Want to make art or photography your career? 3 things NOT to do!
When I decided I wanted to make art my career, one of the first things I did was read as much as I could about how to sell art. I Googled "selling art" "selling art online" "how to sell art" "tips for selling art" etc... and read literally hundreds of articles. This article is a little different - this is about things NOT to do if you want to make a career out of your art. Sometimes the things you don't do are as important as the things you do!
#1 - Don't take advice on how to sell art/photography from people who don't make their living selling art/photography
When you make it known that you're making your art available for sale, there's always a friend, relative, acquaintance, art fan or someone else who will give you well meaning advice. At first when you're new to selling art, it can be tempting to take it! After all, you're just starting out.
Most of the time it's going to be bad advice. Making a living from art is a combination of many things, and the most valuable asset an artist has is time. Don't waste your valuable time on bad advice, seek advice from an artist who makes their living from art. Better yet, from many artists who make their living from their art.
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#2 - Don't expect to sell art if you don't give your art/photographs prices.
What I'm trying to say is - give your art prices! After a person decides they like the art, the #2 most important piece of information they'll need to make a decision to purchase is the price. Don't make people ask you for a price, make it visible when you display your art for sale, online or in person.
There's a million reasons someone can be shy about asking you for a price. Maybe they're just shy in general. Maybe they think if there's no price, it's not for sale, or, already sold. Maybe they don't want to bother you by asking. Maybe at an event they think there's some price guide they're supposed to have and if they ask you, you'll think they're stupid for not having the guide that doesn't exist. Maybe at an event you're already busy talking with someone else when they walk by your table/booth.
Especially for first time art buyers, buying art can seem intimidating. Approaching an artist can seem intimidating. Your job is to make it as easy as possible for people to buy your art. Make prices visible.
#3 - Don't put your art/photography for sale in non art centered venues
Think cafes, restaurants, dentist's offices etc... This a super common piece of advice you'll get from people who don't make their living selling art. (see #1! lol) Unless there's a cafe that's also well established as an art gallery - stay away from putting your art in places like that. People go to cafes to have a $2 coffee, not to buy a $200 or $2000 painting. People go to get their teeth fixed at the dentist, not buy art. Businesses are places that should have budgets for decor and can write off art as business expenses - if they like your art enough to hang it on the wall, sell them some, don't give it to them for free!
Between online platforms geared towards selling art, local craft fairs and art shows, and social media, there's plenty of other ways to get your art in front of people who are already potentially interested in buying - or at least looking at - art. Remember time is a valuable asset, use it to focus on things that have a higher chance of working. Can you sell art at a cafe? Yes, maybe, if you're lucky. You can also find a $100 bill on the ground if you're lucky, but I wouldn't advise people to walk around downtown looking for $100 bills as a career. lol
Found this helpful? Now here's one thing TO do - resteem this post to help other artists and photographers in your network of friends & followers! -Adam
Visit https://www.NexusVisions.com/
Great points Adam.
I can only speak about making music here, but it is a skill every artists has to develop: to stand behind their art and not make excuses for it. And not give in to our conditioning when somebody tries to convince us that "it's just a picture, why is it so expensive?"
You get that a lot in Germany for anything artistic. Unless you have passed the snob threshold and it's "chique" to pay 6 figures for a blotch of color on a canvas. Then somehow it's "high class art" again to many people.^^
Your art is priceless anyways ;)
Lucky are the people who managed to get a hpold of your pictures before you became legendary, hehe
Why thank you! :) I find it weird how people so often jump into trying to help artists with advice. If you say you're a plumber no one gives you advice "Hey maybe you should go fix the leaky toilet at the local bar for free, then maybe you can put up your business card in the stalls for exposure". One person told me I should put my art on hot air balloons for exposure. Would it be cool? Yes. Practical? Not in the least bit lol The most important one I think is putting art in cafes etc...I see SOOO many artists doing that "But it's good exposure!" - No, it's not lol Good exposure leads to sales. Chances are at the cafe, even IF someone shows interest in a piece, the staff will probably botch things by not being able to answer any questions about it. They sell coffee and maybe pastries, not art...
Maybe it goes back to this odd conditioning of "art and music not being a real job" - and all that jazz. Boy will it be a rude awakening when they finally quit their job once they can't stand it anymore, and then seeing artists again on steemit after 20 years who they have given "great" advice to 20 years earlier. and who are living the life through their art and sticking to their own choices about it.
Kinda like cosmic justice or something. The real OCCUPATIONS that were important had always to do with creation in my view. It's high time the system allowed for a route for artists that has merit. God I hope Steemit is it.
Most of them won't quit their jobs ever, they'll have built a life by then that won't allow them to take risks like that... Mortgage, 2 cars, kids, etc... The illusion of security a salary provides. I say illusion because so many people I've known have lost great jobs due to mergers, downsizing, offshoring etc... They gave their all for a corporate entity that at the end, didn't give a shit about them. If anything, building your own thing is much more secure long term.
I completely agree Adam. Once again, I am so thrilled we are doing our thing here and building a network that will last.