Where are the places you read things?
What are the conferences that host talks you like?
Look at the cvs of artists you respect- where did they go?
Apply to things that interest you, they will be more oriented towards your work too.

In general, the community you grow with are the people that will make your career in the future.

What to apply for (and is it a scam?)

On "Exposure"

You do need your work to be in the world, but not at material cost to you.
Many DIY and project spaces are not trying to scam you, they just have no money with which to compensate you.
You should never pay to show work, or apply to a gallery or show that runs expensive-application-fee open calls year-round

Some residencies do charge and are still worth it, including some “important” ones (Mass MoCA, Skowhegan, etc).
My rule - I never pay more than my normal cost of living to do a thing

if I can use a residency for my food/house/etc in a given month and come out even with what I would normally pay for food and rent (about $1000), it’s still good

If you need it, ask for a need-based application fee waiver, many have them, it does not count against you

(if anything, it is helpful to get the extra conversation in before they review applications)

In these calculations, ask yourself what will it give you?

A show, a place to live for a month, food, a stipend, a community, equipment, a place you wanna go... etc

If community is important, look at who has gone in the past, and if their work is meaningful to you. They will be representative of your peers while you are there.

Residencies?

Aka “come here and live and make work for a bit”
I love them- but wouldn’t keep an apartment while I was doing a bunch

(Good for short thinkin vacations if you have a place though!)

They are generally what you make of them, because what they mostly offer is time
Some also offer community and facetime with other folks in the arts
Some are a lot easier to get than others

I often apply to fancy/hard to get ones first, then infill my time with lower key ones that are much easier to receive
this is a bit of a rude way to describe less prestigious spaces, but the level of competition you face changes dramatically place to place
these small ones are often fabulous and full of amazing people but they generally don’t offer any career prestige, just a cool place to think and work for a while

Sales/pricing (for physical work):

A few options here:
Market rate:

Your prices are decided by what you can sell stuff for
This may work out to be a very low hourly rate (especially if you are a slow worker in the studio) or a very high one (you are a quick worker and have lots of demand!)
Work is often priced by size- eg, a small drawing is much less than a big painting, regardless of time spent
Always figure in materials cost, which can be very high for painters/sculptors/etc
This is honestly a totally arbitrary number that changes per person, but:

the very cheapest you should probably consider for an original is a few hundred dollars, out of your studio or a coffee shop or other low key venue (a sketch or a multiple could be less)

my students seem to regularly price around $100-$250 which is an okay place to start if you want to move stuff/need to support yourself

this price will increase with the venue you are showing in (a gallery will add their fee on top, and connect you with folks who might be able to spend a little more)
you can set your prices to literally whatever- and it is sort of a gamble, because if you say you are worth more, then you are? but also, you might sell nothing? so it is kind of ~abstract~ worth

Hourly rate:

Pick your rate and charge by time spent. This is what I do, partly because I have a good sense of time passing so it is easy for me to track.
My rate is $25 - $200 depending (private personal studio time that ends up making a document vs you are a bad corporation who has asked for an installation)
I include my proposal/phone meeting/email time on the project in this cost.

there are time trackers that you can use, I generally just type an x at the top of my project notes for every hour spent and add them up like days on a cell wall, oh no.

I have a low range (no originals below $400, no commissions below $300, etc)
I add materials costs on top

60 hours on a drawing, plus $30 for paper and pens? Somewhere in the range of $2-4k.
A 5 hour drawing? $400

My prices have increased over time, but are still pretty low for somebody who has had a good career otherwise. This is bc I don't have gallery representation (which is both good and bad).

Sometimes I sell work in a book or print model, which is editions of a digital or printed thing.

If numbered, these are often $80-$100
If not numbered (more like a zine), these can be as cheap as $10 or $15 from me

Regardless, always generate invoices that clearly say what you sold, to who, at what value, and with any discounts.

(include a line that you don't take returns bc.. yeah.. sometimes folks will try to return? art? ).
You want all this info because it will help with taxes and general records in the future.

