Taking the Leap: Building a Career As a Visual Artist

Rating:
Summary: This is best book I've found on career building.
Review: A step by step manual of helpful information on every aspect on being a professional artist. Cay made it easy for me to approach galleries and I now have three exhibitions lined up for the year 2000. I'd recommend it for artists of all levels.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiration!
Review: After being in a creative slump for about a year this is the book that inspired me to pick up my brushes again! I had these horrible thoughts of how difficult it would be to even attempt to make it as an artist but "Taking the Leap" eased my mind. It takes you step by step through everything you need to know and what you need to have ready to start your career. I learned how to properly photograph my art (I can't afford a photographer!) and how to set up my portfolio. There are also inspiring quotes from artists or pertaining to art to help get you through. I credit this book for getting me back out there!

Rating:
Summary: In the beginning
Review: Building a career as a visual artist can be a long tedious journey. This book gave encouragement and good advise. There are plenty of example forms for introducing, consigning, and selling art. The majority of the book focusses on a gallery setting and is a bit outdated for information on internet possibilities. I found the most helpful sections to be those dealing with what questions an artist should be asking and the appendix.

Rating:
Summary: An awesome book when you're ready to leap!
Review: Cay Lang is a working visual artist, whose works have been shown internationally, and an accomplished teacher. The book is based on an actual 6-month long class she designed for other students ready to leap.

From the preface: "As my art career unfolded, from showing in nonprofit spaces, to national gallery representation and publication in books and magazines, and eventually to being seen in international museums and galleries, I picked up more pieces of the puzzle. By 1990, I had been teaching photography to university students for some time, and every new batch of students would ask me, 'How can we get our work seen and sold?' The answer was too complex for a ten-minute conversation, or even a semester's length class, so I started the Taking the Leap program, condensing ten years of information picked up in the trenches into an intense six-month practicum."

"The class was designed to be effective. I didn't want to create yet another situation where students dutifully attended a class, took great notes, and then filed them away somewhere for future use. I wanted things actually to happen for the students in a measurable way. I wanted them to experience the thrill of metamorphosis from art student to professional artist within the time line of the class itself, and I wanted to be there to hear them come bouncing in to announce that they just sold their first piece, or got their first show, or won an award. I decided that the class should meet weekly for no less than six months, limited the enrollment to twelve, and interviewed the students ahead of time to determine whether or not they were ready to market their work. The class turned out to be amazingly affirmative, with a high percentage of the artists going on to international art careers."

"This book is designed to recreate as closely as possible the experience of the class."

Are you ready to take the leap?

Rating:
Summary: this book is a gem!
Review: 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....

Rating:
Summary: Clear, concise, practical, inspirational!
Review: Cay Lang's book demystifies the process of entering the art world. Its clear and concise explanation of the steps to becoming an exhibiting artist is not only practical but also inspirational.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring book - we as artists can make it!
Review: Cay Lang's writing style is wonderfully witty - such a joy reading this book. I loved the quotes interspersed throughout the book, food for thought. It is very informative book, following her instruction can make anyone succeed in creating art and showing it. Her words are always so encouraging, even when I felt the least creative, this book got my art making moving. And then came the creativity. It is mostly practice and hard work, we all can do it!

Rating:
Summary: In the beginning
Review: I've read several books on simliar topic's, and Lang's book is the most forward and down to earth. Although she doesn't go into the intricacies of copyright and other legal indemnities, Lang is quite a motivational and communicative writer. It's very good for getting started. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I've read several books on simliar topic's, and Lang's book is the most forward and down to earth. Although she doesn't go into the intricacies of copyright and other legal indemnities, Lang is quite a motivational and communicative writer. It's very good for getting started. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: It changed my life!
Review: 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!