Who is a sculptor? A sculptor is a person, or rather a visual artist, who shapes various mediums such as wood, stone, soap and even ice among many others into various shapes and imitations. These professionals are usually hired to make statues or images that resemble people and objects for commemoration purposes or simply to make a place or venue more attractive for a given event. It is worth pointing out that the demand for sculptors has dropped significantly since the eighteenth century where sculpting was viewed as a very lucrative profession. Because of this, today, a significant number of people who venture into the sculpting profession only do it part-time. It is also worth pointing out that a good number of plastic surgeons are taking up sculpting classes to help them become better at their profession as this helps them increase their precision when they’re shaping a human body part on the operating table.
We’ve taken a brief look at what sculpting is all about and what sculptors do.
Now let us focus on what it takes to become a professional sculptor. With sculpting, no degrees or certificates are required. The only skill required in this profession is precision and the ability to duplicate an image, object or person on marble, clay, ice, wood, stone or any other medium that is requested. Please note that while sculpting can be taught and learnt it is best if it is left to the naturally gifted and talented individuals to pursue.
That said; the first step in becoming a professional sculptor is determining the specific type of medium that you want to specialize in. For instance, you can choose to become an ice sculptor and then decide to branch out and start using the other mediums such as marble and clay as your skills grow.
The next step, assuming you’re not a naturally gifted individual, is to attend a sculpting course.
Sculpting courses are usually hands – on practical courses. As mentioned, the profession is mainly taken up part-time so it is likely that the courses you find will mostly be held on the weekends. To help you out you can always choose to rent or buy art and sculpting DVDs produced by professional artists and sculptors. You can also choose to employ a sculpting tutor to help you become better at shaping and imitating objects and people on mediums.
Once you’re through with the above steps the next step is to look for employment. It is important to note that while having a certificate or degree will help you in your search, your portfolio is your strongest asset. Keep in mind that the job searching process can be tedious and there is always the possibility that you can go for weeks without receiving a client. If you’re a sculptor who’s having trouble landing clients then you should consider using appointment scheduling software. Commonly referred to as online booking systems, these are systems that can be used by sculptors and other professionals to help them attract new clients and also manage their existing clients effectively. They do this by exposing the sculptor to the large online audience of potential employers and by helping them save time and increase their productivity.
For more clarity let’s examine one example. Assuming a given sculptor wants to attract more clients he simply needs to integrate online booking systems with proper scheduling software into his official website. The sculptor can then promote his website to the online audience and attract potential clients. Once the clients land on the website they can learn more about the sculptor and what he specializes in. To communicate with the sculptor, the potential clients will be required, by the online appointment scheduling systems, to verify their identities to ensure they are not spammers. In special instances, they may be asked to deposit a small amount to prove they are serious clients. This of course depends on the scheduling software used. Once their requests have been approved, the sculptor can then receive them by email. This is more convenient than answering phone calls which causes one to lose focus on what they were doing.
Also, by using client scheduling software, the sculptor will be presenting himself as a highly qualified candidate and as a serious professional. This creates a very positive impression with the potential clients who feel safe letting you handle their projects.
