Being an Artist news at Art News Blog is a listing of all the posts that have discussed issues that artists deal with, how to be an artist, and an arts career.
See also : Art Marketing

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• Reality Check - Being an Artist - Most of the artists I know see reality in different ways to normal people. Their feet don't seem to touch the ground when they walk and they often bump into real things as their head is usually in the clouds. There are exceptions, but reality usually makes artists uncomfortable.
• I am 45% Tortured Artist - I found this test on Jafabrit's blog. She's only 17% tortured artist and hasn't come to the realization that everyone is an idiot yet. I think my percentage was higher because I realize that everyone that isn't an artist is an idiot.
• Do or Die List for Artists - It's not a serious list that an artist should live by and it's not a complete list, so please do add to it or criticize it by leaving your comments.
• Personal Coach for Artists - In Robert Genn's latest newsletter he is talking about personal coaches and the value that artists could gain from them. He isn't about to become a personal coach himself, but he has made a list of things that an artist could do to make progress.
• Artist Studios - Leith let me know of a show about artist studios that was on television in Australia recently. I missed it, but thanks to this wonderful thing called "the Internet", I can still see it online (and share it with people all over the world.)
• Doll Face Short Film by Andy Huang - I found this fascinating little short film on Jafabrit's blog. It's by Andy Huang and is called "Doll Face".
• Charles Saatchi Buys an Exhibition - The British art collector Charles Saatchi has made news after he bought a whole exhibition by the Royal Academy art student James Howard.
• What Is Art? What is an Artist? - I have been thinking about the word "artist" and what it means to be one. Obviously it's a person that creates art, so why do we have to still get into debates over whether a person is an artist or not? Why do some people still believe that only the chosen few should have the title of "artist" stamped to their forehead?
• Box of Love - I received a box of love in the post recently. It's a cardboard box, painted by the abstract painter Franck de Las Mercedes, with a label that says "Handle with care, Fragile, Contains: LOVE".
• 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.
• Struggles of an Artist - He talks about the uncertainties of purpose and income. Karl also points to moments in history where artists could be reasonably sure that they would make money from art. But now, even though people are generally much wealthier, and people seem to appreciate art more, there are very few artists that can be sure that the bills will be paid.
• Running an Art Gallery - Last year I made a post about starting an art gallery, where I mentioned that I have a lot of respect for gallery owners and the hard work that they do. Here's part of what I said..
• Creative Children - Creative Adults - In one of Robert Genn's recent newsletters he talks about a study of creative children that grow into creative adults. The psychologist Ellen Winner found that creative people choose their path very early in life and they often have similarities like; scholastic boredom, difficulty making friends, and social problems.
• Gagosian Gallery Profiting from the Internet - Artists have been taking advantage of the internet to sell work for a few years now. Painters can now make enough money on eBay to pay the bills. There's also a group of artists that have created quite a buzz with the use of blogs to sell their paintings.
• Royalties on Resold Paintings - The Australian artist Hazel Dooney has published an interesting post about the royalties that artist should or shouldn't receive when their works are resold by collectors. She mentions a painting that she sold when she was just starting out for $300, which would be worth nearly $30,000 now.
• The Painting Process and the Still Life - Karl Zipser has added a new section to his art blog called Follow the Painting, where he and the artist Hanneke van Oosterhout go through the different stages of creating a painting.
• FAQ For Artists - The Art Life blog has come up with a few frequently asked questions by artists and has tried to answer them. The first one is probably one of the most asked questions by those just starting out; Should I go to art school?
• Selling Art Online - USA Today has wrote an article about how artists are taking advantage of the internet to sell their work.
• Irv on Artists and Life - Irv has left a comment on the "Crazy Artists post" that deserves to be a post, rather a comment. So I'm hoping you don't mind Irv!
• Crazy Artists - The crazy artist is a common stereotype that a lot of artists have to deal with. Some artists have truly deserved the label of the "mad artist", some of us have mad moments, and some of us are happy, well adjusted members of society.
• Artist Pension Trust Interview - I recently asked the new CEO of Artist Pension Trust (APT), Bijan Khezri a few questions about the organization and how it could benefit artists.
• Anatomy, Art, and Life - It's called Anatomy for Beginners, with Dr Gunther von Hagens doing the dissecting of the bodies and pathologist Professor John Lee (nicknamed the "Walt Disney of Death") explaining how we work in health and in disease.
• George Craige Art Scam? - I just received an email from George Craige gcraige108@yahoo.com and just assumed it was a scam (and am still 99.9% sure that it is), but how would he benefit by using a bank transfer for payment?
• To Eat Crow - I haven't heard of the saying "to eat crow", but Jafabrit has used it to get back at her daughter over a minor squabble. It basically means that you have to admit that you were wrong about something.
• Genius Artists - Mushtaq Bhat of Germany was moved enough by the comments on the Self Absorbed Geniuses post to start his own blog at the age of 54. The post was about the Rebels and Matyrs exhibition at the National Gallery in London, and how artists are often self absorbed and create their own myths.
• Post Secret and Supporting Artists - I could relate to this postcard over at the Post Secret blog. Not because I've ever been in a band or lost a lover because of being an artist, but it is an issue that comes up from time to time.
• Self Absorbed Geniuses - There's an exhibition opening later this month at the National Gallery in London called Rebels and Matyrs. The theme is a common one that artists sometimes use to their own advantage. Promoting themselves as the outsider or the misunderstood genius.
• Artist Makes $25,000 on eBay - In the last post I mentioned how I thought it is pretty important for artists to have good business and marketing skills. A painter that was recently interviewed here is a great example of an artist that understands the value of marketing yourself and creating a brand or an image.
• Challenges of Being an Artist - I think in this new world of mass media, hype, and money it's all about marketing. Artists often make it difficult for themselves because they're often humble, not very business savvy, not willing to invest in themselves, or don't know anything about marketing and branding.
• Rich Artists = Bad Art? - Vincent struggled for his art, so did Modigliani, but artists like Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, and more recently Damien Hirst could afford to pay an army of assistants to work for them.
• Being an Artist - Karl Zipser has started a new blog on all things art and has started a series of posts on being an artist. He has started with two steps so far..
• Artists and Buddhist Monks - A friend and I was talking about what it's like to be an artist and how it can be a really tough way to live. One issue that came up was dealing with emotions and sensitivity.
• Contemporary Artists Online - Here's a selection of some super-fantastic contemporary artists online. I browse the Internet quite a bit, and am always bookmarking sites in my favorites, so I thought I might share a few.
  
• Artist Offended - An interesting post over at The Art Life blog, where an artist gets nasty over a little criticism. Sure I have been offended, possibly even hurt by criticism before but it was unconstructive and hurtful criticism, certainly nothing as mild as this.
• More Pain = Better Art - French conceptial artist Amelia Gentleman believes that her best art comes from her lowest times. Particularly bad relationship break-ups have inspired her to create some of her best work.
• Artists Resale Rights Levy - Britain's booming contemporary art market may be affected by the new "droit de suite" tax or the artists resale rights levy when it is introduced next year. Artists or their families will receive a percentage of the sale of their work for up to 70 years after his/her death.