Building a successful business is an art in itself

What is work?

I work on commissions and exhibit my paintings, two years after graduating I knew I had to take on a job so that I could move my artwork forward. I've been at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall for a year now - part-time and it's very flexible. I deal with customer seating and work for the PR and marketing department.

What was your first job?

When I was 19 I worked as a life model. It was very intimidating at first, but I thought it would help me overcome my inhibitions. I didn't stick it out for long though - you get cramp holding the one position for two hours at a time!

What is your greatest difficulty at work?

Keeping track of the business side of art. Obviously my training focused on the creative side of things, but you've got to do the accounts, organise exhibitions and try to get publicity. If you haven't had any training in that area, it's very difficult at first.

What do you excel at in work?

My strength is my painting. I always try to challenge myself by varying the materials I use and constantly changing the way I work. My front-of-house job has improved my customer service skills and given me confidence in dealing with galleries when I'm trying to get exhibitions.

How do you stay motivated?

When I'm painting it's not a problem at all - it's something I look forward to and I love doing it. You can get very involved if you're doing a painting by yourself in the studio, so it's good to go to the hall and talk to people and do something totally different.

Is goal-setting important?

Yes - I was quite determined to exhibit in London when I left art school and I managed to do that, so my next goal was to exhibit in Scotland. The exhibition at the concert hall is ideal - you get a different audience for your work every night.

Are you a workaholic?

I wouldn't say so, because I don't consider painting work. It's an ideal situation to be painting all day.

Do you perform well under pressure?

Having a lot of time is sometimes bad for a painter - you can spend too long playing around with your work. If you're under pressure you can come up with a much more vital work.

Do you have a secretary/PA?

No, but it would be nice to work with someone who really knew how to deal with the business side of art. I've been lucky though - art galleries which have exhibited my work and the concert hall staff have always helped me with my publicity.

Are you a good boss and employee?

I work on my own in the studio, and I haven't had any complaints from the concert hall yet!

Do you email and surf the net?

No, but it'll become essential for artists to display their work on the net in the future. People will be able to view exhibitions from the other side of the world.

What are your favourite clothes/working place?

At the moment my studio has no heating, so it's a woolly hat and scarf for painting! I share the centre with 80 other artists and we've just been awarded a lottery grant, so in two years' time we should have the best studio in Scotland.

What single change would you make to your working life?

I would like to be able to devote all my time to painting, and paint what I want. I don't want to look back in 10 years time and see paintings that I only did for money.

Have you ever been sacked?

No, not yet.

What would make you leave your job?

I could never stop painting, but I would like to be able to spend all my time researching and painting new works. Making more money would let me do that.

Do you think talent gets to the top in Scotland?

It used to be that you had to go to London or abroad to study art if you were from Scotland, but now there are so many more opportunities - the training and exhibiting spaces are improving all the time, so it's more equal now.

Steven Anderson's exhibition of holocaust and world war images is on display at the concert hall until October 30th

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