18 Artist Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 1st, 2023
Become An Artist

The artist is an individual who practices the skill, expression, and application of a craft; a person engaged in any art.

Starting a business can be overwhelming. But starting an art business is even more so. How do you know where to start? What type of artwork should you offer? Are there any legal issues involved in being self-employed? These are just a few questions that occur to new artists, but they're good questions and you'll find the answers here.

Here are some real life success stories of becoming an artist:

1. Innerglow Art ($51.6K/year)

Painting had helped Sarah channel her emotions of getting rejected from grad schools in a positive way, as she had been the "artsy" girl in college as well. It started as a hobby but within a few months, her friends and family encouraged her to sell her art. Seeing the demand on her store, she started Innerglow Art.

How much they make: $51.6K/year
Current team size: 0

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How I Turned My Hobby For Painting Into A Successful Art Business

Innerglow Art is a successful custom abstract painting business that incorporates scripture and personable connection with buyers to produce beautiful and unique artwork.

About
Sarah started Innerglow Art over 7 years ago
Revenue
Sarah grew the business to $4.3K/month
Read by 51,645 founders

2. Justin Erickson Art ($10.5K/year)

Justin Erickson, an independent artist based in Vancouver, came up with the idea for his business after attending local events and showcasing his artwork. He realized that he could turn his passion into a career and started developing his brand, taking professional product photos and designing collateral for clients. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Justin has been consistently earning between $500-$1,500 a month through his art.

How much they make: $10.5K/year
How much did it cost to start: $7.03K
Current team size: 1

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On Developing A Career As An Independent Artist And Graphic Designer

Independent artist Justin Erickson earns between $500-$1500 a month and offers advice on developing a career as an independent artist and graphic designer, from building a brand through printmaking, launching a business, attracting and retaining customers, and learning from other resources.

About
Justin started Justin Erickson Art about 7 years ago
Revenue
Justin grew the business to $876/month
Costs
It cost Justin $7025 to start the business
Read by 7,208 founders

Learn more about starting an artist:

Where to start?

-> How much does it cost to start an artist?
-> Pros and cons of an artist

Need inspiration?

-> Examples of established artist
-> Marketing ideas for an artist

Other resources

3. URSULA BARTON ($36K/year)

Ursula Barton, an artist, came up with the idea for her business after a spill of expensive ink onto watercolor paper led her to embrace a process of unpredictable art creation. After gaining positive reactions to her work at a cafe, she realized she had something special and started reproducing her paintings as greeting cards, postcards, and prints, eventually expanding her product line and opening a retail shop called Jailbreak.

How much they make: $36K/year
Current team size: 1

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How I Built Two Successful Small Businesses As An Artist

This case study showcases how artist Ursula Barton built two successful small businesses, one featuring her artwork on paper goods and the other being a retail shop showcasing art and handmade goods from a variety of makers, both of which have seen great success in sales and community support.

About
Ursula started URSULA BARTON about 12 years ago
Revenue
Ursula grew the business to $3K/month
Read by 6,098 founders

4. Just Artisan ($120K/year)

Just Artisan, a handmade-only marketplace founded by Marcello De Lio, has seen impressive growth since its launch in 2020. With $15,000 in sales during December 2020 and a strong customer base, the platform is on track for continued growth in 2021. De Lio's personal experience selling handmade goods and observing the frustrations of artists competing against drop shippers and facing rising fees inspired him to create a platform that supports artists and provides them with a true handmade marketplace.

How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
Current team size: 2

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How I Started A $10K/Month Marketplace That Sells Handmade Goods From Independent Artist

Just Artisan is a handmade-only marketplace that has achieved over $15,000 in sales during December and is on track to expand with 400 vendors and 2,000 products since launching fully in June 2020.

About
Marcello started Just Artisan about 4 years ago
Revenue
Marcello grew the business to $10K/month
Costs
It cost Marcello $25000 to start the business
Read by 5,580 founders

5. Sarah Paints Pets ($42K/year)

Sarah Miller, the founder of sarahpaintspets, came up with the idea for her business in college when she painted her boyfriend's cat as a gift. After receiving positive feedback and selling over 100 paintings for Christmas presents, she realized there was a demand for her custom watercolor pet portraits. Since then, she has been able to increase her prices and attract customers through her personalized approach and social media presence.

How much they make: $42K/year
Current team size: 1

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Sarah Miller Started A Business Selling Her Own Artwork Online

Sarah Miller started a small business, sarahpaintspets, where she creates custom watercolor pet portraits for animal lovers across the US and Canada, which has lead to an average income per painting of $150 and receives word-of-mouth referrals as the biggest source of income.

