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Things that actually move a career

• Grant writing

  The single highest-value skill in this field. A funded artist gets studio time, materials and a line on the record.

• Fabrication skills

  Welding, casting, digital fabrication. Large public commissions go to artists who can deliver at scale.

• Residencies

  Paid or subsidised studio time, often with an exhibition at the end. Banff Centre is the best known in Canada.

• A Master of Fine Arts

  Not required to sell work, but usually required to teach studio courses at a university.

• Documentation

  Professional photographs of your work. Juries see the photograph, never the painting.