 In the U.S. students are taught concept first in art school, with the goal of succeeding in academia. But many young artists go into art school with the goal of becoming independent makers. I use the word 'independent' because the term seems to be an ideal to strive for that causes a great deal of anxiety when you are trying to make a living and your time and energy are stretched to their limits. In contrast, other countries like Japan and Italy teach technique and craft under masters, more in line with atelier and apprenticeship models of making. The resulting education of 'technique first' creates a mindset towards the pragmatic necessity of production and I think more importantly, is less about self-expression and ego, allowing emerging artists to identify their own limitations and seek council or assistance. Now obviously I have just made a biased argument, one that is much too general to apply universally. It's frustrating to have personally gone through seven years of the best ceramics art education in the U.S., entrepreneurship classes never being part of the curriculum. I will say that despite the appallingly low percentage of art graduates who go on to careers as studio artists, there is still an incredible number of successful and inspiring artists making a living in the U.S. (If you doubt it, then just look to the vibrant industry of galleries, museums and auction houses that exist to support artists; those institutions wouldn't exist if there wasn't money to be made). When visiting museums, I am particularly inspired by the American art; what it sometimes lacks in craft it more than makes up for in conceptual interest and diversity. That being said, this article is not about the merits of expression between different models of artistic education; it is about acknowledging your own strengths and weaknesses as a maker. You will help yourself by identifying false truths about the lengths you must go to to become a successful practicing studio artist. An independent artist doesn't mean "do everything, without help, all the time, without financial reward or boundaries until you get a teaching job, burn out, or get lucky being in the right place at the right time". Being an independent maker means "being an entrepreneur, creating your own goals, and seeking quality expertise and assistance". If you develop the skills to run a business, maintain perspective and passion for what and why you are creating, and have a work ethic that is sustainable, you will have a good chance of succeeding. Success is never guaranteed, but when you ask for help you double your chances.
 For Jenneva and I, we decided to move back to Michigan last year to be close to family while we raise our daughter and pursue art careers. The lower cost of living (compared to California) coupled with a community of support in our personal lives provides an incredible amount of security, which in turn enables us to take the risks we need to take for our professional lives to thrive. The help you seek doesn't need to be in the actual making of your art to be impactful. As you grow your business it is important to ask yourself, "what is the most rewarding part of my daily job?". The answer may change over time, but preserving joy in your day to day seems pretty important to sustaining momentum. The parts of your practice that are not 'value-added' tasks are good to delegate to other people. For example, prepping clay and glaze, ordering supplies, firing kilns, making molds, slip casting, press molding or jiggering wares, sanding and washing work, employee training, inventory and defect tracking, packing and shipping, photographing work, exhibition proposals and grant writing, accounting and business management.
The biggest non-value adding task of art making is in Research and Development. There is the kind of R&D that address practical problems. For example, when a mine closes causing raw materials to become unavailable you are forced to eat the cost of coming up with an alternate solution. Then there is the generative, creative type of R&D, or put another way, play, experimentation and risk taking which is the heart and soul of a creative practice. It can be fun to develop new glazes or products, but you can't charge more money for the time spent coming up with those ideas. As an artist, in deciding what kind of R&D projects to delegate, it's important to identify which are the kind of rewarding, generative projects that yield growth and new ideas, and will keep you excited, and which just give you the same result you got before, only without the defect. Keep the former, delegate the latter. I've mentioned help for hire, but if you are in a position where you can't pay people, then look for the help that is free, and is not your spouse or children. (They are already supporting you, usually both practically and emotionally.) See what you have to offer, and think outside the box-- it may be your expertise, your ability to make yummy baked goods, or access to your kiln and tools. If you start by offering, people will often respond by giving. It may be hard to take time and/or pay money to train an assistant who can't do the work as good or as fast as you can, but it is still worth investing in because you can't be in two places at the same time. When you are ready to accept help in the studio, take the time to create a training manual, because assistants will come and go. A good assistant will add or improve on your process and with a process manual on hand, there will be a place for them to make notes and pass their expertise on to the next person. So how do you acquire the knowledge you need to succeed? You didn't learn it in school, and you don't know what you don't know. Whenever I identify a need I will start by asking my community for referrals. What I want is to find people with experience in the specific skills and knowledge I am lacking. This year Jenneva and I made an investment in working with Molly Hennighausen ([email protected]), an arts focused business consultant. Our goal in working with them was to get help with creating big picture business structure, while also addressing our personal finance goals. We needed a third party to give us homework, hold us accountable, train us on website SEO, and identify improvements in marketing we could make to increase sales and build community. Finding the right person to ask for help can be tricky, because usually we look to our family and friends for affirmation, conflating that with experience and guidance. To help you succeed, look for mentors who are modelling the life you want to lead, not just the achievements you want to have. These skills don't need to all come from the same person, just find the right mentors for the right skills. To summarize, when you ask for help you will have a greater capacity for learning, playing and seeing the big picture of how to adapt and grow. You spend your life like you spend your days, and you won't always have the energy or body of a 20 year old, so take care and play for the long game. Being an artist is pretty cool!
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