About
Sarah started Sarah Paints Pets about 6 years ago
Revenue
Sarah grew the business to $3.5K/month
Read by 7,481 founders

6. Station 16 Editions / S16 ($4.2M/year)

Adam Vieira, the creative director of Station 16 Gallery, teamed up with Carlo De Luca, the president, in 2011 to create quality silkscreen prints with local Montreal artists. The idea to open an art gallery showcasing these prints and street art talent came from Art Historian Emily Robertson. Since then, Station 16 has expanded to showcase original art, sculptures, and works on paper, and plans to open a second location in Denver, Colorado.

How much they make: $4.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $150K
Current team size: 10

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Growing an Art Gallery to $150,000/month

Station 16 Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in Montreal influenced by graffiti and street art, started with a pop-up in 2013, now showcasing original art, sculptures, works on paper, and limited edition silkscreen prints that have become popular with international artists, attracting new collectors on Artsy, using Instagram to reach an international market, and expanding to opening a second location in Denver, Colorado in May.

About
Adam started Station 16 Editions / S16 over 10 years ago
Revenue
Adam grew the business to $350K/month
Costs
It cost Adam $150000 to start the business
Read by 6,190 founders

7. Suzann K Fine Art ($76.8K/year)

Suzann Kaltbaum, a fine art photographer, started her business as a passion project in travel photography. Through experimentation and honing her skills, she developed a unique blended technique that resonated with her clients. Her art, printed on mixed metals, highlights the pictures and has generated a lucrative business, winning awards and being featured in various venues. Suzann emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities and believing in oneself.

How much they make: $76.8K/year
How much did it cost to start: $6.5K
Current team size: 0

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How I Started A Late Career Making Thought Provoking Art That Generates $6K/Month

Discover how Suzann Kaltbaum turned her passion for fine art photography into a lucrative business, generating $5k per month, through her unique blend of digital techniques and printing on mixed metals, and her focus on showcasing her art in person rather than through advertising.

About
suzanne started Suzann K Fine Art about 7 years ago
Revenue
suzanne grew the business to $6.4K/month
Costs
It cost suzanne $6500 to start the business
Read by 6,633 founders

8. Brush Tokes ($30K/year)

After realizing she needed a real hobby, Kelly rediscovered her love for art and decided to sell her creations. Partnering with Natasha, they came up with the idea for Brush Tokes, a 420-friendly art class that combines their shared interests in art and cannabis. Since launching in January 2018, they have sold out classes and experienced steady growth, with monthly income reaching up to $2,500.

How much they make: $30K/year
Current team size: 1

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How We Started A 420 Friendly Painting Class

Brush Tokes is a 420-friendly art business that combines the enjoyment of cannabis with artistic expression, offering various services including painting, plant, and art classes, and generates up to $2,500 per month through its word-of-mouth business.

About
Kelly started Brush Tokes about 6 years ago
Revenue
Kelly grew the business to $2.5K/month
Read by 6,662 founders

9. Art Lovers Australia ($1.92M/year)

Nancy and Jarrod, both with backgrounds in the arts industry, recognized the obstacles that artists faced in gaining visibility. They decided to start Art Lovers Australia, an online gallery, to showcase the talent of Australian artists and make buying art easy for art enthusiasts. Through collaborations with designers and TV shows, their audience has grown, and they now have almost 1000 artists on their platform, with monthly sales averaging $160K.

How much they make: $1.92M/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
Current team size: 4

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How We Created A $160K/Month Online Art Gallery

Art Lovers Australia grew from 50 to almost 1000 artists and increased their monthly sales to an average of $160K by collaborating with designers and TV shows, building an audience on social media before launching, prioritizing advertising and marketing, and creating partnerships.

About
Nancy started Art Lovers Australia over 7 years ago
Revenue
Nancy grew the business to $160K/month
Costs
It cost Nancy $100000 to start the business
Read by 4,500 founders

10. Bayard Art Consulting ($7.2K/year)

Steve Bayard came up with the idea for Bayard Art Consulting after experiencing multiple entrepreneurial ventures and realizing the need for artists to have a platform to showcase and sell their work. Through his background in design and website creation, he developed an online art gallery and magazine to support artists during the pandemic. With a significant increase in value and new applicants, Bayard Art Consulting has grown to become a thriving business.

How much they make: $7.2K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 1

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How I Started An Online Fine Art Gallery [With Only $100]

Bayard Art Consulting, founded by Steve Bayard, started in 2019 with a benefit of €85,58 and one year later has a collection for sale close to 1M Euro, making around €600 per month, with two main products including an online store and an art magazine.

About
Steve started Bayard Art Consulting almost 5 years ago
Revenue
Steve grew the business to $600/month
Costs
It cost Steve $100 to start the business
Read by 3,655 founders

11. Mapply ($180K/year)

Scott Wood, co-founder of Mapply, came up with the idea for his map print business after seeing the success of a similar brand called Mapiful. With a background in digital marketing and a love for travel and art, Scott saw an opportunity to create personalized and colorful map prints. By starting with offline validation and gradually expanding his product offerings, Scott has grown Mapply from a few hundred pounds in sales to over £30k ($40k) in prints per month, with plans to expand further in the future.

