Back in March I wrote a whole email series about simplifying the confusion that comes from selling art online. The idea was that so much has changed since early 2020 that a lot of artists have expressed to me that they’re not quite sure what to do now.
That confusion continues.
Last week I asked our readers to book some time to chat with me. About an hour after I sent out the email I had about 35 sessions booked between last Tuesday and this coming Friday. That’s 17.5 hours of talking to artists about what’s on their minds right now. This is often better than doing a survey because you get qualitative feedback and you can ask questions.
So far the artists I’ve spoken to have ranged from brand new beginner to experienced artists selling high price commissions. Here’s a few themes from those conversations:
Yes, we’re on the downside of an online sales bubble. Many artists told me that their sales boomed in 2020 – and then fell off in 2022. If this is you, you’re not alone. That’s true across online sales in general. I know many online business owners, and the broad consensus is that many of the people who started buying things online when the pandemic hit have now reverted back to buying offline. We’re also entering a recession, so spending is trending downward as well. There’s ways to navigate through this period, so don’t freak out, but it is indeed a thing. Many artists who started selling during the 2007-08 recession figured out how to muddle through, either by pivoting to different kinds of sales or by supplementing with day jobs.
Clarify your vision – and start with why. Several artists told me they wanted to “get my art out there.” When I ask them what that means, they talk generally about more people seeing their art and buying more art supplies. “Get my art out there” is a key phrase I listen for that tells me artists haven’t really turned professional yet – either from lack of knowledge or from inner resistance.
Here’s some straight talk: the artists who are selling their art regularly have much stronger reasons for selling. They don’t just want validation. They want their ideas to improve the world – or at least hold up a mirror, to use a cliche. They have a vision of how things can be better and they’re pursuing it vigorously. Some of them start out driven by hunger or a need to feed their kids, but the reality of running your own business means that people who aren’t strongly intrinsically motivated to make art art eventually find a different, often easier, way to support themselves. That’s true not only of artists, but of most people who start a business.
I can usually tell in the first 5 minutes of looking at an artist’s body of work whether the artist has that vision or not. Are they working in a series? Do they have a definite, personalized aesthetic?
The artists who show up win. Half of success is showing up when we say we’re going to and following through on what we say we’re going to do. Excellence can’t be achieved without learning to show up regularly. “When I feel like it” doesn’t work as a time to sell art on a professional level. That said, there are real challenges that prevent some of us from being able to show up in the way we’d like – chronic illness, PhD studies, taking care of children, and others. These obstacles don’t mean you can’t succeed – it might just take longer. I refer you to the 50/50 time rule of art business.
Artists should seek resources for selling their art. Of the artists I spoke to, very few had made a diligent effort to find ways to sell their art. As one artist mentioned, a BFA & MA together only gave her a single semester of professional practice training.
Side note: only academics, and artists with MFAs, call it “professional practice.” If you’re looking for practical advice on selling your art, look for terms like “how to sell art” or “how to get into a gallery” – you’ll get lots of practical advice that isn’t hidden behind jargon.
There are so many books, blog posts, and courses on how to sell art. Whether you take advantage of The Abundant Artist resources or others, it behooves you to educate yourself instead of guessing all the time. We all guess to some degree because that’s the nature of business, but the beginning steps are well documented by many coaches and artists.
I’m enjoying these interviews. It will take me longer to synthesize everything I’ve taken in so far, but I hope you enjoy these initial reactions.
Leave a Reply