I’ve often had discussions with people about the difficulty of having a creative career, be it in art, writing or design. There is the belief that no matter what you do, you will be waiting tables and struggling. There is the theory that the cream rises to the top and only if you truly have talent you will succeed. There is also the less spoken of theory that you will likely advance if you treat creative pursuits in the same manner you would treat any other career- with education, diligence, research and networking. Heather Darcy Bhandari (a curator) and Jonathan Melber (an art lawyer) teamed up to write ART/WORK Everything You Need To Know (And Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career a manual for young artists with step by step instructions of how to actually make a living selling art. The instructions aren’t necessarily easy, the jist is definitely that this is still a tough career and a lot of work goes into it outside of your actual art. The book has interviews from nearly a hundred gallerists, curators, accountants, lawyers, framers, printers and artists covering topics from paying your taxes to consignment, residencies and grants. Highlights include a section on how to properly pack art for shipping and invoice, inventory and contract templates. Now if only they made a book like that for writers…