You have probably fathomed of becoming an artist because it’s a passionate career. However, you also have to address your life obligations, which means that your art career has to bring income.
Indeed, being an artist ranks highly among one of the highest-paying careers in the world today. However, there is more the amount an artist can make, including location, skill, and reputation. While there is no specific metric for the amount artists make, the guide below should give you better insight:
Things to Know Art Careers
Artists are people who create works of art for a specific audience or purpose. Usually, they use different techniques and materials for particular art applications. These can include communicating a message, feeling, thought, and other applications.
Most of them had to resort to finding work with magazines, movie studios, and marketing agencies. However, the art career field has evolved significantly over the past few years. Artists today rank high up among the top earners.
A recent report by the showed that the average wage for artists averaged $49,000 in mid-2020. The report also showed the highest earner received less than $22,000, and the highest earner received up to $110,000.
However, the earnings can also vary based on different career fields and other relative factors. The rate that artists earn is higher than the median of other careers, averaging $41,000.
Art Career Fields and Relevant Income Rates
The amount an artist can make varies based on many factors, including market trends, consumer habits, and the artist’s reputation. The guide below should provide a better perspective on the possible earnings for different art careers:
Special Effect Artists and Animators
The average earning for special effects artists and animators averaged $77,000 in 2024. These artists are responsible for creating image content in motion and visual effects common in traditional entertainment media platforms.
Most of them work in offices, while others prefer working as freelancers. Most special effect artists either have a bachelor’s degree or an extensive professional portfolio.
Craft and Fine Artists
The average salary for craft and fine artists will be $49,000 in 2024. These are artists that use different material types to produce artwork purposes such as exhibition and sale. Most of these professionals operate in commercial art students, while others have private setups. Other artists also engage in cost-sharing in office spaces and resources.
Graphic Designers
The average salary for a graphic designer was $53,000 in 2024. Graphic designers are artists that work on projects using specialized computer software or hand. It ranks high up among some of the most lucrative career paths in the world today. The role of graphic designers is often to inform, inspire, and direct.
Art Directors
The average salary for art directors was $97,000 in 2024. These artists create visually appealing media forms such as newspapers, television shows, and even magazines. While a large number of art directors are self-employed, others also work for various other setups.
These include video industries, business organizations, and public relations firms. Art directors are in demand because of their skills in digital graphic design. The modern resources include design software and tools which have revolutionized the art industry.
Teaching Artists
Just as the name suggests, teaching artists provide art education in different institutions. These can include public schools, colleges, and art institutions. It can also include teaching art through digital platforms such as Patreon. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report showing that K-12 teachers can earn up to $60,000 each year.
The reports also showed that the factors that impact a teacher’s earnings include location and reputation. The teachers who host private lessons can earn between $25 to $50, depending on the program’s nature.
How to Increase Your Profits as An Artist
You are probably wondering how you could improve your profits as an artist, which is good. Use the following suggestions:
Update your Business Plan
Your business plan is the document that contains all the relevant details of your business. These include your goals, office location, portfolio, and your art services. Since trends often change in the art industry, ensure you update the plan to be aware of your current income-making position.
Work on Your Online Presence
The internet hosts several users who are probably seeking your art services. You can target these web searchers by improving your web presence. Your web presence means the search results that come up when anyone seeks your brand or profile. A few helpful suggestions for internet brands include:
- Invest in a social media marketing service. While it’s a service at a cost, they will help get guaranteed results and your profiles’ impressions on social media.
- You need a website. A website helps make your art business look more professional, and you can use it for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) purposes.
- Participate in discussion forums by providing helpful information to people and linking out your service where possible. You can use several art threads on platforms such as Reddit and Quora.
Work on Your Reputation
Build your reputation by asking satisfied clients to give reviews of your service. The reviews can be on your social media profiles or websites such as Trustpilot. Aside from digital marketing, building your reputation can also include traditional techniques.
You can consider branding techniques such as creating mugs and shirts for your consumers. Doing this helps to make on any consumer who comes across your artwork. You can also incentivize clients that can bring lucrative art business referrals for you.
Your income from an art career depends on your career field, skill level, and various other factors. You can improve the earnings you make by taking on an informed approach to managing your art business.