Sales/pricing (for digital work):

Congrats if you are a digital artist you don't need to think about this.
JK but honestly, kind of? It’s a pretty different thing, there is not a big sales market for digital/code based work...
Hourly rates make some sense in a digital world, especially if you are doing commissioned work.
I also sometimes sell work in a more app model, which means you can download my work for like $2. Theoretically, I could be more compensated for this type of thing than selling a single original, but it would take a “hit” which is not, my work, generally

I like https://itch.io/ for this, which is oriented for games but also hosts lots of weird little digital artworks
they have a shop interface that lets you take payments or donations

(Honestly, if you want commercial success in this field, find a gallery that specializes in this kind of digital work.)
New on the field of making money with digital art is crypto artwork, but imo the ecological side is so viscous idk if I can suggest it.
The best model is possibly from video art, which has a bit of a system in place for loans and purchases of similarly intangible media.

See Video Data Bank

Galleries:

"Getting a gallery" usually puts you in a commercial bracket that is different from a more academic or project-based world
You are on their docket because you are an asset, either financially, conceptually, or both
You are often expected to have a show there every few years and in general be producing work for them
They connect you with collectors
Many of whom are "investing" in work that they sell later
Most galleries take 50%
The "Right of First Refusal" - Many galleries include this line in sales, it means you (or them) can buy the work back if a collector decides to sell. Mostly you don't though because you can’t afford it.

Commissions/loans/gifts:

What are they?

Commissioned work -

Make a thing for us, often within set parameters, paid.
GET A CONTRACT and 50% down before you start work.
You can be commissioned by an institution, a museum, a gallery, or even a corporate space.
Sometimes these come from open calls, but sometimes they reach out to you.
Your contract should describe what you are making, for what compensation, the terms of the agreement, the terms of cancellation, due by what days, and what the institution will and won’t provide.

Loans -

Will you loan us a thing for a show?
Sometimes a small honorarium, not always.
They should pay shipping/install costs.

Gifts -

You can gift a work to an institution (not a bad way to enter an archive, but they can always decline).
You may also be asked for gifts/donations. this is an okay way to offload old work for a tax write-off but beware that they can sometimes sell for too low which is not always good for your “value” or whatever. :/
You can always decline to send a gift, but might not be a bad call to offer a small donation instead if you wanna keep up good relations (eg- thank you for reaching out, I don’t have anything in my studio right now, but here is $20, good luck with the fundraiser.)
Keep documentation of where your work is. You may get a tax write-off if they are a nonprofit, so remember what you have gifted at the end of the year.

General money:

(Btw - I'm speaking from my own financial situation, which is- I have no debt and no family obligations but also no real tangible resources beyond my education. This may change via your circumstances, obviously everyone has different levels of support and supporting to do.)

IMO, spend as much energy developing your paying side gig as you do in the studio
You need a flexible fallback that can travel with you, or lets you take time off - even if it’s just like, transcription or online tutoring or ghostwriting articles or the local coffeeshop with a chill manager or whatever
I do work under a pseudonym that is about half of my income
Everyone needs one unless you are independently wealthy or wildly lucky right off the bat, there is no shame in this, it just doesn’t get talked about much.

Taxes (US-based):

Pay them, but don't pay much if you aren’t traditionally employed and aren’t making much money
Everything is a business expense
I mean it:

website hosting/domains
travel for work/residencies

(take the per diem write-off, it’s different per state: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates )

expensive tools (computer, car) - in the asset entry worksheet
paid applications
people you paid for labor (now it’s their problem lol)
office supplies
art supplies
shipping
any percentage of driving you did "for business"

Use the real free turbotax (freedom edition) -- > https://turbotax.intuit.com/taxfreedom/
An artist's guide to financial planning - > https://thecreativeindependent.com/guides/an-artists-guide-to-financial-planning/

Documentation:

Important
Take good photos and compelling screenshots/videos (I'm not that great at this part)
If you are making big things (not just lots of little ones), consider hiring someone to produce this for you.

