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Lilla’s hints and tips #3: What’s the secret to a successful art career? Plus FREE Bingo Board!

Lilla here. Over the past month or so I’ve been sharing some of my thoughts, based on my decades in the art industry, and answering some of the questions that I’m often asked as an art agent and a former professional illustrator. I hope that you’ve found them useful.

successful art career

How do you have a successful art career?

Today’s question is a biggie. What’s the secret to a successful art career? What’s the key for making a living as an artist?

Here’s the deal: you want to make a living as an artist because it’s the greatest job in the world. Of course it is: you get to make money from making art, and you can do it in your pajamas while listening to fabulous music and eating toast!

My whole thing is about diversification. In other words, the secret to a successful art career is just like a financial stock portfolio: you don’t know what’s going to give you a ton of work or what art markets going to go up or down, so you need to diversify your investments.

That’s why I often talk about having many eggs in many baskets – don’t focus all your energy and efforts on one art market, but tackle several at the same time. That’s what will give you the best returns and make your career more lucrative and successful.

NLtips products Make Art That Sells Lilla’s hints and tips #3: What’s the secret to a successful art career? Plus FREE Bingo Board!

Gorgeous products in a variety of markets (home décor, stationery, book and toy) illustrated by the artists I represent. There are so many markets out there that need your art! Let me show you how you can get jobs like this.

When I first started Make Art That Sells, I started with just one course, MATS A, now known as Hot Markets for Your Art Part A, which focused on five of the hottest art markets. I felt it was so important to teach our community about the top markets which we at Lilla Rogers Studio art agency get the most work in, in order to help more artists build successful and fulfilling creative careers.

Then I added Hot Markets for Your Art Part B, which added another five markets. You can still take those courses, and they’re still incredibly relevant and will give you a ton of work. There are so many markets out there, some which you may not even of heard of or thought about. I want to show you how you can get cool gigs like these.

Of course some things have changed as time has gone on. For example, we’re now living through a global pandemic, and that has affected the art market along with everything else: toys and games are particularly hot right now, as is home décor, and children’s books and children’s book illustration. (If you’ve ever thought you’d love to write and illustrate your very own children’s picture book, now is the perfect time, and you can still sign up for My Kid Book Pitch, which starts in October.)

Another reason to diversify your portfolio is that you might find that a piece of art you’ve created can be licensed and sold in several different markets. For example, Suzy Ultman created this adorable owl which was licensed by Robert Kaufman for bolt fabric, and then it was picked up and turned into a home décor line for bathroom products.

ultman owls Make Art That Sells Lilla’s hints and tips #3: What’s the secret to a successful art career? Plus FREE Bingo Board!

Suzy Ultman’s owl design was licensed by Robert Kaufman for the bolt fabric market (left) and then separately for the home décor market (right).

And of course a third advantage of diversifying your portfolio is that you stay fresh, you’re excited. If you’re going to have the best job in the world, shouldn’t it be fun? People buy your joy, after all.

How do you broaden your portfolio? How do you decide what to include? I came up with this playful illustration Bingo Board for my represented artists a few years ago, and have since shared it with my students several times. Now I’ve updated it for 2021. Simply download your free copy and check off the boxes that you already have in your portfolio, then see what else you need to add in. Then make a plan: how are you going to fill the gaps? Which of my courses will help you?

bingo board cyber 2021 copy Make Art That Sells Lilla’s hints and tips #3: What’s the secret to a successful art career? Plus FREE Bingo Board!

What should you have in your portfolio? Download your FREE copy of my 2021 Bingo Board here and see how many boxes you can check off.

Finally, I’m going to sign off with a short video I made showing some of my favorite art markets and the beautiful products my students have illustrated. I hope you find it interesting and inspiring. Just remember: the world needs your art!

The world needs your art! These are just some of the cool products my artists have illustrated recently.

Until next time,

Lilla xo

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