Hey artists, At the beginning of my business journey, I took many baby steps. Whenever I tried to speed things up, the Universe had other plans for me. Taking small incremental steps is the best strategy for a newbie and here is the reason why. Our Biggest Mistake (It is not about Art but it is Relevant) When Paul and I returned to Canada from the Caymans, Paul decided to sell his hand-crafted jewelry full time. Since we were newbies, we had no clue as to how we could do this. And here comes the Biggest Mistake that we have ever made in our business, we rented a kiosk in the mall, it was not only costly but it was also the wrong market! The two of us learned that very quickly as we watched our savings go down the drain, so we packed up the kiosk and started all over again. The next step we took was the right one, and it took us to where we are today. We decided to take our Baby Steps.
We joined the Arts in the Park program in Kelowna, B.C., we sold our hand-crafted jewelry every day in the park. The setup was outdoor, not idyllic, but it was inexpensive. The opportunity was priceless because we were able to test and refine our products. In the winter we had a list of Art/Craft markets to sell our product. All in the meantime, I continued to sell my art via gallery representation. Our Business began to Prosper. Four years after the program, Paul and I opened our first art gallery. By then, we had adequate business knowledge under our belt and had done our due diligence. Opening a gallery was a natural transition for us. Despite having a summer gallery we continued with our list of Art/Craft venues and our business began to prosper. Artists, to become a profitable and successful artist, you don’t have to take gigantic steps to get there. You can take your time, test your products, learn more about your target market and evolve. Your success depends on your art marketing effort to keep it sustainable, authentic, and profitable. Sometimes taking an art marketing course would greatly help. This is the Perfect Time for you to Dip your Toes in the Water. While you are still working in your 9-5 job, it is the perfect time for you to dip your toes into the water and test it out. You can test out your artwork on your website, but your online shop does not stand alone. You need Social Media, a blog or a healthy subscriber list to give it exposure, and that means you need to entertain and educate your audience consistently. Having an online shop is a must, but it needs a support system, either from the above mentioned or by meeting 1:1 with your audience via shows. Meeting your art patrons face to face is the most effective way to grow your online business. Interaction in person is 100 times more rewarding than social media. That's why doing art shows will help you boost your online shop exponentially, plus adding another revenue stream into your business. When you are just starting, you want to make sure that your side hustle sustains you. Keeping your expenses low and making the right decision is one of the many ways to keep your business profitable. Here are my reasons why I find participating in shows to be one of the best ways to get exposure without an exuberant overhead cost, and grow your business exponentially.
If you need help in your art business marketing, come and join Creating a Profitable Art Business FB Group, where you will learn strategic marketing plans on how to grow your art venture to the next level. With Creative Joy, Ting
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Ting YuenI am an artist and art marketing strategist that is passionate about creating meaningful art and courses that inspire your life, business and home. Archives
September 2024
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