Heart of Art—Starting Off In The Arts

This article was originally published in the Ledger Dispatch Newspaper on May 23, 2025. Click here to view the article on their website or read below.

By Meghan Joy “Mojo” O’Keefe

It may be hard to understand, but most artists have difficulty believing in themselves. Every week, I speak to a dozen or so creatives, and the predominant theme is lack of confidence in their art. Across generations and arts disciplines, there is a remarkable tendency for artists to avoid, deny, and sometimes sabotage their own art careers. Many artists find it difficult to value their creative vision, neglecting to step back and gaze at the broader impacts of their work, and ultimately missing opportunities to connect with the community that craves their art.

Fanning this deeply seeded lack of confidence, some artists succumb to the age-old myth that they are doomed to poverty. Thus, many never consider their creative practice a potential source of income. Still others have ambitiously high hopes for fame and fortune, only to painfully discover that, in practice, being a working artist means a working-class lifestyle.

Let’s say you have a creative practice and are ready to take it to the next level by vending, teaching, exhibiting, taking commissions, or performing in exchange for money. If you want to earn money with this creative practice, you must do a lot more than hone your arts skills. You also have to know how to run a small, sole-proprietor business. That means: contractor work, 1099s, self-employment taxes, oh my! Running a business is an art in itself and quite foreign to many artists.

You might be able to imagine why so many artists get discouraged. Yet, they still feel driven to create work, and making art often (always!) costs money for supplies, tools, resources, and equipment. Thus, artists face a need to make money from their work.

While business skills may be the last thing that artists want to focus on, if they want to make money, they must master their business plan, excel at administration, and get super comfy marketing themselves to everyone.

As the local partner to the California Arts Council, the Amador County Arts Council (Amador Arts) supports artists by providing technical assistance in the Business of Art. The Center for Cultural Innovation trained Amador Arts staff to facilitate their Business of Art curriculum, and we offer this service for free to local artists and arts organizations.

When an emerging artist comes to us for business resources, we start by asking about their goals.—Who is the audience? What are the creative and professional values? How do you envision your art serving the people who need it? How will you fund your work? We approach these conversations with unending curiosity, fascination, and enthusiasm because every creative practice is part of the rich tapestry that makes up Amador County and California.

Once the artist has a clear picture of what this arts business is or will be, we introduce the nitty-gritty of sole proprietorship arts business administration. We welcome each artist to the network of creative workers within the 58-county Coalition of Arts Agencies and connect them with the resources they need to support their arts business. 

While each artist’s individual goals direct the overall content of our support, several must-know elements are applicable across the board: 1099 tax forms, contract language, liability insurance, basic bookkeeping, cold calls, auditions and interviews, application/portfolios, resumes, cover letters, beginning graphics, and applying for arts grants.

Please join us if this type of work speaks to your needs or skills. It is so easy to help: encourage the creative people you know, remind them that their art is beautiful, cool, or captivating, and tell them it’s worth sharing their art with more people. Then tell them they have a family right here at Amador Arts. With free technical assistance and Share Circles on the last Thursday of the month starting at 5 PM, Amador Arts is the local gateway to a vast network of artists and art lovers. Together, we can ensure that every artist in Amador County can access the resources and support network they need to make art and earn money through their creative practice.

Amador County Arts Council (501c3) was established in 1982 as a Designated Local Partner to the California Arts Council to catalyze arts, culture, and creativity for all people in Amador County by helping artists and arts organizations, collecting arts data, and administering the Amador Poetry Out Loud competition. Visit our website to learn more: amadorarts.org or contact us at info@amadorarts.org or (209) 256-8166.