Submissions From www.artadvice.com

 "In general, I recommend artists price their work as low as they can possibly bear to start out. Remember, it is more important to cultivate on-going relationships with dealers and consultants than to sell one piece. " (Sylvia White)

 "What is going to happen to it after you die? In the best cases, pre-planning has arranged for appropriate donations to museums or gifts to family or friends. But, too often while we are making plans for who gets the diamond earrings and who will take care of Fido, we forget to plan for the management of our greatest asset. " (Sylvia White)

 "Learning how to document your own artwork can be time consuming and expensive. Having good quality slides of your work, however, is an absolutely essential first step in seeing yourself as a professional artist. " (Sylvia White)

 "It is so easy to forget how special you are, when there is no one around to remind you, but you. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I give you my list of 10 Things Artists Should Be Thankful For. Print this out, fold it up and put in your wallet." (Sylvia White)

 "If you are not fortunate enough to know an artist that the gallery represents, you're left with the option of calling the gallery cold to request an appointment to meet with the gallery director and discuss your work." (Sylvia White)

 "A Life Coach for an artist, does not carry a whistle, but rather with skilled training, helps artists identify areas in their life that may be affecting their art...places where there may be a feeling of being stuck." (Sylvia White)

 "Continue to take personal inventory and realize you and your ART are not the only important things in the world." (Sylvia White)

 "There is no easy way to accept dealing with rejection. The only thing that may help alleviate some of the feelings associated with rejection is by understanding how and why it occurs in the first place. " (Sylvia White)

 "The level of success an artist achieves when entering juried shows, obviously relates to the quality of your work. However, artists may be surprised to learn there are many other, not so obvious reasons, their work is selected or rejected." (Sylvia White)

 "If you are thinking about approaching commercial galleries anytime in the near future, let me give you a reality check and some alternatives." (Sylvia White )

 "There are a lot of valid reasons why an artist should think about reproducing their work. There are also a lot of reasons NOT to." (Sylvia White)

 "Following is a set of guidelines that I recommend artists use when considering establishing a relationship with a gallery. Remember, the ideal gallery does not exist. The best way to use this information is as a standard, by which you can grade the level of commitment of a particular gallery." (Sylvia White)

 "Remember, this is just a start, happy hunting!" (Sylvia White)

 "Regardless of your definition of success for your work, these are the facts you must face if you want to be successful in the business world and understand how the art market works. " (Sylvia White)

 "The advent of digital technology has revolutionized the print market for both artists and collectors. " (Sylvia White)

 "The art world is a power hierarchy, with galleries at the top of the pyramid and artists at the bottom. Critics, curators and collectors are in there somewhere, but clearly it is the rejection from the galleries that cut the deepest. While galleries enjoy this power, it is the artists that enable them to abuse it." (Sylvia White)

 "Today there are overwhelming licensing opportunities that did not exist a little more than a decade ago." (Sylvia White)

 "One of the most difficult aspects of being an artist doesn't take place behind the studio walls. It is an unpleasant, sometimes degrading aspect of your career: promotion. " (Sylvia White)

 "It's best to only give out your artist statement when it is requested, not as part of an unsolicited package. This alleviates the problem of telling someone more than they want to know, allowing for questions and interaction, and offers the opportunity for follow up." (Sylvia White)

 "Admit that you are powerless over your ARTmaking, and it is the only thing that makes your life manageable." (Sylvia White)

 "Most people don't realize how much courage it takes for an artist to show their work to people. Courage, as defined by Mark Twain, is not the lack of fear, but rather being able to move forward in spite of it." (Sylvia White)

 "If the gallery agrees to see you at a mutually convenient appointment time, be prompt. Remember, it is just as bad to be too early as it is to be too late." (Sylvia White)

 "It's summer, time for relaxing by the pool, laying at the beach, taking a vacation from work, spending time outdoors, with family and friends, reading junky novels and just doing nothing, if you feel like it. The only problem is...if you are an artist, you rarely feel like it. " (Sylvia White)

 "For artists, however, this is not a time to lay back. This represents one of the best times of the year for artists to do their homework i.e., planning gallery visits and doing the research to determine which galleries would be receptive to their work." (Sylvia White)

 "Whether you've been rejected or you've been accepted, what exactly does that mean to you? Will it affect the way you look at your work? Will it change the way you approach you next piece? Does it change the way you think about yourself or your work? What would Picasso do? I think he wouldn't care. He would go back into his studio, day after day, unaffected by either the criticism or the accolades. He would continue to do work on his terms...not looking for approval from critics, curators or collectors, nor giving much credence to praise. " (Sylvia White)

 "Art Licensing is an exciting area in the licensing market and can possibly supplement and artist's income and increase exposure. " (Sylvia White)

 "I know what you are saying, Ok, I give up, I've just mastered building a website and using my email, what the heck is social media?In plain English, it means, the days of direct mailers and catalogs are over. " (Sylvia White)

 "There is always that rogue artist, wanting to strike out on their own, thinking this time it will be different. They muster up the courage to start approaching galleries before they are ready, and without regard to common sense gallery protocol." (Sylvia White)

 "Have a website devoted exclusively to your work. Make sure it is simple to navigate and allows fast access to images and a way to contact you. Maintain the site with new work and develop a strategy to drive traffic to it. " (Sylvia White)

 "There are a lot of valid reasons why an artist should think about reproducing their work. There are also a lot of reasons NOT to. " (Sylvia White)

 "Artists are more susceptible than most to the economic downturn as fine art has long been considered a luxury, primarily for an audience with extra discretionary income. " (Sylvia White)

 "Making art and making an art career are two different things." (Sylvia White)

 "realized after receiving a post-exhibition phone call from a distraught, depressed artist, that what she was experiencing was very similar to the crash I felt 10 days after losing a dear friend. " (Sylvia White)

 "Most artists harbor the fantasy that if they could only find one art dealer that loved and believed in their work, their career would be set. " (Sylvia White)

 "Artists often ask me whether or not it is worth it to rent a gallery to put up their own work. In general, I discourage the idea, unless artists have looked realistically at their goals and expectations. " (Sylvia White)

 "A lot of people don't realize that the art world revolves around a seasonal schedule." (Sylvia White)

 "Remember, it is impossible to feel thankful and be depressed at the same time." (Sylvia White)

 "Most juried shows, are by nature, an eclectic blend of a juror's vision." (Sylvia White)

 " Remember, it is you that is going to be selecting a gallery for your work, not the other way around!" (Sylvia White)

 "It's not something we like to think about, but collectors, as well as artists, need to face the fact that owning art, regardless of whether it is yours, or it is acquired, comes with certain responsibilities. There are the obvious responsibilities concerning documentation, insurance, protection, care and handling. There are even laws that govern the destruction or modification of art. But very little attention is given to the question of the ultimate disposition of the art. Simply put, what is going to happen to it after you die?" (Sylvia White)

 "You have an obligation, not only to yourself, but to your work, to "get it out there." Ultimately, as trite as it sounds, the most important thing is that you tried." (Sylvia White )

 "By now, every artist should have an updated, easy to navigate website, an organized electronic (email) database of collectors and fans, and an accurate inventory system." (Sylvia White )

 "Two of the biggest mistakes inexperienced artists frequently make is either not researching the type of work a gallery represents before they approach them, or, following up on contacts that haven't been researched." (Sylvia White)

 "So next time you are sitting around your studio, getting depressed because you think no one will ever see/buy/experience your work and you keep asking yourself "Why am I even doing this?" remember that the mere act of doing it, makes you one of the luckiest people on earth." (Sylvia White)