The Life of the Intern

Co-Published: BeYourArt.com and The North Shoreian Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 8, Practicalities of the Surviving Artist, The Harvest Issue. Article written by Don Rebar.

Intern.  The word alone strikes fear into the hearts of many—from the most seasoned professional to the hungry high school student wishing to gain experience.  Nightmarish legends of supervisors that transform budding young professionals into ditch diggers, or of slacker interns whose apathy will be the downfall of society are commonplace.  No matter how many of these horror stories are tall tales in actuality, the basic principle behind them remains: at the end of the internship, one party’s experience with the other was poor.  Sometimes, no matter how hard the intern works or how generous the supervisor is, this outcome is inevitable.  Even in these cases, there are a few fundamental rules to help maximize a marginalized experience. Read more…

The hard part is knowing how to ask the right questions in order to get the right answers.

By Charles H. Bush

They say “write about what you know.” Unfortunately, if you’re like me and don’t know much, you have to find a way know what you need to know. The method I use is “research.”

For years, before advent of the internet, I found research to be a daunting task, certainly not for the homebound or for the lazy like me. But now most needed research is rather easy. The hard part is knowing how to ask the right questions in order to get the right answers. I’ll give you several case studies a bit later to demonstrate what I do. There are several tools I now use to do my research, so I’ll just jump right in. Read more…

"Thankfully the Internet has made it easier than ever to bring attention to your art form, if you know how to use it to your advantage."

Co-Published: BeYourArt.com and The North Shoreian Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 7, Practicalities of the Surviving Artist, September 2009. Article written by Christine Stoddard.

The “starving artist” cliché exists for a reason: no matter what kind of artist you are—actor, writer, painter, singer, photographer, dancer, etc.—earning a living is a struggle. Regardless of your talent and experience, which school you attended, or where you took an apprenticeship or internship, you will have to market yourself in order to sell your art. In fact, self-promotion is perhaps the most important way to turn your artistic passion into a full-fledged career. Thankfully the Internet has made it easier than ever to bring attention to your art form, if you know how to use it to your advantage. Read more…

Image Aquired from MorgueFile.com

Co-Published: BeYourArt.com and The North Shoreian Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 6, Practicalities of the Surviving Artist, July/August 2009. Article written by Diane Leon.

I love reading about how people make choices, define what success is, and commit to something in life that is meaningful. Sometimes what you really want is not what will make the most money, but what fulfills you. What if you have always wanted to create art as a professional or teach art? Do you ignore those dreams in pursuit of monetary success? How many people can really devote all their time and energy to the creative process and actually pay the bills? Are they considered less successful? Read more…