Press • Next Step Magazine
Starving artists are myths. So says painter Tiffani Taylor, who graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia with a bachelor’s in painting and a master’s in art history.
“The most difficult part is being brave and overcoming the fear of the starving artist myth,” Taylor says of starting a career as an artist. “We want to make it a myth for sure.”
Taylor kicked the starving artist myth early—she supported herself through college with sales of her artwork. Freshman year, she worked in a pottery shop and met clients by displaying her portfolio and business cards there. By sophomore year, she was a full-time artist.
Artists new to the field can get practice—and payment—by doing commissioned projects for clients, such as painting murals.
Now,Taylor spends each day painting. She’s developing a fabric line with a New York City firm, and her work is part of the collections of Oprah Winfrey, the editor-at-large for Vogue, and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg.
If you’re going into business on your own as an artist, be prepared for the entrepreneurial side of it. You’ll be responsible for doing your own public relations, meeting and keeping business contacts, maintaining your own Web site and promoting yourself.
“It’s so much fun to wake up and paint every day,” Taylor says. Check out her work at tiffaniart.com.