I'm looking at you - yes you, the artist who wants to 5x their income, start charging their worth, get into more galleries and finally start living the life they’ve been dreaming of.

I know it sounds too good to be true but hear me out. I used to charge £40 for my 40cm limited edition Lino prints, now I charge a minimum of £270. So what changed?

There were a number of things - artists and collectors told me I was charging too little, I wanted to sell through galleries but I was going to be losing money and (and this is the biggest thing) I started to value what I was doing and take myself seriously as an artist.

When you want to create a sustainable art business rather than a hobby that pays for itself, you have to think seriously about the numbers. It’s no good plucking a number out of the air or simply charging what someone else does. That’s not going to ensure you cover your costs and make a decent profit. Do you think that’s what the likes of Frida Kahlo or Georgia O’Keefe would do? Hell no!

Being an artist is a ‘real job’. It can pay you a comfortable income but you have to be strategic.

Are you an artist who’s also a parent and worrying about how you’ll keep the business ticking over the holidays?

Here are some tips to help keep your business going without feeling like you’re missing out on time with your kids or like you’re going to drop all the plates.

1. Plan ahead! When can you work? What are your priorities?

2. Be kind to yourself - plan in little pockets of relaxation, ask for help and be prepared to let some things go. The business is there to support your chosen lifestyle.

3. Be realistic - what can you actually manage? If time is not available then posting daily to socials and running workshops is not going to work.

4. Recycle - got reels and carousels that have done well before? Repost them with new captions. Chances are, a lot of your audience didn’t see them anyway.

5. Cheat - use apps like CapCut to create quick reels