Welcome to our series dedicated to providing you with tips to advance your career as an artist. We know that there are many aspects of the business of art that are often left to each of us to figure out on our own—so we are starting the conversation here!

We are currently in a moment where we collectively (and safely!) step back into the world. We need conversation. We need connection. However, it is always difficult to meet new people, especially now. So we asked artists to share tips on connecting with other artists, virtually and in person. Because making that first step and reaching out is often the hardest part!
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Andrew Cooper
Artist

Reaching out to other artists can be difficult sometimes because we are all on our own wave. I remember reaching out when I was younger and asking for advice from other artists. You definitely don't want to be pushy or ask for too much if the other artist is further along in their career. I may have made that mistake a couple times and learned from it. Be respectful to the artist's time. Time is one of the most valuable things you can have. Just ask for advice. That may be the best thing you can get from someone further along.  

Meeting other artists can be a difficult process. I hibernate in my studio most of the time, so for me it is hard. I have found that Instagram has been my best platform as far as reaching out to other artists if I have a question. Sometimes I tend to not reach out because I don't want to disturb someone, but that's me. In the time we are currently in with things being locked down, Zoom has been great for me to connect with other galleries and businesses.  

Overall, I have found the artist community to be very helpful to each other. We are all going through the same thing. I think we naturally want to help uplift each other and see the community grow.

Ally Fouts
Artist, Designer, Writer

Personally, I think there is nothing more powerful than a cold email. If there is an artist you are particularly interested in working with, find their email address and send them a detailed note about yourself and why you are interested in connecting with them. It is also important to never take either a lack of response or a delay in response personally. People have complex and busy lives, and it's easy to let emails fall to the back burner (and rightly so!). It doesn’t hurt to send a follow-up if it has been around a month with no communication. In terms of connecting in person, I recommend having a decent amount of background information on the artist’s practice before you approach them. Meeting an artist at their opening and only talking about the work present is not nearly as powerful as drawing parallels to past work, interviews, or artist talks the artist has done. This shows you are coming from a place of genuine interest, and the whole point is building genuine, strong, and fulfilling connections. 

Rachel L. Hausmann Schall
Artist, Writer, Educator

When I was in undergrad, I have a distinct memory of my senior seminar professor sharing his rule of thumb as it relates to networking with other artists -- when at a social event (an exhibition opening, film screening, panel discussion, etc.), try to strike up a conversation with at least three people that you don't already know. Since then, I have made attempts to abide by this rule, oftentimes failing, but many times succeeding. I've gotten to know so many artists this way. From there, it usually makes the exchange of social media handles less awkward and more meaningful -- especially after sharing a conversation with someone. Of course, because of the pandemic, chances are many artists have less and less opportunities to share space with large groups of people. Reaching out via email or Instagram is another productive option for networking and usually I try to take it one step further by simply asking when someone is available for a phone call, video chat, or virtual studio visit. I've had many great experiences over the last two years following this model. I also think keeping in touch with the folks you do connect with is important, too, even if that means a quick text or DM saying "congrats!" on a recent exhibition. 

For more career tips for artists, be sure to check out The Complete Smartist Guide by our very own Ekaterina Popova & Alicia Puig!