Ways of Making It as an Artist without Starving Yourself

9 Jun 2019
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Art has been around for centuries, and its manifestation is all around us even in the tiniest details. Our lives are dramatically intertwined with different disciplines of art, which instigates its significance in the world. Without art, human beings would not have such staggering progress in the world, and it is exciting to understand its prospect and attribution to our lives.

The discipline of art may be tremendously relevant to the people of earth and their lives, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood fields in the world. Many people on earth have a complex understanding of what art is and how important it is.

This is one of the reasons why there is a considerable chunk of artists in the world who fail to make a living. A significant number of talented and highly skilled artists all across the globe remain broke, and cannot make their ends meet. Other people who are not artists do not give this field its due importance because they simply do not see it as a career path. Many people find art to be mundane, a nine to five structure of most corporate jobs. A career in art does not seem promising because it does not have a guaranteed structure. This is one of the reasons why most people fail to give it importance. Unfortunately, this is a wrong notion about this discipline.

While a lot of people don’t get art, there are numerous others who praise it and have devoted their lives to this field, praising other artists and creating their own pieces of brilliance. An example of one of such people is Michael Benisty. Michael is a self-taught and self-made multimedia artist based in new York. He specializes in digital and sculptural art that is different from the rest of the mainstream art that we get to see everywhere around us.

Michael takes a different approach to his work, one that has to do with centering the subject matter to real-world affairs, power, spirituality, and despair. He is an excellent sculpture artist, and he holds a prominent reputation for his projects. This work has been shown across the globe at diferent art fairs such as “Art with Me”, “Burning Man”, and “Art Basel”.

He remains a strong example of an artist who has made quite a name for himself.

Here is how you can be a prolific artist like him:

Pull off something different – Many modern artists are engaged in the practice of doing something different that would be crucial for them to have a unique identity. This is important to gain popularity and recognition that every artist aspires for.

For Michael the combination of using gold plated and mirror polished stainless steel and creating  large scale pieces, of which some are placed in remote locations, have given him an immediately recognizable style.

Network – Whether people attend your exhibitions or you attend theirs, it is important to flip a conversation and exchange contacts. Having a strong network would open many opportunities for you. You can do a collaboration or someone can let you have certain opportunities that would be beneficial for a sustainable career.

Having worked as a photographer for many years prior to becoming a sculptor, Michael had built an extensive range of contacts in the art world. Many whom he photographed over the years for art magazines and nurtured a long term relationship with.

Become a content creator – A strong internet presence would go a long way in helping you build your portfolio. Since most of your audience is present on different platforms across the internet, there is no reason why you should not be reaching out to them and grabbing their attention.

Every artist is in control of their career and now more than ever has access to a platform to promote their past, currnet and upcoming projects. By installing several works ober the years at Burning Man, Michael reached a savy social media platform audience. This culture of sharing and resharing broadened his art works social reach, showcasing it to a much large audience.