Articles

It Takes a Guild

Most artists today are self-employed, which is another way of saying that they operate as independent businesses.

It's tough being an artist/business. You quickly find that you need a basic understanding of:

• copyright law
• contract law
• local business regulations
• environmental and safety codes
• business accounting and tax regulations
• marketing and sales
• negotiating skills
• website design and management

And somewhere you need to find time to create your art!

It wasn't always this way... there are other "business models" for working as an artist.

In Medieval times, most artists, artisans and crafters were members of Guilds. The guilds provided many services, including:

• training and apprenticeships
• certification and credentials
• standard business practices, terms, and contracts
• standard pricing
• places for prospective clients to meet with artists

Larger guilds in major cities even provided benefits such as medical insurance (artists paid into a fund that was used to provide care if a member became ill) and banking services.

Of course, medieval guilds had the advantage of being monopolies. An artist was required to be a member, and pay dues, in order to work, and contracts with clients needed to comply with the guild's rules and terms. In a sense, medieval guilds operated much like modern labor unions or professional assocations.

Today, many artists join art group, associations, or clubs, but these modern organizations don't provide the benefits of medieval guilds. In fact, modern art groups usually provide little or no help in areas like law and finance, where the artist is likely to need the most help.

Still, there is potential for artists to work together, in groups, to share the burdens of operating as "independent businesses."

If you are a member of an art guild or group that you believe offers unique or exceptional services to its members, w'd love to hear about it! Please e-mail artchain@artchain.com

We'll soon be adding a "featured guilds" section to the ArtChain.com website, and we're looking for idea of what constitutes a great art group in today's world.

If you can't find a local art group, read ArtChain's advice on Starting an Art Guild.