Advice To Rising Artists From Industry Professionals 

Industry professionals share their advice for graduating artists and those choosing to make art a greater focus in their lives. 

By Betsy Podsiadlo | 5/1/24

You’re about to emerge as an artist! How exciting! Sharing your hard work and talent with the world, let alone making a living doing it is a great mystery to so many artists, whether they are hardened with experience or completely green to the creative life. 

To celebrate this season of accomplishment and growth, we asked arts industry professionals to share advice for early career artists in 2024... things they wish they knew sooner, things most people don't know, and things you might already be thinking about, but struggle to put into words. Below are their responses to that request, which we have input into a “bank” of advice for your reference. We hope this list contains even one small piece of advice that helps you as you begin this new journey.

If you are far along on your journey and have some advice you'd like to share with rising artists, please send an email to artgrovenewsletter@gmail.com with your advice and we might add it to the bank!

"Learn how the money works at an arts organization! If you understand how money goes in and out of an organization--whether a specific one, or just in general in your field--you'll be more equipped to negotiate because you'll better understand what's true and what's BS. Find a friend or mentor who works on the money side of things, not just the creative side, and ask them how it works!"

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“Pay attention to what you like to do.  Especially when you are thinking about the more laborious/administrative parts of being a working artist - figure out the boring parts that you like, and that you are good at.  Do those for yourself and others, and hopefully you'll find others who will like the parts you're not so good at.

Show up.  Show up for the work, show up for yourself, and show up for your community.  Do not underestimate the long-term power of showing up for the work of others, saying hello, and being supportive.

Follow your curiosity, trust your taste.”

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“Turn your teachers into mentors - share with them. Start to bridge that gap because they will be your colleagues at some point.

Good leaders are always learning. Just because you have a lot to learn doesn’t mean you cannot be a leader.”

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“Check in with yourself periodically, and especially ahead of big opportunities, to make sure you’re ready to put your whole self forward. It can be easy to hide and try to avoid showing up fully, especially in the postgrad era! Vulnerability is what makes art (and people) compelling.”

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“Make sure your name is on your intellectual property!”

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“Traditional career paths don’t exist anymore in this economy, so you are going to be building your thing yourself and with your friends.”

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“As you begin this new stage of life, learn to accept and appreciate change as an inevitable but also beautiful factor in your life story. Acquiescing to change allows you to discover new experiences that grow your creativity. It is not an admission of lacking principles, wisdom, or faith as an artist. While some might believe that a meaningful personal journey is all about maintaining unwavering beliefs and self-image, resistance to change only eviscerates opportunities for an even more spectacular journey.”

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“You’re entering a phase of your life where suddenly you have full control over your career and artistic practice. Embrace the freedom! There are lots of institutions and people preying on young artists, trying to make them feel like they don’t know how to make their way in this industry. Find some trusted advisors and stick to them. Be wary of anyone selling you something.”