Taking the Leap: Building a Career As a Visual Artist [Paperback]

Cay Lang (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998

Based on artist and teacher Cay Lang's popular seminars, TAKING THE LEAP teaches artists how to succeed in today's complex and competitive art world. Offering inside information on how to show at galleries, nonprofit spaces, and museums, as well as a host of nontraditional venues, this behind-the-scenes look at the art world reveals how decisions are made and what artists can expect and how they can create their own art scene on their own terms.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cay Lang is an internationally exhibiting fine-art photographer and teacher who began offering her "Taking the Leap" course in 1990. Today her classes are so popular she turns away five times as many students as she admits. She lives in Emeryville, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811818152
• ISBN-13: 978-0811818155
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,141,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It changed my life!, April 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Taking the Leap: Building a Career As a Visual Artist (Paperback)

Last year I went out and bought every book I could find on marketing my art. Some of them were pretty good but this book just shone! It was so clear and funny that I decided to try to do exactly what the author said. I've had two shows of my work already and four more lined up for next year. And it was fun!

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book for the Fine Artist, July 11, 2006

By 

Bert Krages (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taking the Leap: Building a Career as a Visual Artist (The Insider's Guide to Exhibiting and Selling Your Art) (Paperback)

This is an easy-to-follow guide on how to establish a serious career as a fine artist. The first edition released in 1998 was excellent and the second edition has been appropriately updated to reflect how the Internet has influenced the business of promoting an artist's work. A significant strength of this book is its description of the business practices followed in the fine art field. Understanding how galleries operate and select art is a critical aspect of establishing a career. It is also important to know the best way to establish an artist's credibility with respect to the marketing aspects. The author's tone is very respectful of artists and the creative process and her approach is to inform artists on how to best establish a presence for their work in contexts that enable an artist to maintain a living as a professional artist. Readers should be advised that the focus of the book is fine art. It does not discuss licensing practices for commercial art or how to set up and run a booth at crafts fairs. However, if you are interested in a career as a fine artist, this is a genuinely excellent book.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this book is a gem!, June 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Taking the Leap: Building a Career As a Visual Artist (Paperback)

Cay Lang uses practical terms and FACTS to teach people how to make their way as visual artists... The book has lists of things to do, the ways to do them and the encouragement to help you follow through. I find myself quoting this book all the time.
It was an easy read, not too technichal, inspirational and a great gift for people who are just a little bit nervous about taking the leap....
i have lent it to people who have promptly returned it to me so they could buy their own copy....