Thousands of art lovers consider an art education so they can pursue what they truly love for a living. And why not? It;s wonderful to be happy and fulfilled in the way you make a living. However, many students forget that once they have their art degree they must become small business owners in order to make a living selling their art, which means some business education is also a must. Getting a degree in art business, or combining your art education with business classes, is the best way to graduate fully prepared for your next step.
The program you choose depends on what you’re looking for. Check the website of your chosen university to see if they offer both, or find similar schools that offer business classes. Additionally, you can major in art and minor in business, or simply take elective business courses in your final year of your art degree program, depending on what you want to do. Choosing a program will involve looking at many different factors. You’ll want to consider things like cost, class size, what the program specifically entails and how you might fit in.
Having an arts business degree can benefit most fledgeling artists. After all, art is not just about creating - it’s about selling, too. For starters, it will show potential employers that you can achieve deadlines and that you can be creative with methods or practices that aren't your normal medium or style. Plus, going to art school can give you a well-rounded portfolio, if you don’t have one already, that will impress potential clients and employers too. You can really use that art degree in a slew of different ways too. Architects, video game designers, gallery owners, artists, artist agents, museum director and textile creators all use art in some ways.
One popular path for artists looking to succeeed in the business side of things is to get an undergraduate degree in art and a masters in business, or an MBA. To take a look at specifics, a master’s in professional studies from the Baltimore-based Maryland Institute College of Art promises to show students how to market themselves, make money and run an art business. Additional courses of study include accounting, copyrights, trademarks and essential marketing skills. Public-speaking and business writing also are skills that can serve you later on, especially when you have to give a lecture at a prestigious art school about how to run a successful business.
"We do an excellent job of preparing people to be creative, but many of them also see themselves as individual entrepreneurs," David Gracyalny, dean of MICA's School for Professional and Continuing Studies, told the Baltimore Sun. Since business skills aren’t typically inherent, programs can give students the skills and confidence they need to run their own art business.
"We're trying to say, 'We're going to give you the power to control the distribution of what you do creatively,'" he told the Sun. "To struggling artists, we're saying, 'You don't have to wait anymore. Go and make this thing happen now.' We don't want our students to wait to be successful." So, what are you waiting for?
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