, Kent talks about why breaks are important, some of the biggest things holding us back, and changing our mindsets about money.

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“We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies.” — Walt Disney Quote Art

“We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies.” — Walt Disney

Print available on Storenvy.

There are two major mistakes artists make about money. The first is, they believe in the myth of the starving artist. The second is, they believe they shouldn’t need to make money from their art.

The starving artist myth is prevalent in society. We believe artists must suffer to create great work. We believe you have to live at end’s meet. We believe you can’t be a prosperous artist.

[bctt tweet=”Artists of all kinds are able to make a living from their work” username=”kevin_chung”]

I’m not sure why this myth has prevailed. There is so much evidence to the contrary. Artists of all kinds are able to make a living from their work. Are they all rich? No, but they aren’t starving either. There are musicians, illustrators, actors, writers, and artists of all kinds creating great work and making a living from doing it.

[bctt tweet=”If you want to make a sustainable living as an artist, you have to sell your work” username=”kevin_chung”]

The second mistake artists make, is believing we shouldn’t have to make money from our art. While it’s true that we don’t have to sell our work to be artists. It’s also true that if you want to make a sustainable living as an artist, you have to sell your work.

Walt Disney was one of the greatest visionaries of his time. He completely revolutionized animated films. Why did he do it? He wasn’t interested in making movies to become rich. He did it because he had a vision and story to tell.

While making his first full-length animated film, Snow White, Disney went far above the initial budget of the film. He could have released a cheaper version of the film to make more money, but he wanted to make it as perfect as possible. He wanted people to be so entranced by the film that they would forget they were watching an animated movie. And it worked unbelievably well!

If you want to be a successful artist, you can’t be afraid to make money for your work. You can’t fall victim to the myth of a starving artist. You have to be willing to make money from your art. Not because you want to become rich, but because you want to make more art.

The best way to become a thriving artist is to get over your insecurities over money. Money is just a means to create a sustainable living. It allows you to live comfortably while also creating art. Don’t create art to make money. Make money so you can create more art.

For more great info on this topic, check out my review for Elizabeth Hyde Stevens’ Make Art Make Money.

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Photo by Michael Saechang

H/T quote via Austin Kleon’s  Show Your Work!