Lisa Congdon

Would you grow up, please? Or, failing that, maybe grow down?

This impressive title fails to make it clear that this is so heavily illustrated that it almost qualifies as a picture book. Take the page on iridium (atomic number 77). The description consists of three sentences , three basic facts (Category, Year discovered, and Discovered by), and one Fun fact. In large type, they occupy less than half the page. (Admittedly the page size is large.) The rest of the page is a drawing of a show more tyrannosaurus. Why a tyrannosaurus? Because there was iridium in the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs.

Does the entry tell you that iridium is a platinum-group metal? Does it describe its relative chemical non-reactivity? Does it tell you where to find it (other than meteoroids, which are not a useful source)? No.

This emphasis on largely irrelevant images, and absence of useful text, is found almost everywhere. So: This is not a book for adults. If you want such a book, John Emsley's Nature's Building Blocks would be a much better choice. (I also find it vastly more interesting.) The only purpose of this book, I think, is to get children interested in the periodic table. Will it work? I truly don't know. But even for children, it seems to me the amount of illustration produces a mis-match with the level of the content. The illustrations aren't interesting enough or detailed enough, and the fun facts aren't fun enough. But I don't know. So I'm not going to try to give the book a star rating, because I just don't know what will appeal to "normal" children (a description that, I assure you, never described me -- as you can probably guess from the fact that I buy encyclopedias of the elements!). But I would certainly say you should know what you're getting into before investing in this book. show less

As an independent writer, I've read a myriad of freelance books geared toward writing. I've also read many guides for the photography business. However, this is the first book I've delved into to learn the traditional art market--the modern one.

Lisa Congdon covered all the basics: the pep talk to assure the reader that they are an artist, how to set up their business, promotions, selling, exhibitions and galleries, illustrations and licensing, and managing work flow. Perhaps most show more importantly, every chapter includes one or two interviews with artists from various specialties, gallery owners, and agents.

I never felt like I was reading a heavy book. The layout follows visual-friendly rules like extra white space, relevant but non-technical illustrations, and changes in fonts and colors. The combinations kept my focus and made the book's place flow freely despite being text dominant, whereas many books on freelance writing and photography can be heavily detailed without a layout that allows for quick referencing.

Ultimately, it seems that creative businesses are best conducted intelligently and intuitively--don't over think. Stick to your personal brand (your personality and preferred style), be active on social media and your blog (a popular means of gallery recruitment and regular sales), price fairly, and do what you do best. show less

I enjoyed reading this book. It was quick and easy and happy. However, I had to knock off points because there is an extreme lack of diversity. Almost everyone was white and there was not one person with a disability. Also, the focus was centered on careers, except for one story about hair dye and maybe one about love or kids or something. There is a lot more to life than work, whether you love your work or not.

nonfiction (2018). If you're serious about learning the business side of being a successful artist, this is worth checking out. It might not include everything you want to know, but it'll give you a good sense of the steps you might need to take, and which things you'll want to learn more about. Includes brief interviews with people representing various roles in the art industry.