What Young Artists Ask When No One Else Is Listening

A young artist walked with me last week and asked the questions I hear all the time.

About calling yourself an artist. About money. About selling out. About waiting for permission. About being broke and behind and afraid it won’t work.

This is what I told him.

The Conversation

QUESTION 1: “When do you actually get to call yourself an artist? Because saying it out loud feels… wrong, for all kinds of reasons.”

Artists need to stop waiting for permission.

Calling yourself an artist isn’t about art school. It’s not about money. And it’s definitely not about being chosen. It’s a decision.

If you make art and take responsibility for it—for its development, its care, its place in the world—you’re an artist.

Waiting to be validated by the world keeps a lot of very good artists invisible.

QUESTION 2: “And selling my work… I’m afraid it means that I’m selling out. Shouldn’t art be separate from money?”

No. Selling art is not selling out. It’s good business.

Art wants to be seen and your work deserves it. That doesn’t always mean it has to be sold—but once you enter the marketplace, you’re having a different conversation.

Now you’re talking about communication. About tools. About entrepreneurial skills.

None of that diminishes the work. It protects it.

Here’s something that’s important to understand: your art is not here to support you. You are here to support your art.

QUESTION 3: “But I feel like I’m so far behind. Like… I don’t even know what I don’t know.”

That’s actually a good place to start. Artists don’t need to be “ready.”

They need orientation.

No one is born understanding pricing, positioning, or how decisions get made in the marketplace. Those are learned skills—not signs of your talent.

Yet so many artists take it personally when their work doesn’t sell. And they get stopped there.

It’s sad that they can’t see there’s another way.

QUESTION 4: “Is that what you teach in The Working Artist Academy?”

Yes. I teach artists how to work as artists—not just how to make work, but how to build a working life, a profitable life, around it. That’s what The Academy is for.

QUESTION 5: “I don’t know if I have the time to devote to the course.”

The Academy was built for people with full lives. Most artists spend a few hours a week on the work. Some weeks more. Some weeks less. And there’s rest weeks built in.

Not only that but you have lifetime access so nothing disappears if you fall behind.

We also teach you how to use AI as a working assistant—for writing, planning, research, marketing.

Not to replace your voice with a robot. But to support it so you have more time to make stuff. So you can focus on what actually matters.

This isn’t about keeping up. It’s about staying connected.

QUESTION 6: “I think that I just want to wait until a gallery or an agent handles all the business stuff. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?”

That’s one of the most common misunderstandings artists have about the art business. And I’ve seen some artists wait forever.

They don’t understand that it doesn’t work like that. No gallery, agent, or institution is looking to take on an artist who hasn’t already taken responsibility for their own work. Who already has an audience and knows their positioning.

There is no magical fairy coming to organize your career for you. Representation comes after momentum—not before.

That doesn’t mean doing everything alone forever. It means knowing enough to be a good partner one day.

QUESTION 7: “The Academy is expensive. And I’m broke.”

I hear that. And I want to challenge something you just said.

You’re not broke. You’re not broken. You’re whole.

Your bank account doesn’t define you. Financial challenge is a situation—it’s not who you are.

Here’s the real conversation: If you want people to invest in your work, you have to invest in yourself first.

If you want to be a part of the market, you must take the time to learn about it.

This is how artists build momentum. And this is how profit becomes possible—by learning how to support the work instead of hoping it magically supports you.

QUESTION 8: “I’ve joined programs before. I didn’t finish.”

That’s exactly why this is different. You’re not doing it alone.

The Working Artist Academy is a community of artists doing the work with you, and coaches like me to guide you forward.

And the support doesn’t end when the course ends.

You get ongoing monthly coaching with me. You’ll be part of a working artist community now.

You don’t age out. You don’t get dropped. This is built to stay with you as your work evolves.

QUESTION 9: “What if I do the work and it still doesn’t work?”

This is called the Working Artist for a reason. You may need to stretch. You may need to pivot. You will definitely learn.

A lot of artists who work with me say that I’ve fast-tracked their success. My job is to save you time, energy, and frustration—and help you stop guessing.

In 12 weeks, you’ll have pricing that makes sense. Positioning that’s clear. An understanding of your audience. And a system for showing up consistently in the marketplace.

That’s the work. And that’s why this exists.

The Decision: “Okay. I’m going to do this.”

Good.

The Working Artist Academy is open for enrollment for a few more days. It’s time to stop trying to figure this out alone. I’m here to help you.

Go here to join:  https://theworkingartist.com/twa-academy-page/

This is where we begin.

Do you have questions about The Academy? Book a call with Crista here. 

Crista

January 18, 2026