The must-have business guide for visual artists, written by the leading specialist in the global art trade

21 successful artists share their stories, their inspiration and their advice on how to make the transition from spare-time painters to full-time artists.

With this book you can discover how to unlock your latent creativity and make your dreams a reality. It provides a 12-week course that guides you through the process of recovering your creative self.

"A fun-filled art activity book that will encourage kids to express themselves while teaching them about key artistic styles and a selection of pioneering artists from history"--

Being a good artist doesn't make you a successful artist - being good at business does. In this book I teach the starving artist how to become a successful artist by becoming a good businessperson. I describe how and why to build a creative company and increase its value. I do that by telling my own story of evolution from a photojournalist working alone to running a successful production company. My story is not unique: the lessons I learned can apply to any artist working for themselves. And I talk with other artists about that here -case studies where artists from different fields talk about just starting out and about making it, or not. Creativity is your business, but no one is waiting for you to show up. You need to show up for yourself. There is a way to make your art work for you. I show you how. - Creativity is your business, but no one is going to pay you for something they can't sell. - Artists don't need to suffer. All the case studies in this book are stories told by creatives happy about what they are doing, even when it's hard on them. But they do it for their business and you can do it for yours. - You need a team, whatever work you do. And you are not alone. - The most successful person I interviewed for a case study in this book said, "Reading case studies in business school, I thought to myself, 'What a waste of time learning about other people.' But it was just the opposite. You're destined to repeat the mistakes of the past if you haven't learned from what others have done." Each chapter includes a call to action, and the final chapters are just that: concrete plans to make a real difference in the lives of the reader, if they are willing. That's what I learned to do, even when I didn't think I needed to.