Books:

Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist
by Constance Smith

Art and Reality: The New Standard Reference Guide and Business Plan for Actively Developing Your Career As an Artist
by Robert J. Abbott

Careers by Design: A Business Guide for Graphic Designers
by Roz Goldfarb

Career Opportunities in Art (Career Opportunities)
by Susan H. Haubenstock, David Joselit, Elise Rosen (Editor)

The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People ASIN:1580080758 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Eikleberry has shown me I am not alone! Comments: I bought this book for a friend, but I had no idea I needed it this much myself. Eikleberry's book lays out a psychological profile of creative and unconventional people and shows us there are many more like ourselves out there. She maps out the skills and interests of creative people and shows you how they point to different career paths. There are even self-tests along the way to help you assess your skills-and the results may surprise you. This book shows you that just because you're an "artistic" person doesn't mean you have to choose between being a starving artist or having a "normal" job. She explores the wide variety of jobs available for creative people, but is also realistic in stating that these jobs are not as plentiful as more conventional jobs. If you're frustrated, and generally feel lost in your career choices, this book can give you hope and help point you in the right direction. She doesn't give you the answers, but she helps you know how to look for the answers within yourself. I highly recommend this book to college students and twenty-somethings in particular. But this book is appropriate for any creative and unconventional person who needs a new direction.

Taking the Leap: Building a Career As a Visual Artist ASIN:0811818152 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Inspiration! Comments: After being in a creative slump for about a year this is the book that inspired me to pick up my brushes again! I had these horrible thoughts of how difficult it would be to even attempt to make it as an artist but "Taking the Leap" eased my mind. It takes you step by step through everything you need to know and what you need to have ready to start your career. I learned how to properly photograph my art (I can't afford a photographer!) and how to set up my portfolio. There are also inspiring quotes from artists or pertaining to art to help get you through. I credit this book for getting me back out there!

Becoming a Graphic Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design, 2nd Edition ASIN:047117677X Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Somewhat vexing, but a nice casual browse nonetheless Comments: There is a lot of good to be said for this book. But the thing that jumps out and slaps me in the face, right off, maybe because I have dealt with new design students and new professionals for the past several years, is a few dumb comments such as "If you are going to be a good designer, fine. If you aren't don't bother. The field is full of mediocre talents as it is." And how, pray tell, does one know whether one is going to "be good" during the first year of ones study? --Or even during the first few years of ones professional practice, when sweeping out the place may be included in your job description, and hands-on real world work may come your way slowly and in small discreet bits? And doesn't every creative person at one point or another question the worth and validity of what he or she is doing, EVEN after recognition has started rolling in and they understand that their work is generally perceived by their peers as good? Further, I would ask whether everyone HAS to be a Saul Bass or a Neville Brody. Isn't design a broad enough field to encompass the work of those with less Olympian ambition? Comments such as the one above are relatively few and far between, to be certain. But where on earth was the editor when pompous uninsightful stuff like this flew in under the radar? Although the sheer snideness of the comment may make many jaded pros cheer, I have to wonder what useable information this kind of comment contains for the neophyte at whom the book is supposedly aimed? --To show that a lot of jaded pros have a really bad attitude? I do not favor the Pollyanna view whether we are talking art or careers. But I believe it is impossible to know how you will fare at something before you have been doing it a while. Thinking otherwise --for example, that a teacher in a design 101 class can tell you whether you are "any good" (and I have seen or heard about many students asking this very question)-- just intimidates and discourages people from being brave enough to give the life that they would see for themselves a try. To me, that is way too limiting.

Web Sites:

AIGA Graphic Design Career Guide