9 Secrets They Never Taught You in Art School

Popular culture often labels us as “starving dreamers” or “slothful drunks,” but being an artist is far deeper than a label. It is who we are, rooted in the courage to notice things and create from those observations. I’ve spent my career helping thousands of artists build sustainable lives, and I’ve learned that you don’t need permission to take yourself seriously.

Here are the nine secrets I’ve discovered for navigating a professional creative life:

1. Dance to Your Own Music: I once had a glamorous career as an international art dealer, but I realized my life had stopped playing “my song”. I had to leave it all behind and move to France to find my own voice and finally start singing loudly again.

2. Love the Questions: We often scramble for immediate answers, but real creativity begins when you have patience with the unresolved. I started asking myself every day, “What do I really, really want?” and discovered that the most important answers are found within, not online.

3. Do the Work: When I moved to France, I had to build a sacred routine from scratch. I learned that sometimes the most important work doesn’t look like work at all—like my daily miles-long walks that give my ideas space to breathe.

4. Stop Chasing Stuff, Chase Life: I used to be a shopping addict, trying to fill an internal hunger with external things. Selling my belongings taught me that “stuff” imprisons you, while experiences are what actually empower you.

5. You Are Not Alone: Art doesn’t live in a bubble, and I don’t believe in the “lone genius” theory. By joining a community, you enter an “economy of ideas”—the true currency of an artist—and find the support needed to make stronger work.

6. What’s Your Story?: We all tell ourselves stories, but these are just interpretations and selective memories, not facts. You can pick up the brush and paint a different picture for your life any time you choose.

7. Everything is Self-Expression: I made a vow to infuse everything I do—including the “hard stuff” like marketing and networking—with creativity, authenticity, and fun.

8. Never Stop Learning: Many artists shut down when it comes to business, but these are just skills you haven’t learned yet. Approaching professional skills with the same curiosity you bring to your craft is what separates the hobbyist from the professional.

9. Jump Into the Unknown: I’m not telling you to move to France, but I am asking you to listen to that small voice within. Take risks and move from a place that is authentically you, following only what has heart and meaning.

Ultimately, you already have the ability to make your desires happen.

By embracing these secrets and trusting what you already know, you can build a career that is as meaningful as the art you create.

Download your free FULL guide here.

Written by Crista Cloutier, artist mentor + founder of The Working Artist. (learn more about Crista here)