Are there any tips that will help me become a professional artist?

Ok, a lot of things you HAVE to do and others are options. First,,, you DON'T need to get a master degree or a graduate degree at all. It depends on what you're doing, i.e. curating or artist historian, then sure but making creating art, no, just a waste of time and money. Start learning. Start exploring. WHAT kind of art are you interested in? Are you gifted at all, like, I have been able to draw since I was small.

Then, start producing. Being involved in projects, read, get books, practice. But take courses, online, college, whatever and get the basics, the foundation and structure that you will need. Most importantly, IT WILL be super hard! No joke, nothing out there compares to being a professional artist. The difference between a casual artist and a pro, one gets paid and it's her, his life, truly. Art has to be full time, all the time, pushing your limits. Now, you could always go the route of commercial art, making certain items and graphics for money but that's an entirely different talk. Don't do stuff for free. Internships sure, since you have no experience but always see if there's a trade of sorts.

More practice, tutorials,etc. But really, you've to be prepared for a saturated market of people and what MAKES you unique? I have been making art for a longtime and getting paid but I've a lot of experience and put myself in certain situations to get the most out of it. Now, the internet has made things worse not better when it comes to getting work since you're now in direct competition with people all over that are super cheaper than you. Before, harder to connect with them so no direct competition for jobs. So, think about it all. I was born with a gift, I could always draw so I became an artist, animator because I wanted to and had the passion, drive and only thought, was to create art. Now, it's a struggle as usual but I push on, create, dive in, and make your world come to life. Good luck

Hi Eris!

You asked an interesting question.

Here are some good sites to visit:
http://study.com/becoming_an_artist.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Professional-Artist
http://learn.org/articles/Artist_How_to_Become_a_Professional_Artist_in_5_Steps.html

Best of luck. Keep me posted. I would like to follow your progress.

I would say build a professional portfolio, a resource to post it on is behance.com.