Book Review: The Paid Artist

 

 I've read several books in the same vein as The Paid Artist: How to Make Your Art Into a Business by John Endris, but this isn't just another cookie-cutter title on the topic

This book is coming out at a time in which many of us who are working artists are seeing the institutions which have supported and/or employed us in the past fall apart in the face of COVID-19. Many of us are rethinking our dependency upon those organizations and reimagining what a world would look like in which we might be compensated equitably for our art.

John Endris lays out strategies and explains terminology which will help achieve that goal. He demystifies the math of calculating how to make one's art profitable and offers tips and templates for things like writing a business plan for your art career. He's got examples that apply to all different disciplines--painters, illustrators, writers, musicians, performers/actors, etc.

Unfortunately for me, a theatrical costumer, I'm not sure much of what he lays out is applicable to the collaborative art of theatre. We can all disperse into our correlating disciplines--set carpenters can work for contractors, stitchers can do bridal alterations or sewn product manufacture, electricians can find work in the commercial sphere--but I'm not sure applying the advice in this book works for artistic groups like a theatre company. But, that's my problem and doesn't reflect poorly on the book. And, the book is useful for folx that need to pivot into something like selling on Etsy or similar.

I'll recommend this book to my MFA students, particularly those graduating in the midst of this economic crisis. Many of them do start their own businesses and this is a great reference specific to launching an artistic business.

 I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.