Contemporary Performance

Artist Development

Artist development is the ongoing work of building a sustainable creative practice and creating the conditions for your work to grow. Explore practical resources for artists on developing your practice, finding and tracking opportunities, writing artist statements, maintaining your CV and website, building visibility, organizing applications, and sustaining a long-term artistic life. Contemporary Performance's artist development resources support artists working across performance, dance, theatre, visual art, interdisciplinary practice, sound, media, and related fields. Start with What Is an Artist Practice Notebook? A Year of Weekly Creative Practice, strengthen your approach to writing an artist statement, explore how to set up a creative practice notebook, or browse current artist opportunities.

Artist Opportunities·Artist Development·Featured

What Is an Artist Practice Notebook? A Year of Weekly Creative Practice

Artist Practice Notebook is a year-long series of weekly essays and creative exercises that help visual artists, performers, writers, choreographers, musicians, and interdisciplinary artists build a sustainable creative practice.

August 2, 2026

Artist Development·Artist Opportunities·Featured

9 Things Artists Wish They Knew Starting Out

Artists share nine lessons about visibility, relationships, documentation, sustainability, and building a long-term creative practice.

June 5, 2026

URL Slug: 7-essential-artist-cv-tips-grants-residencies

Artist Development

5 Essential Artist CV Tips to Stop Missing Grants and Residencies

Discover 7 essential artist CV tips to stay ready for grants, residencies, teaching jobs, and open calls with an updated professional CV.

May 16, 2026

Artist Development·Featured

Never Miss An Opportunity Again: 3 Simple Systems For Tracking Artist Opportunities

If you keep hearing about grants, residencies, and festivals right after the deadline, it is because you are managing many responsibilities and do not have a system to capture and revisit opportunities. You don’t need a complicated app. You need one simple

April 7, 2026

Learn how to protect and replenish your creative energy using two frameworks: The Well of Creativity and the Power of Productive Boredom.

Artist Development·Featured

Creative Capacity: What Fills You, What Drains You, and Why Boredom Matters

Not all time is equal. As artists, we need to recognize what drains us, what restores us, and why boredom might be the missing piece in our creative capacity.

May 6, 2025

Featured·Artist Development

Set up a Creative Practice Notebook in 6 Steps

There’s no single way to keep a creative journal—but if you’re trying to sustain an artistic life across the cycles of making, pausing, researching, and recovering, having a dedicated space for your thinking is just as important as one for your doing.

May 3, 2025

Artist Development·Featured

5 Things to Consider When Running an Artist’s Email List

Developing and maintaining an active email list is a crucial strategy for keeping your audience informed about your latest projects, upcoming events, and other relevant updates. Regular communication helps build a loyal following and keeps people engaged with your work. Here’s how

May 27, 2024

Artist Development·Festival Calls

10 Secrets To Getting Your Work Noticed, Attended, Presented, and Toured.

In a world filled with the constant noise of social media, news, and competing media, making a genuine connection based on the values of your work and community can be challenging. To establish a strong foundation for your work, focus on effective

May 27, 2024

Artist Development·Featured

5 Steps to Building and Maintaining a Contemporary Performing Artist’s Social Media

In the fast-paced world of social media, it’s essential to build a platform that is centered on your work, fosters community and supports the broader field. Here are five secrets to achieving this:

May 26, 2024

Artist Opportunities·Artist Development

4 Steps to Writing a Successful Artist Statement

Learn how to write an artist statement that wins grants, residencies, and exhibitions using a proven structure, template, and real examples.

January 20, 2021

Artist Development·Artist Opportunities

8 Important Components to a Successful Artist Website – Artist Development Series: Creating/Reorganizing Your Artist/Company Website

Its the beginning of the year and what better time to sit down and think more intentionally about how we organize the hard part of our practice. BUSINESS/PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZING. Future Productivity Posts in the Series: Create/Reorganize Your Artist/Company Website, How to Make

January 7, 2021

Artist Development

What Is an Artist Practice Notebook? A Year of Weekly Creative Practice

9 Things Artists Wish They Knew Starting Out

5 Essential Artist CV Tips to Stop Missing Grants and Residencies

Never Miss An Opportunity Again: 3 Simple Systems For Tracking Artist Opportunities

Creative Capacity: What Fills You, What Drains You, and Why Boredom Matters

Set up a Creative Practice Notebook in 6 Steps

5 Things to Consider When Running an Artist’s Email List

10 Secrets To Getting Your Work Noticed, Attended, Presented, and Toured.

5 Steps to Building and Maintaining a Contemporary Performing Artist’s Social Media

4 Steps to Writing a Successful Artist Statement

8 Important Components to a Successful Artist Website – Artist Development Series: Creating/Reorganizing Your Artist/Company Website

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