If you are only making one or two works per year, you should consider hiring a videographer/writer/whatever you need to fill the gaps in your own skills. This is because it is worth it to present your big projects as well as possible

if you are making lots of small things, invest in your own skills needed to present them best.

For me- this is a web page per project, with some images and a few paragraphs of writing, and a further video or link to a pdf or code that says more about it.

Videos: have a short (30s-1 min) and long (full cut) version ready, many applications ask for excerpts of this length.
Keep track of what you made and where it is, and who has shown it before.

Proposals:

Tailor your proposal to the call specifications

Especially don’t go over page/word count, this will count against you
Respect the time of your reviewers.

Make this as clear as possible.
Say:

What you are going to make
What it does
What it looks like
What it is make of
How the audience will experience it
Why you are interested in this material/idea
Why you are interested in the opportunity
How you will make the thing
Other projects you have made that demonstrate your ability to make this one
Your probable timeline
Any renderings/shots-inprogress/past related images

again, SAY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

you would not believe the number of people who forget to do this after living in art school crit zone for years

Budgets:

materials cost

cost of making work
cost of equipment rentals for install

labor cost

yours and hired help

flights
visitation expenses

food
car
lodging

artist fee (at least 20%)
promotion

contingency /rainy day funds (10-20%)

Self promotion:

Websites - you probably need one.
Clear project documentation
CV/bio/etc are generally available online, but not always.
The more your career develops, the less your website has to say (counterintuitively)
Some folks go for the very minimal, contact info only website- this only works if you have other representation or things going for you.

CV:

Generally, in an order like this:

Your name + contact
Education
Shows (solo or duo)
Shows (by year)
Teaching, arts jobs
Grants, awards
Residencies (what, where)
Talks, publications
Press

You should have a long one and a short one, but many places ask for less than 3 pages! Delete less prestigious/interesting things as it gets over.

Social media:

Again, not strictly necessary, but useful
They're bad horror show spaces but everyone is a microcelebrity in 2019
The alternative is to move to a big city (the original social media)
You can always pick one and focus on it if you find them exhausting
Find a place your community already uses, and enter those conversations

Writing:

Consider publishing if you are into this
It doesn't pay well but it pays?
Consider covering art-world stuff for places like hyperallergic or even self-publish on medium

if you are in a geographic place where there are not other writers but interesting things do happen, pitch reviews or stories from your local scene

Writing about art is practice in the language of this space and will make you better at writing about your own work
Expect $50-$300 for an article in total, well below a good hourly wage
Look for a submissions or pitch page on the websites/magazines/blogs you read
Don't DM writers- find the editor or pitchline and write a succinct email
Subject line: "Pitch:, More info here"
Body of email: 1-3 paragraphs of what you wish to write in abstract, links to previous writing that demonstrates your ability to do so (if unpublished, you may attach samples).

Presentations:

This changed my life:

Make a new user account for plugging in your screen/conf calls/interviews

This way you will never be embarrassed by stuff on your desktop/in your search bar/etc

Honestly if there is one single tip to take away, take this one.

Extensive notes per slide, whether or not you read from them. This will keep you from ever freezing on stage with no fallback.
Have your basic 'artist talk' premade that you deviate from as needed.

How to apply for everything without burning out:

Reusable media!!!!
I have a folder that contains:

Bio in both third and 1st person, long and short
Artist statements in both third and 1st person, long and short
Documentation paired with blurbs, both long and short
My CV
My teaching letter
Old letters of interest (these will need to be updated per call)
Lots of project proposals I wanna make

Sometimes I don’t have time to start a project, but I do have time to write a 1 page document about what I wanna make in the future
These wait in the folder till I either have free time, or someone wants to pay me to make one

Get good at managing your calendar, get good at spreadsheets (you need to track your available time/travel/etc)
Always read your applications with care to make sure you have not left in an old institution name/city (instant rejection and honestly so embarrassing)
Try to pick wisely between your projects that you want to produce to fit the call or institution. They are looking for a considered proposal/fit.
You can make new projects proposals to fit a call, but only if it is something you actually want to produce!
Internalize that rejections are very very normal and not about you.

