Whether you want to work as a freelancer or employee, individually or collectively, as an artist you will often have to organise your work yourself. And that can be scary. The message here is: be an entrepreneur.
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Entrepreneurship is about looking for opportunities to maintain and expand your practice. This requires a certain dynamism, because you constantly switch between what is possible in the context and the phase you are in at a given moment, and that can vary. You must keep your vision in mind and constantly adapt your strategy to it. Of course, that requires quite a bit of creativity.
Research shows that artists who quit the artistic path after a few years turn out to be poorly informed about business aspects. Examine the business aspects together with your artistic practice. The better you become at organising and arranging, the more autonomous you will feel.
Most artists work as freelancers. Few artists will be permanently employed by an organisation for their artistic work.
As a freelancer, you have the choice of working as a self-employed person (as a secondary occupation) or through employment. You can take on freelance assignments through intermediaries such as a Social Bureau for Artists (SBK, e.g. Amplo) or an employment organisation (e.g. Smart). You can also be registered as “a temporary employee” by the client. Do you work on commission without the authority of the client, but you are not self-employed? Then Article 1 bis is a special rule that you can invoke. Please note that you will need a “kunstwerkattest” for this.
If you work as a freelancer through employment or Article 1 bis, you build up the same social security as an employee. Are you unsure whether to start working as a freelancer as a self-employed person or through employment? Cultuurloket can help you make a comparison.
Please note that not all of the above employment statuses allow you to sell your artistic works. So make sure you are well informed when it comes to sales versus commissions.
Your costs as a maker can add up: rental of a studio or rehearsal space, transport, materials or instruments. And do you know exactly how much revenue is coming in? To keep an overview, you must be able to budget, and you must accurately keep track of income and expenditures. And be able to make a forecast. Read more about making a financial plan at Cultuurloket.
Make sure you know your rights and obligations. How many hours will you work? How much will you earn? Are you accruing social security benefits? How much are you deducting for that? And what if you get sick?
When you work with, or for someone, you have to make arrangements. These are established in a contract. So you have to learn how to read and prepare them in order to prevent frustrations in the future. Via “Juist is Juist”, you will find various tools that can help you with this. Contact Cultuurloket for business and legal advice.
A budget is about more than just money. Try to keep track of how long it takes you to complete certain activities. This will help you prepare schedules. For example, you learn to estimate how long you can spend on experimenting with a new idea before you run out of time.
Important: also allow for time not to work. It’s important for your well-being to separate work and leisure time.
As a starter, you are vulnerable. You want to win assignments, get to know the right people, make a good impression. You may not have an extensive network yet, it might feel like you’re on your own. That’s not the case. No dream job is worth risking your health for. Be sure to also read our advice on the topic of well-being.
In the arts you receive money for an artistic achievement (a performance, a photo, a painting, an hour of work), but you are also entitled to compensation for the hours of research and study that precede it.
Demand an appropriate wage for your work. Want to know what the minimums are for your sector? Check out Juist is Juist. There is now also a calculator for the visual arts.
About financing, legislation, professionalisation, about everything. Dare to ask questions.
At Flanders Arts Institute you can do this without an appointment during our morning coffees or by phone. Or always by email: advies@kunsten.be.
Not everyone likes to do it or is skilled at it, but good networking can help. This doesn’t necessarily have to be extensive: it’s about thinking of who your peers are, from whom you can and want to learn, which contacts can be useful. If you feel comfortable with it: leave the confines of your studio or workplace, visit vernissages, premieres, sector events.
People who are a little further along in their careers often like to share their knowledge. It’s important to speak to them, ask questions, show interest. You’ll always have a topic in common: your love of art.
Do you work in the arts and have a question? Are you looking for a critical sounding board for your new project?
