Making a Living as an Artist

We recently interviewed Sugar Taylor, artist and Creative Director of DIYva Designs, a Washington D.C. based event planning business that specializes in wedding planning. In this video, Sugar describes how she transformed her passion for art into a thriving business.

We’ve all heard the term “starving artist” and many people think that earning a decent living in the arts is nearly impossible. Sugar’s interview has some amazing tips on how to finance your artistic dream and be successful. While working a day job in finance, she implemented a simple four stage plan to launch her business:

  1. Clean your credit – pay everything on time for 6 months to a year and take care of any outstanding debts, etc.
  2. Find a like-minded business parter – that has strengths to supplement your own. If you’re artistic but lack business experience, partner with someone who has strong business skills. Having a partner also keeps you accountable.
  3. Save, Save, Save! Take a year or more to save every single penny you can. Finding outside funding for your business is not guaranteed so be prepared to cut back on your expenses and start building up some cash reserves.
  4. Launch the business with an tight brand and a solid online platform.

Check out the video for more great advice:

Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art. – Andy Warhol

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