Salary of an Accomplished Artist
The stereotype of the starving artist does not tell the whole story. Those who stick it out and eventually establish themselves in the industry can make a fairly substantial living, but only with hard work, talent and perhaps a little bit of luck as well. Some artists will inevitably gain repeat business from wealthy patrons or will gain acclaim because of their ability to network and find interested customers in the art collectors' market.
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Salary Determination
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Salaries for accomplished artists ultimately depend upon how you define what an "accomplished" artist is. Assuming that an accomplished artist is one who makes a salary at or above the median salary for all artists, these accomplished individuals can expect to make more than $44,850 per year, which was the median salary listed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2010. However, the bureau also notes that the average, or mean, salary for all artists in the fine arts field nationwide was $53,080 annually. Because this is an average, accomplished artists can make substantially more in many cases.
Earning Potential
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The substantial difference between the median salary and the average salary for all fine artists nationwide provides some indication that accomplished artists in the upper echelons of the pay scale can expect to make substantially more than these middle-of-the-road salaries. According to the BLS, the upper 25 percent of those working in this field made salaries of $65,420 or more per year. The upper 10 percent of all those working in this field made salaries of $89,720 or higher on an annual basis.
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Employers
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Another way to define the accomplished artist is to do so based on the artist's ability to make a full-time living using his artistic talents for full-time employment in his chosen vocational field. According to the BLS, fine artists nationwide who were independent artists made an average salary of $51,340 per year in 2010. Those who worked in the publishing industry averaged $51,470, while artists in the scientific research and development services field were the highest-paid artists and averaged $80,420 per year.
Job Outlook
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Despite the overly-cited caricature of the starving artist, the Bureau of Labor Statistics actually indicates that the number of jobs for artists should increase by about 12 percent from 2008 to 2018, indicating average job growth for professionals in this field. In particular, those who can utilize their talents in a multimedia setting will enjoy the best job prospects, according to the bureau.
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References
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