Navigating The Fine Art World.
Welcome to The Professional Artist | Creative Practice
a series of resources created by artists for artists.
Every artist begins with a spark — but transforming that spark into a sustainable, fulfilling art career takes more than talent. It takes clarity, discipline, and a practice that supports both the artist and the artist’s life.
My “Professional Artist” journey began when I was looking for a guide during my first uncertain days of becoming an artist.
What do I need to know to become a successful professional artist?
When I decided to become a full-time artist many years ago, I had no idea where to begin. Question after question arose: How do I develop an art practice? Where will I sell my work? What kind of income can I expect? What resources are out there to help me?
It all came down to one question: What do I need to know in order to become a professional artist?
What I found in my search was a lot of esoteric information, but not a lot of specific direction, or many step-by-step processes to help ease me into this crazy creative career.
From the information I did gather, there seemed to be a hand-full of directions an artist could go in, in order to achieve a robust art career. They included:
• Hanging work at local venues
• Participating in art shows
• Working with art galleries
• Answering open calls for artwork
• Uploading my work to online galleries
• Working with art consultants
• Becoming a paid Artist-In-Residence
• Teaching my craft
The Creative Practice Series | Resources
After spending years navigating the art world and growing my own artistic practice, I know how important my previous experience as an entrepreneur has been to my art practice.
Owning and running my own businesses over the year (graphic design shops, a stationery company, and my art business) has taught me how important tools are to my trade.
From establishing your creative foundation to mastering marketing, exhibitions and sales, these guidebooks walk you through every stage of becoming a successful artist — with practical tools, real-world insights, and encouragement from someone who has done it all.
Whether you’re just beginning your journey or seeking to grow your existing practice, this series will help you create success doing what you love.
Many of the tools I used in the “business world,” transferred nicely into my art business and now I am happy to share these tips, tools and resources with you so that you may grow your art business into a successful venture.
I hope these extras will be exceedingly useful to you in saving you time, effort and expense.
In addition, I found several avenues of support for artists including the process of applying for financial grants, as well as creative development assistance via artist residencies.
Of course, at the time, all of this was overwhelming. So as I began to explore each area, I made observations, took notes, and used my skills as an entrepreneur to help me make sense of the steps involved in creating a successful art career.
After all these years as an artist, it is now time for me to share with you what I have learned so you too can understand the process of becoming a professional artist, and decide where to focus your time, energy and capital for maximum success.
I hope this information is not only meaningful, but exceedingly useful to you as you pursue one of the most exciting careers in the world!
All the best in art and love,
— Annie Darling
The Creative Practice Series | Guidebooks
I created The Creative Practice Series guidebooks to help you map out the best strategy to become a successful artist. The Creative Practice Series is a step-by-step roadmap for those artists who are ready to build a thriving, professional art career from the ground up — or for those who are just ready take the next step in their creative evolution.
Access The Creative Practice Series of Guidebooks
A six-step series of guides that provide a complete roadmap to help you create, grow, and thrive — from your first day in the studio to the professional stage of your career.
Access The Creative Practice Resources and Tool:
Actual usable and printable resources, tips, and tools to help you along your creative practice journey, including ideas, worksheets, planners, spreadsheets, and more.