1. “Oh, that’s cool…” versus “Oh, that’s cool/beautiful/nice/interesting!”

When your artist friends show you an example of their work, don’t just glance at it for five seconds and tell them it’s cool when you really don’t see what’s so great about it. Instead, actually take at least thirty seconds to look at what they’re showing you and try to take something, an emotion, a nice color palette, pattern, shapes, anything you see that strikes your fancy, away from it to talk about. No artist wants to hear their work dismissed with a casual comment.

2. “So, what do you plan on doing with that degree?”

Answer: Get a job, just like everyone else.

The stereotype of the starving artist needs to stop. Contrary to popular belief, lots of artists end up finding work post-graduation. Why? Because we’re resourceful and often multi-talented individuals who know how to work what we have. It may not be the most glamorous or well-paying job but we accepted that fact of life when we settled on our major.

3. “Are you ever going to find a real job?”

Well, yea. We just covered that didn’t we? Just in case, here’s a recap: Art jobs are real, legitimate jobs and yes, I will have one.

Did you ever stop to think that someone, somewhere designed the print on your shower curtain, the label on your shampoo bottle, your favorite beer label, that billboard outside the grocery store, the print on your backpack, the concert poster you see in your favorite coffee shop, etc.? The people behind all those things are probably trained artists with a degree who do have real jobs.

4. "So, you're going to be a teacher....?"

Nope, have you tried teaching kids anything these days? It's not as easy as it seems, especially when funding for art programs in schools is little to none, if a program even exists. Not to mention the fact that our society as a whole does not value art the way we once did.

Also, teaching isn't the only thing artists can do for money....

5. “You know you’ll be broke your entire life.”

It’s like what George Balanchine said about dancers, “I don’t want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance.”
Most artists aren’t in their chosen career path for the money because we know it’s often not the best. We choose these fields because we would rather have a job doing something we love, something we have a yearning for, than something we despise just to have a healthy bank account. Don't worry, we're well aware that the going may be tough at times but it’s just a part of life.

6. “Don’t you just color and make stuff all day long?”

Not exactly. If you sat in on an art class, you’d probably find there is very little coloring involved, we passed that stage way back in elementary art class. Drawing classes would be the one exception, but we’re not playing connect the dots. Now, we’ve moved up to discussions about the theories and principles of art and design, and re-learning how to see and look at everything. A large part of our time in studio classes is spent critiquing our own work as well as our peers' so we can get better. All the work we put in is usually on our own time while we juggle other classes and jobs. Sitting in on an art history class would be even more mind-blowing; we talk about stuff you wouldn’t believe unless you were actually there.

7. “That's so easy, anyone could do it.”

Oh, really? You try it and let’s see what happens. Even the most abstract, stylized art you think can be done in five minutes takes months, maybe even years, of prep work, not to mention training, before you have a finished product. When you look at a piece of art, most times, there is an intent behind the placement of every shape, line, color choice, etc. The average person just doesn’t have the art knowledge to pick up on it.

8. “Woah, that’s expensive for just a painting/ print of a painting or drawing/ piece of pottery…”

Unlike the cheap stuff you can buy for decor at Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx, Michael’s, etc., the beautiful items local artists sell are things they have put their time and resources into so they can share them with you and get their names out there. Besides, wouldn’t you rather support your local economy than those big box stores that exploit their workers?
The price you see on local art often covers more than just the time they put into the piece; it’s what the artist deems necessary in order to cover his/ her expenses in creating the piece like, studio space rental, materials, printing and photography costs, as well as the commission the vendor may take from the sale. All of that has to be incorporated before you start thinking about personal profit for the artist. Hence the reason locally made art is more expensive. So, rather than fuss about the cost of a piece that catches your eye, if the artist is present at the time, thank him or her for their time and effort in making their art available. Good art is an investment, not a commodity.

9. “But you’ll get experience by doing this piece for free. You don’t need real money.”

True, but everyone needs a little money to live and art supplies ain't free or cheap. Last I heard, there wasn’t a bartering system for art supplies, food, and shelter but heck it may exist. So, when you commission an artist to do a painting for you, don’t expect to pay $25- $50. Unless you and said artist are on super cool terms, you should expect to spend a couple hundred dollars. Like we've already said, the cost you are quoted covers materials needed, time spent doing prep work, and the time actually spent doing the piece, which totals to be way more time than you’d think.

10. “Can you draw me a tattoo?”

I can but if I’m not a tattoo artist, then you should probably entrust that task to someone who is trained in the art of tattooing. Why? Because there is more to tattooing than just creating a design, finding a tattoo shop and a willing artist, and the funds necessary. Even bigger reason: most tattoo shops are bursting with artists who are able, bodied, and trained specifically for that task. Biggest reason: They get paid to put a little ink in your life. So, research good tattoo shops in your area and go forth.

11. “Will you do something like this artist’s work for me?”

No, no, and no. If you want his/her art, buy it. If you want my art, buy it as is. Don’t ask a good friend of yours to do something similar for cheaper than what you could get it. In reality, the price you’d pay an artist you know is probably a little more than you’d pay for what you actually want because of the time it would take your friend to study the piece and try his/her hand at it.
Also, it makes most artists uneasy to intentionally copy or use another artist's style. There is such a thing as intellectual/creative plagiarism, we can thank Albrecht Dürer for that.

12. “I guess anyone can call themselves an artist.”

Thanks to the first amendment, they can. But to actually have the knowledge and the training behind that statement is a different story. Kind of like everybody asserting their unwanted opinions on social media, no matter how ridiculous they are.

13. “They had to have been smoking something good when they made that.”

Also contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be on drugs to make good art. There, I said it.

14. “Are you done yet?”

The more you ask, the more likely we are to keep saying no. Producing any work of art takes time, especially when you’re juggling multiple projects. If you really want a good piece of work, be patient. It’s a virtue.