Being a Professional Artist Sylvia White has a good resource for artists starting out (or established artists that are not good with being organized) called Art Advice. One of her articles is like a checklist for an artist turning professional called The "Okay, I think I'm ready to be a professional artist," Checklist.

The most important thing an artist can take from the list is that you have to spend a percentage of your time on the business and marketing aspects of being an artist. She suggests thirty minutes a day or even thirty minutes a week if you're time poor.

It's a little bit like telling a fish that he has to spend time out of the water each week, but getting professional is absolutely essential if we want to survive as an artist.

Which reminds me.. I'm reading a book by the artist Sheila Reid, called "Art Without Rejection" which looks at some of the issues that a contemporary artist has to deal with. Where on one hand, we have to be sensitive and open while creating, but then we're thrown into the tough world of commercial art galleries when we want to pay the bills.

I have only just started reading the book, so I might mention it again some other time.
>> Being an Artist, Art Marketing  ¶ 11:55 PM