Is there such a thing as the perfect job? We all have a different idea of what is perfect and what suits us, however, one thing is for sure and many people will agree that working as an art dealer is a great opportunity, even if you are not that much into art. Look at it like not just an opportunity to dive into the world of art, which is a special and unique experience by itself, but also an opportunity to constantly be surrounded by creativity and meeting inspirational people, explore new, exciting and interesting ideas, travelling and being paid for doing so on top of that. Well, working as an art dealer is definitely a dream job for many. However, becoming a really good, reputable, and renowned art dealer is definitely a challenging journey, especially considering the specifics of this kind of job. Being a good art dealer can take a lot of time and besides your inner enthusiasm, passion, and talent, it will also require you to develop a specific set of skills of recognizing the value of art. So if you are passionate about becoming a good and reputable art dealer, here are a few tips that will help you along the way.
Just like any other job, especially a creative one but also very aspirational and serious one as being an art dealer, working the job just for the money and not being really passionate in it and having the desire to constantly develop and improve will definitely lead to no good. Just in case money is your main and only goal, just don’t do it, you will be better at trying something else you are truly passionate about. You can become a good art dealer on paper, but without the enthusiasm and passion, you will never become truly good. This is the reality check and the truth is that without the money, you will find yourself locked in this feeling of disappointment and boredom without the opportunity to emerge. Everyone can become a good art dealer, you don’t need a fancy education for that and even previous experience is not a big necessity. However, without passion and enthusiasm, you don’t have the chance to withstand this competitive environment. An art dealer without a strong vision and business acumen will have a hard time and little chance for success.
Naturally, if you are passionate about being an art dealer, you will strive to keep up with everything new and exciting happening in this realm. So a good art dealer will be the one who constantly learns everything about art. In order to work as an art dealer, you would like to follow the market without any confusion and in order to do so, you will need to use everything you have learned about art through a degree, through books, and even though the internet. In addition, don’t let your energy and enthusiasm get unfocused. A good art dealer is the one who focuses on a niche, on only one art segment, because this allows them to stay focused and very wells-specialised in one particular aspect, managing to keep up with everything in this segment. Only this will help you fully commit and devote yourself and be extra good at this very particular thing you are doing.
As long as you know you are doing the thing you truly love, allow yourself the time to grow and become a professional at what you do. Indeed, a career in the art world can be very discouraging at times, especially if you are just starting. It will definitely take a lot of time, courage, and sleepless nights to become the great art dealer you want to be. But it will eventually happen as long as you are patient and you don’t allow anything to distract you from the right direction.