From movie stars to singers, everybody in the industry has their own agent. And the same goes for the art world, though we mostly call them gallerists. But apart from the few reading, who have managed to get signed by a respected gallery, what can the emerging artists among us do, to get ahead without the fear of signing some no-guarantee deal with Frank — the shady guy who tells you that he’ll make you the new “P’casso” for a mere couple hundred quid!?

A good agent or gallerist is also your buddy, but if you don’t have access to one why not turn it upside down and make your buddy your agent? While most of us might not have the luxury of having gallerists in our inner circle of friends, there’s a big chance we know someone who works as a marketeer or is attending business college.

Why not ask them over a beer or a glass of fancy wine (we are artists after all) if they’d be interested in working with you? It’s an excellent opportunity for them to hone their skills or put the theory they learned in school to the test in the real world. 

You can compensate their work by making free designs for them or giving them one of your artworks for free, and while they work their promotional and businessy magic, you can focus more on your work, rather than watching “How to grow your Instagram followers to 30.000 in a day” videos all night.