We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Josh Gates. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Josh below.
Josh, appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I was fortunate enough to work full-time as an artist for a period of four years. I have to credit my wonderful BFA program at Portland State University and the faculty there for helping me take my painting to the next level, and the book “ART/WORK” by Heather Darcy Bhandari and Jonathan Melber for giving me the tools to navigate the professional day-to-day of a working artist.
Every artist’s story is going to be different, and few make it to the point of earning their sole income from their practice. If you do make it, it’s not guaranteed to last. All I ever wanted, since high school, was to make a living as an artist. When it finally worked out for me, it was by a combination of starting to produce my mature work, hustle, and some lucky breaks on social media—a few large Portland-based pages reposted my art, and virtually overnight I was receiving more inquiries, commissions and print sales than ever. I found lovely new collectors who came back to buy again. I was suddenly making a surprising amount of money doing what I love.
It was a dream come true, and I’d never worked as hard for anyone as I did working for myself those first couple of years. I learned how to set up a display booth and participated in as many art markets and street fairs as possible; unexpected opportunities came knocking, such as partnering with Portland Puzzle Company to make puzzles of my paintings; a steady stream of online print orders necessitated a streamlined system for printing, packaging and shipping; pet portraits went from a side hustle to a steady income stream. Every day that I was busy answering emails and applying for shows and shopping for supplies and spending hours in the studio was a blessing.
The third and fourth years of doing this, art sales began to slow down. When money was scarce, it wasn’t always as fun. I don’t want to desperately chase sales, and don’t want money on my mind when I’m creating art. This year I started a really cool new day job. It was hard emotionally to admit that my (first) full-time-artist chapter was ending, but it’s also a huge relief not to have my livelihood attached to other peoples’ approval of my art.
I’m still painting, still showing, still doing commissions, still selling prints—the same as I was for years before all of this. I’m also Vice President of Portland Open Studios, which is a volunteer position that allows me to use my professional experience uplifting other artists. I hope anyone reading this who wants to take their art practice full-time gets to do it. It may or may not last forever, and it can be as frustrating as it is rewarding. Be prepared for financial security to be a moving target, and expect to juggle different income sources besides just gallery sales—cultivating relationships with collectors, selling prints, doing commissions, tabling at art markets, working with retailers, etc. Above all, if you love being an artist, just make your work.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m a contemporary realist painter captivated by fleeting conditions of weather and light. As an Oregon-raised longtime Portlander, I’m inspired by the rain and the vibrant spectrum of greys found in the ever-changing temperate rainforest climate of the Pacific Northwest. My work has been shown in various solo and group exhibitions in Portland, published in the Buckman Journal, and featured on OPB’s Oregon ArtBeat.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Admission at galleries and museums should be free to all. Public art should be funded generously. Increasing the public accessibility of art enriches everyone.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
The book “ART/WORK” by Heather Darcy Bhandari and Jonathan Melber was invaluable in helping me figure out how to navigate the technical details and day-to-day tasks of being a working artist. This is stuff they don’t always teach you enough about in art school, but really should. A working artist should be adept at correctly applying for opportunities, designing a website, documenting artwork, communicating with gallerists and other professionals, cultivating collectors, crafting a CV, working with retailers, properly packaging artwork to ship, and so much more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joshgatesart.com
- Instagram: @joshgatesart