How much they make: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
Current team size: 0

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How I Started A $15K/Month Ecommerce Selling Colourful Map Art Prints

UK-based co-founder grows map print company Mapply from a few hundred pounds a month in sales to over £30k ($40k~) in prints per month, without much marketing, and expands to brick-and-mortar stores while focusing on continuous product expansion.

About
Scott started Mapply about 5 years ago
Revenue
Scott grew the business to $15K/month
Costs
It cost Scott $200 to start the business
Read by 12,087 founders

12. Art Splash Academy of Fine Arts ($24K/year)

Meenakshi, a former IT professional, was inspired by her grandfather's mentorship in Indian music and her passion for dance and vocals. She wanted to start her own business in the education field and provide a platform for talented musicians. After overcoming challenges like floods and power fluctuations, she successfully launched Art Splash Academy of Fine Arts, training students in various forms of art and music.

How much they make: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $9K
Current team size: 12

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How I Left My Job To Start A Music, Vocals, Dance And Art Academy

Former IT professional Meenakshi started Art Splash Academy of Fine Arts, offering Keyboard, Guitar, Violin, Rock & Pop vocals, Indian Music, Carnatic vocals, Bharatnatyam, Certified Jazz, Arts, Yoga, and Tabla courses for all ages with an investment of $9,000, and now manages it successfully with 80% of customers enrolling in online classes during COVID-19.

About
Meenakshi started Art Splash Academy of Fine Arts over 8 years ago
Revenue
Meenakshi grew the business to $2K/month
Costs
It cost Meenakshi $9000 to start the business
Read by 6,415 founders

13. Dropcloth Samplers ($180K/year)

Rebecca taught embroidery and introductory textiles classes in Chicago when she started making samplers. Fabric shops started reaching out to inquire about purchasing the designs to sell and she realized the business potential.

How much they make: $180K/year
Current team size: 0

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How I Started A $15K/Month Hand-Drawn Embroidery Samplers Business

Rebecca Ringquist turned a side project of hand-drawn embroidery samplers into a full-time job, grossing over $15K a month with her business Dropcloth Samplers, which she launched accidentally after selling a few samplers at an end of session craft sale that prominent bloggers bought and posted about.

About
Rebecca started Dropcloth Samplers about 13 years ago
Revenue
Rebecca grew the business to $15K/month
Read by 8,442 founders

14. Astrography ($1.08M/year)

Artur Kurasinski and Adam Jesionkiewicz co-created Astrography, a company that prints and sells fine arts related to space. Adam, an experienced astrophotographer, decided to print his own pictures and found that people were willing to pay for them. With a zero marketing budget, they managed to print $160K worth of fine art in 12 months and have since become a profitable business.

How much they make: $1.08M/year
Current team size: 4

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How We Started A $12K/Month Business Selling Cosmos-Inspired Fine Prints

Astrography is a small family business offering high-quality, limited edition fine art prints related to space; in the first 12 months of operation, they managed to print the fine art for $160k, largely thanks to social media without any loans or investors.

About
Adam started Astrography about 5 years ago
Revenue
Adam grew the business to $90K/month
Read by 6,882 founders

16. Blake.Art ($360K/year)

Revenue
$30K / month
Team
1 founders / employees

Blake Jamieson, 36, is a portrait pop and NFT artist based in Brooklyn, NY. In 2020, he worked with Topps, redesigning 20 iconic baseball cards for their Project 2020 campaign. In 2021, Jamieson made $46,000 in 6 weeks selling his art as NFTs and doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

The market for NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, has exploded this year – and many creators have profited off of the hype.

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Case Study
  • Blake Jamieson is a 36 years old portrait pop and NFT artist located in Brooklyn, NY.
  • He redesigned 20 storied baseball cards for Topps' Project 2020 campaign 2020.
  • Jamieson made $46,000 in 6 weeks in 2021 by selling his works of art as NFTs, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down.
  • He started reinvesting the Ethereum he earned from selling his own works to the neighborhood and other artists.

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Read the full story on theouterrealm.io ➜

16. Kirsty Partridge Art ($36.7K/year)

How much they make: $36.7K/year
Current team size:

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Interview with Kirsty Partridge

This case study details how Kirsty Partridge grew her art YouTube channel to over 1.3M subscribers and 81,296,486 views, and expanded her business by launching an art tutorials website and personalized art course which has taught 21K+ students.

About
They started Kirsty Partridge Art almost 9 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $3.06K/month
Read by 1,210 founders