What Is It Like to Be an Artist?

Hi, this is Punny. If you're currently deciding whether to pursue an artistic career or go into law, economics, or another field, I’ll give you a real look at what being an artist is actually like—without any rose-colored glasses. I'll reveal the challenges you’ll face.

So, what will you encounter from university to real work? Let’s go!

A Sense of Beauty from Childhood

The attraction to pencils and paper on the table, then to a phone with pictures, and later to a drawing tablet often begins in childhood—especially when a busy mother hands her child a phone to keep them engaged.

A child watches illustrations, cartoons, and develops a warm affection for visual storytelling. Later, a father might give a VR headset as a birthday gift.

Games and art help people unwind, relax, and learn in an engaging way. They are an essential part of our lives.

Where Is Art Needed?

If you're considering becoming an artist, illustrator, or designer, you may face skepticism from loved ones who say it’s not a serious career, that you can’t make money from it, or that you don’t have talent—after all, it takes at least 10 years to develop top-tier artistic skills.

This is partially true. Most artists struggle to monetize their work due to extreme competition and a lack of large-scale interaction in the art industry (except for gaming, which mostly keeps people indoors). Additionally, only 2 billion out of 9 billion people worldwide make private online purchases, according to Amazon statistics. That’s why I run this website—to help artists!

However, art is essential in numerous industries:
- Architecture – working with materials, buildings, and urban spaces.
- Product & Print Design – creating packaging, books, posters, and marketing materials.
- Website & UI/UX Design – building websites, e-commerce stores, and app interfaces.
- Game Art & Design – crafting visuals and structures for games.
- Animation – making cartoons, storyboards, game animations, and even working in robotics.
- Illustration – working with books, educational materials, and YouTube channels.
- Traditional Art – creating paintings and fine art.

Why Is Art Hard to Monetize?

Even though the art industry has many career paths, competition is fierce. As I mentioned earlier, the consumer market for art isn’t huge, while the number of game studios and media products has skyrocketed.

What does poor monetization mean? It means people ignore your art products, and social media algorithms don’t promote them.

Companies like Meta and X (Twitter) have research centers studying consumer psychology. They found that people primarily engage with three types of content:

Sex
Horror
Animals

That’s why celebrities dominate discussions, horror stories go viral, and a cute pig owned by a Japanese influencer can get 50,000 followers—while your art remains unnoticed.

Social media algorithms rarely show artistic content unless you pay for ads. Professional artists spend at least $300 on advertising—something only financially stable individuals can afford. If you’re a beginner without funds, you might get fake followers for $15, but that won’t lead to sales.

People Don’t See Art as an Everyday Necessity

Even though people consume art daily—through games, books, websites, street installations, shopping malls, and advertising—it’s not just about "a cute girl drawing pictures." These projects involve teams, investments, screenwriters, marketing strategies, and advertising budgets.

Just getting commissions or selling characters? That depends on luck and won’t provide steady income.

Getting a job at an art company? Be prepared to compete with 100–300 candidates for a single position.

Strategies That Will Help You

Expect to be ignored.
Expect to feel frustrated when another artist gets attention while you don’t.
Algorithms won’t promote indie illustrations or personal projects for free—you need investments and social connections.

I deliberately didn’t buy fake followers to demonstrate how little people engage with art content organically. To stand out, you need a clear style, product, and message that resonates with an audience.

Drawing only for yourself means being ignored. Drawing for an audience increases your chances of being noticed.

What Is It Like to Be an Artist?

An artist is a salesperson of their own art. They produce and sell their work. If you imagine an artist as a sweet girl painting in a flower-filled studio—sure, but someone has to pay her rent. More often than not, she works in retail and paints in her free time.

Purely aesthetic visuals aren’t in demand—art as a product is.

An art university will give you credibility in the job market, making it a worthwhile investment.