There’s a lot of mystique around how artists get paid. I’m not sure if it’s because most artists aren’t making money, or because they don’t want to reveal their secrets. I hope it’s the second one. Before I became a full-time artist, I always wondered if making a living from art was possible. At the time, it didn’t feel like it.

Unlike most people, I like to talk about money. I think we should talk about it more with our friends and fellow artists. To me, it’s simply a resource. It flows in, and it flows out. I’ve had a lot in my life, and I’ve had a little. As I’ve grown older and wiser, I’ve learned not to let it make decisions for me. That’s kept me sane as an entrepreneur. Once you have enough money to meet your basic needs, time and freedom are more valuable assets. Recent tough life events have solidified my viewpoint on this. No one wishes for more money on their deathbed. They wish for more time, and for the things they never had a chance to do (usually because they were too busy trying to make more money).

Today, I want to provide full transparency as to where my money comes from. I also want to talk about what I’ve learned along the way and income goals I have for the future.

For those of you who are new here, I stopped freelance designing in November of 2021 to focus on illustration full-time. Prior to that, I was making most of my income from client work. Now, that couldn’t be further from my reality.

My income split

Today, roughly 85% of my income is selling prints online.

My print sales come from Etsy, my shop website, and Faire (wholesale). I sell the most on Etsy, then Faire, then my website. In the future, I hope to do more sales through my website, because I like the idea of owning the platform I sell on. I just haven’t put any time into marketing.

I have almost 200 different prints I sell, and I try to add one print to my shop per week. In the beginning, the same prints would always sell. Then, my shop gained momentum, and it’s more equally distributed now. For my tips on how to grow an Etsy shop, you can check out this guide.

The main questions I get are whether I offer digital print downloads, framing, or custom work. The answer to all is no. No to digital downloads, because I want to control how my art is displayed in the world. Many of the bright colors I use in my work won’t print correctly on a regular printer. I don’t offer framing, because it ruins the simplicity I have selling prints. Prints are light (aka cheaper to ship), and not fragile (aka less reshipping). They’re also fairly inexpensive to produce, compared to frames. Framing may be something I offer in the future, but I’d have to invest a lot of time to make it work.

And why don’t I do custom work? There’s two reasons. The main one being that I don’t enjoy painting what other people tell me to paint. I don’t think most artists do. They just think it’s the only way to make money. Well it’s not, and it can take the fun out of creating. And two, the numbers don’t make sense. Once I make a print, I can sell it for the rest of my life. In order for custom work to make sense, I’d have to charge astronomical prices. In my experience, most people don’t want to pay much for custom art. It’s unfortunate, because I get these requests almost daily, and I constantly have to say no. However, it’s a no I always feel good about.

Another 10% of my income is commercial illustration work.

The main reason I quit freelance designing is because client work isn’t sustainable full-time. At least not to me. It’s stressful, and getting paid for a service isn’t a great model long term. After six years of it, I was burnt out. I feel like I’m still recovering. Now, I only say yes to client illustration projects that sound fun, challenging, and pay well. I don’t do many projects per year, and that’s just how I like it. The ones I take on are fulfilling and exciting to me. For instance, last year, I illustrated a book for Harper Collins. This year, I had the pleasure of working with West Elm on a holiday project. That was pretty cool. I say yes to a lot of smaller projects too if I’m excited about what I’ll be illustrating. I’m more likely to say yes if I’m not giving away rights to my art. That way, I can sell the work in my print shop too. The reason commercial illustration makes more sense than custom work is because it pays better, and can offer great exposure. The subject matter of these projects also tends to be more on trend, versus super specific, appealing to a broader audience.

The last 5% of my income is a hodge podge.

Oddly enough, this is the category that makes me feel the most boss, because it’s unexpected income. The hodge podge consists of digital downloads on my website and paid affiliate marketing from Amazon products I endorse.

I still have products selling on Creative Market and Minted, even though I don’t agree with the way they compensate artists. I have no plans to invest more time in those sites, but I leave my existing products up.

Lastly, I get licensing requests all the the time. I almost always say no, because I don’t want my work falling into the wrong hands. Also, I can’t control the quality of which it’s produced. However, if an opportunity is a good fit for my brand, would be good exposure, and pays well, I sometimes say yes. If my work is being printed on a product, I make sure it’s high quality.

