Should I advertise my artistic services?

[fhotoace]

No business plan will survive without a marketing plan (advertising)

Most of us have a website and literally make cold calls on prospective buyers of our services. There are local "art shows", but they will never really provide you with the income necessary to support a business, let alone a family

You need to nail down your cost of doing business before you can even start to attach prices for your work and services.

Here is what photographers use to determine what it costs to run a business and how much they have to make on a day to day basis to stay in business and provide for their families.

https://nppa.org/calculator

Some of the items listed do not apply to you, but most do.

After you determine what it costs you do be in business, you will have a much better idea of what you have to do. This will include what you consider "cheating" promoting your by advertising and promoting your business.

It may be helpful to talk to some successful artists working in the advertising industry and see what they have done to promote themselves to the point that they are working steadily for advertising agencies.