How many years do artists typically have to build their business, and why does this matter?

This is something most artists don’t fully appreciate: unlike most people who retire and stop their profession, artists are different. It’s routine to see artists in their 70s, 80s, 90s, and even over 100 years old still showing up asking for advice on how to get their art in front of eyeballs and how to sell it. That’s not normal — it’s a unique feature of how creators are wired. For most artists, that means there’s potentially 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, or even 70 years left to get this whole thing right, to actually treat it like a business and get it on a path where it’s growing. That’s an amazing thing. It underscores how worth it is to get your house in order now, start doing the things that actually grow an art business, and do it consistently. You have the rest of your life to figure this out, so start now.

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Asked by artists of all ages and experience levels · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-05-29