How much is enough?

When success is measured in terms of time and freedom, it makes money simpler. I just need to make enough to support my desired lifestyle. I want have all the experiences I desire in life, and nothing more. And I don’t want to be up at night worrying about money. At 32-years-old, my husband and I managed to become debt-free, and it’s been a huge weight off our shoulders ever since. It’s the best gift I gave to myself as an artist, because it took pressure off my work. We could buy a bigger house or more cars and start worrying about money again, but that would take away our freedom. To us, it’s not worth it.

So by those terms, I definitely make enough money. I hesitate to tell you my exact projections for this year, because I think it would do more harm than good. Everyone’s ideal lifestyle is different, and we all need to ask our intuition what our number is. And the number can’t come from our ego.

I will share that I make six figures doing what I love, only because I want you to know it’s possible to make a decent living as an artist. Six figures is by no means a requirement to be successful, but it used to feel like a pipe dream. I wish someone had told me it wasn’t. That’s why I hate the starving artist mentality. It’s toxic and keeps us from chasing our dreams. It’s important to have some transparency as artists, so we can bust the myth. It’s also important to remember that nothing happens overnight. It’s taken me seven years of serious side hustling to get to this point. I’ve created hundreds, if not thousands, of paintings. I did a lot of work I didn’t enjoy while I was trying to take my art full-time. The idea that success happens overnight is equally as toxic as the starving artist myth.

Things I’ve learned

For the most part, my income model is working for me. It adds variety to my weeks. I love spending several days a week shipping out orders. It’s great to be away from my screen, and on my feet. Other days, I’m painting or writing for my blog and newsletter. The exciting commercial project I take on here and there keeps my skills fresh, and is great for exposure. I love that I’m not dealing with people dynamics on a regular basis, because my business isn’t client-centered. The majority of my days are spent working alone with music in the background, and that’s perfect for me.

I’ve learned to think of every opportunity in terms of sacrifices versus gains. Sacrifices usually classify as less time, freedom, or peace. Gains can be monetary, but they can also be measured in fulfillment, joy, or exposure. This lesson seems to apply to general life as well, and can really aid in decision making - whether it be relationships, big purchases, vacations, or just learning to say no to all society demands of us.

I’m always looking for new income streams that don’t require many sacrifices on my part. While no income is completely passive, mostly passive is nice because it leaves more time for painting - the thing I love most. Over time, I’ve learned that growing an existing income stream is better than starting a new one. And if you can test something first before you spend a lot of time on it, that’s great.

I’ve also learned that it’s important to invest in myself- even if I’m not seeing immediate income from it. I spend a lot of time writing my blog and newsletter. I’m not making direct money from it, but I truly enjoy the work. Also, it’s a great investment in my brand, and it helps fellow artists. Education is a great investment too. Or any materials/equipment that will make my life exponentially easier. I’ve never regretted those types of purchases.

Future plans

My ideal way of working is to create something quietly behind the scenes, and then put it out into the world so it can make money forever. Even if it doesn’t immediately make money, many things just need time. The main project I want to finish is my children’s book. It’s been a dream for years now. I’ve written and illustrated 20% of it, so I just need to push forward. It’s funny how the most important projects are the most difficult to complete.

Video courses and tutorials have been on my list for years too. I love teaching and sharing knowledge with fellow artists. The desire to film courses is a big reason why I’m working on a new studio space. You can read more about that here.

Other future projects include creating a book for artists that compiles the information I discuss on my blog. Also creating more helpful downloads for artists.

There’s definitely an opportunity to grow my print shop too - specifically the wholesale side of it. I’ve invested zero time in that aspect of my business, so it just needs more love.

In general, I need a better way of working through my goals. As a typical creative, I get distracted easily and jump around. That’s great, until you’re swimming in a sea of abandoned projects. Finding a more efficient way of working is on my list as well. I’ve tried a lot of different systems, and I’m sorry to say none of them have stuck. If I land on one that works, I’ll definitely share it on my blog. I’m always working to simplify my business too - whether it be combining income streams, or cutting out what’s not working.

How are you currently making money as an artist? Let us know in the comments below!