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Book Review

Updated: Apr 27, 2021



Over the Christmas holidays, I kindly received some artist based guides. (These can be seen in the image above). Each of these books centre on a wide range of topics. They provide practical information, business advice and tips for starting a career in the art industry. They are perfect resources for emerging artists like myself, who want to gain more insight into the creative lifestyle. Therefore, I thought I’d provide a small review of these books and discuss some of the findings in relation to my practice.


Art, Inc, The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist’ by Lisa Congdon was by far my favourite book to read. The books chapters centre heavily on illustration, as this was extremely helpful towards my practice. Inside the book provides tips on licensing, copyright, social media advertising, agents and selling your artwork. Prior to reading this book, I had little to no knowledge on licensing or contracts. In the past, I have purposely steered clear from these topics because of how overcomplicated they can get. I’ve since came to realise how much I’ve neglected their importance. As discussed in my opening statement, once I leave University, I’d like to centre my practice towards children’s illustration. Negotiating contracts and licensing your artwork takes up a large quantity of this role’s responsibilities. With this said, now is the time to refresh my knowledge.


I discovered that the safest way to work with a client is through a contract. Their purpose is so the client and artist know where their rights safely sit. It’s both parties responsibility to uphold their role. For example, if the fee has been negotiated in the contract, the client has to agree to their word. Although contracts are a daunting process to any illustration project, Lisa Congdon notes that there are additional resources to help. The Association of Illustrators, better known as the ‘AOI’ is an organisation of industry experts and skilled advisors, working to assist illustrators with contracts, copyright and finances. They are the main people to contact for legal advice, or settling a dispute with a difficult client. In relation to my practice, it’s really interesting to know that such companies exist. After I leave University, this organisation may be of great use to me. It may even be worth joining.


I was also particularly drawn to the chapter on ‘finding your artistic voice’ which provides a short Q & A interview with professional artist ‘Lisa Solomon’. She states that art is a process of learning and experimenting through ‘trial and error’. Not everything works out first time around, and that’s completely normal. Sometimes our best work leads from our mistakes. Learning to accept failure is a part of the creative process. It’s how we gain experience and evolve our practice into new meanings. Fear shouldn’t stop you from taking opportunities. As discussed in a previous post, I have regrettably not taken challenges for these same reasons. This year I want to break free from this way of thinking. I’m determined to work outside my comfort zone, and challenge my skills.

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