The Artist as an enterprise
For 19 years I have now been an independent artist with focus on painting. What does it mean to be independent and move your “enterprise art” forward? In my case I am indeed very much relying on myself while others may have support through e. g. a gallery. When you look at working as an artist being somewhat the same as running your own small enterprise, the main areas are of importance here and there: production, location, presentation, advertising, sales and marketing, customer relation, controlling, insurances, office management, IT, taxes, logistics, Human Resources Development (which then is my own development), financial planning for cash flow and investments. As an artist I do have to unite all these functions in myself in terms of capabilities and tasks – and of course, I should produce art works, in the first place.
It all begins with the desire to work in a creative and self-determined profession and the courage to go on a path of which you don’t know exactly where it is going to lead you. If you will manage to make a living of your art remains pretty much open, at least at the beginning and it remains volatile. I will tell you more about that later. Since art is not only a matter of talent but to a great deal also a matter of proficiency, you must work on your skills. I did so by taking courses at public art schools, joined artists who offered private lessons and continued, after my A-levels, with studying art and art therapy at an university in Nürtingen, a small town in southwest Germany. I never stopped learning, experimented with different techniques and approaches and after some years I began to develop and to establish my very own and personal style, technically and artistically. And now it means: producing, presenting and selling good art.
Part 2 – at the end of the month.
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