Tips on how to make a career switch to art

Like many children she loved to work creatively with her hands: draw, sew, work with wood or play in the mud. And just like with many adults, it happens in life, and she was taken away from this passion.

When her youngest child started school, Anne-Marie's husband said, more or less, "Take a break for a year and do whatever your heart desires." So here's what she did. Anne-Marie began attending classes, attending seminars, entering competitions, and taking orders. She believes that stepping out of your comfort zone, working on yourself, and getting a good understanding of the business aspects of your studio practice are critical to a successful transition into the creative arena.

Read Anne-Marie's success story.

YOU HAVE A HIGH-TECH STYLE, ALTHOUGH YOU STARTED YOUR ARTISTIC CAREER UNTIL LATER IN LIFE. HOW DID YOU DEVELOP THESE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS?

Now, looking back, I realize how important donations were to getting my practice off the ground. Early in my career, my children's school organized a fundraiser for an art exhibition. I decided to donate my paintings and the exhibitions helped me in several ways:

• I could draw any subject I wanted without worrying too much about the end result.

• It was easier to experiment. I was able to explore different techniques, media and styles more smoothly.

• I received much needed (but not always welcome) feedback from a large group of people.

• Exposure of my work grew (the word of mouth should not be underestimated).

• I was contributing to something worthwhile, and that gave me a reason to paint in abundance.

Those years were my early training ground! We all know how many hours it takes to hone your skills. I had a reason to draw and people appreciated my input as I became more and more skilled.

HOW DID YOU CREATE YOUR ART NETWORK AND DEVELOP YOUR INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE?

I consider my creative art to be a solitary enterprise. So as an artist, I try to stay in touch. I found social media to be invaluable in this area. I check mine regularly . . and accounts to see what other artists are doing. In fact, through my social media connections, I have established many relationships with artists from other countries.

Being represented in Brisbane, Australia, I was able to maintain personal contact with other artists to share ideas and strengthen bonds in the community. Drawing lessons are another great way to meet other artists and find great teachers and mentors.

YOU HAVE SHOWED WORKS ALL OVER THE WORLD. HOW DID YOU START EXHIBITING AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL?

This is where a good gallery (and special friends) can really help! Being represented here in Brisbane, which has relationships with overseas galleries, was the start of this journey for me. I was lucky that the owner of the gallery believed in my work so much that he exhibited some of my paintings at two art fairs in the United States. He then promoted them to galleries with which he maintains a relationship.  

At the same time, a school friend who owns a gallery in New York very kindly asked if I would like to add some of my work to her collection.

You never know where a connection might lead. By participating in the various annual competitions coordinated by the Brisbane Gallery and hosting art workshops, more opportunities have been created and this has given me the confidence to expand the scope of my work.

BEFORE USING ARTWORK ARCHIVE HOW DID YOU ORGANIZE YOUR BUSINESS?

For about a year I was looking for an online program that would help me with my artistic organization. I am very interested in computer programs that increase efficiency, and not only in art. A fellow artist told me about the Art Archive, so I immediately googled it.

At first I thought it was a great program for cataloging and keeping track of my work, which has been stored in numerous Word and Excel spreadsheets for years, but I'm so glad that it has become something more than a cataloging tool for me.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU GIVE TO OTHER ARTISTS who want to better manage their new art career?

I believe that as an artist you should try to get as much attention as possible. I regularly look for opportunities to participate in exhibitions and competitions, as well as regularly communicate with potential clients and other artists. It can be difficult without compromising the quality of my work or my sanity.  

The Art Archive has made these processes much more manageable by giving me the ability to record and track the details of paintings, clients, galleries, competitions and commissions. It is also important to my practice to be able to print reports, portfolio pages and invoices, as well as provide a platform for public presentation of my work.  

Because all my information is in the cloud, I can access my information from anywhere with an internet connection, on any device. I'm also in the process of creating reproductions of my work and I'm happy to use the built-in Artwork Archive tool to keep track of all the details of these works.  

WHAT WILL YOU SAY TO OTHER ARTISTS CONSIDERING USING THE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?

I reach out to fellow artists at Artwork Archive because my experience has been very positive. The program makes the obligatory administrative work much easier and more manageable, giving me more time to draw.

I can track my work, print out reports, quickly view my sales (which helps me feel better when I doubt myself) and know that the site is always promoting my work through my .  

Artwork Archive's commitment to improving software with updates is also a bonus to my business and my peace of mind.

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