I applied to 110 things last year (not all big deal stuff, lots of little shows and online opportunities) and was rejected from 82 of them- which is a pretty good ratio! But still- 82 rejections! That’s like 2 a week!

How to not burn out in general:

Find a schedule that actually works for you, and lets you make things regularly

For me, right now, this is 4 days a week of teaching

2 of prep, 2 of class

One day in the studio
One day on email and side gigs
One day fully off

Not every artist can work on their stuff full time

Internalize that this is okay and normal
For some people it is pure joy, but it is also work

Being a responsible artist:

How to inquire about the status of an application

Always check their website and the call for response dates
If you are within 3 weeks of the stated dates, don’t email
After a month of being late, you can politely inquire
If they don’t have any response dates, assume a 3-6 month response window
If you don’t hear back, you didn’t get it.

Here is me asking about the status of me on a residency waitlist (that final exclamation point should really be a comma I sound kinda manic):

Write a thank you after a studio visit/residency/conversation

Always follow up, unless it was truly bad and you do not want to hear from them again
This should just be a nice thank-you note (like they gave you a gift! the gift of their time.)
Mention a few specific themes of the conversation you are still thinking on, or a take-away from the space/experience
If it is a space/person dependant on public funding, offer to send photos or a statement for their future grant applications. (Some will ask for this- always do it if they do.)
People should get a follow-up between 2-5 days (think polite first date texting zone)
Residencies and spaces should get one within a few weeks/less than a month after leaving or the event

Sending documents in the mail

If you make a lot of duplicates/low-cost work (zines, etc), always produce an extra 20 or so and send them to your supporters/curators/past residencies/etc
Everyone loves a package in the mail, and it is a nice art object and reminder that you are making things

Write a thank you to a rejection, always:

> Swallow that pride and do it, send a brief but cheerful thank you.

This can be a form letter too. Here are some of mine:

If a place offers feedback (rare), take it. However, do not ask for it unless it is offered- respect their limited time too.
Re: deadlines you're not gonna meet: always email them before they can email you.

This makes you look good, at least in the context of being behind.
Apologize (but not profusely), give an updated timeline, and explain that you are actively working on it and would like to touch base about what they need.

Don't email random artists asking to collaborate/for unpaid work/etc

they will remember you and it’s not good
respect others’ time, especially if you haven’t met them

DO email randos to say that you are an artist and that you appreciate their work for x and y reasons

they will remember you and it is nice!
however, don’t expect them to reply!

Workspace post school:

Your work will probably compress.
Think about what you can make at the kitchen table, at the library, at a coffeeshop, outside
I love the scale of my laptop work but there is a reason I use one, and it is more my lifestyle than a best-case scenario.
Studios are not necessary but are sometimes useful socially
Regardless of if you have a studio or not, have space you can host other artists and curators in

this can be your home
a friend’s studio
a nice park on a nice day
a coworking space
but you need to be able to show folks what you are making in a space you control!

Do you live in a city/are you online?

Start or get involved in an arts space
Go to events and be nice
Support your community
Communities can be online, support them too
Honestly this is sometimes hard for me (I get anxious) BUT

it’s been worth it
you only come up as far as your community does
trust that you’ll grow together

Number one important thing:

Be an artist who is you (lol this sounds so self helpy, BUT)
They don't want another ___, they want something new (you!)
If you are burning out/finding your work suffering/etc- back off
Some artists are renewed by doing their work, and others are not. If you are not (or are even are not always!), it can’t also be your hobby and free time.
I need a day off to myself per week, at minimum- everybody will find their balance and it is different for everyone
Get out there and get that support!

So much more - The Creative Independent

https://thecreativeindependent.com/