“I’d rather be in the studio,” says every artist ever.
From time to time, artists that I work with tell me that they don’t want to do X, Y, or Z to grow their business because it takes too much time. They want to know the fastest way to grow their business. The simple truth is that it takes time. Not everyone hits six figures in their first year, especially if they’re not doing it right. We do stuff, make mistakes, learn, then do more stuff. It’s like making art – you grow from your mistakes.
So many of these artists pull up short when I tell them this.
“Most of the financially successful artists I know spend about 50% of their time working on their business, and the other 50% making their art.”
Did you just feel a tight knot in your stomach? Would you rather gnaw on a piece of wood than spend that much time marketing yourself?
You may not be ready to be a professional artist then. You might still be an amateur. That’s okay – there’s nothing wrong with that.
Did that get you excited? Do you now feel like you at least have some guidance on what to do with your time? In that case, let’s talk about 2014.
What to Focus on in 2014?
My prediction: 2014 is the year that artists start selling online for real. When I started TAA back in 2009, there were perhaps a couple dozen artists who regularly sold work online. Now there are a couple hundred. The people with the money are in the game now.
You’ll need to do better with your website. Ecommerce will become more and more common as artists begin to understand that’s how things are actually sold online.
The biggest emphasis, however, is that artists are going to need to focus on standing out from the crowd. You only need a hundred true fans to make a living, but you do need to attract those hundred true fans. In order to do that, you’ll need to get out of your shell and start giving people a way in to your art.
Last year, when I started the Content Marketing for Artists course, I realized that a lot of artists still don’t have basic skills like writing about their art, and they don’t know how to communicate the ideas behind their art that are key to helping people connect with your art on an emotional basis.
To that end, I decided that this year my blogging and teaching is going to center around helping artists get clear on the principles of good marketing – finding your target collectors and reaching them on an emotional level. Sure, there will be lots of information on email marketing, social media and blogging, but with a focus on solid principles underneath them.
Free Webinar on Content Marketing
Join us for a free live webinar on Monday, January 13 at 1:30 PM Pacific/4:30 Eastern. In that webinar, we are going to talk about:
- What content marketing is, and it’s history (illustrated with stories about GI Joes and Jello)
- Why journaling through your artistic process is important to good art marketing
- How to give people a “way in” to your art without having to get too personal or too academic
- Converting excitement to sales
Hi Cory!
So many blogs talk about artists who would rather be in the studio, and I have to admit that I’m one of the strange artists who enjoys the online marketing, blog writing, etc. just as much as I do creating my art. Sharing my process and getting feedback can be great fun! I like that you’ve quantified it to 50% – that about matches my own estimates of how I’ve been spending my time the last few months. I’m looking forward to more posts from you about this aspect of building an online art business.
One of the enjoyable parts that I’ve found about posting my in progress pictures is the feedback I get. I’ll even ask for it – things like “I’m debating on the background color”, or ” What do you think about including more details in this section”. Engaging your audience in the process gives them a reason to connect with you and the work, or as you say, “gives them a ‘way in’ to your art.”