24 ways to monetize your artistic talent

Many artists dream of turning their passion into a profitable business and leaving their day job, but they often need help knowing where to begin and how to make it happen. If this sounds like you, rest assured that you are not alone.

Although the art business is complex but it also offers many options for monetizing your talent. 

After over 20 years as an artist, I know having an artistic talent is a gift because it is a reliable lifetime money-producing asset.

You can earn money from your creative skills in many ways, unlike other vocations where the skill can be marginal or streamlined to a specific target. 

By combining your talent with effective marketing techniques, you can continue making money from your art for as long as you desire. 

Once you start your creative business, you will be addicted instantly because it's inspiring, and you are calling the shots! Which means you can design your life the way you want it. 

Let's talk about the options of what your talent can do for you. I have come up with 24 ways to make money from your art. Because of the many options available to you, pick at least two to diversify your revenue streams so that you can create a steady flow of income consistently. 

The essential thing is to allow yourself to expand your capabilities, diversify and grow continuously.  

Here are 24 Ways to Monetize your Artistic Talent.

1. Create a Sellable Art Collection: Here is the given, curate stellar original artwork to sell. There are two options; you can either be a self or gallery-representation artist.

If you choose to be a self-representation artist, selling through art events and co-op galleries is a good choice.
 
But if you dislike business dealings such as sales and marketing, then gallery representation may be best for you. You can apply for galleries and work with gallerists and curators, which will eliminate daily business operations for you. Check out my blog on the Pros and Cons of Gallery Versus Self Representation.

2. Commission work: This is perfect for artists who enjoy working under customers' inquiries; it can be a lucrative income. Some artists make excellent steady revenue streams by accepting commission work.

This option is perfect for artists who enjoy the challenge and can work well under customers' direction and timeline. 

Artists that paint landscapes, people, and pet portraits do well in this field. If you are considering commission as part of your business repertoire, read this article, which will share with you the commission rights, how to price commissions, and what kind of contract to get started. 
 
3. Teach Workshops and Share your Skills: You can share your art skills by teaching seminars in community and art centers. 

Teaching art is not only enjoyable, but it is also a great way to introduce your craft, network, and grow your business. When you teach face-to-face workshops, interacting with your students is an experience. 

You can also offer your private classes to students interested in getting that one-on-one attention. For the private classes, you can charge more. 

4. Licensing Art: If your art has a commercial appeal licensing your art is an option. 
Licensing your art is permitting gift companies to use your design in a specific application for a specific time. These applications include prints, wrapping paper, fabrics, gift items, etc.

And most licensing artists make a royalty fee of approximately 10% of the net sales of the product.

5. Art Reproductions: I create a lucrative business selling prints. With digital printing made available for all artists, the era of screen printing and lithography printing is almost obsolete. 

Digital printing offers you an array of quality for every budget. You can purchase a commercial printer to print your art or work with your local printer. 

Selling prints is somewhat passive, creating a work "smarter, not harder" philosophy. Since it is not labor-intensive, adding reproductions to your repertoire is a great addition.

When the original painting you laboriously worked on gets sold, you still profit from that image for years by selling reproductions. (I cover this topic intensively in my course)
 
6. Paint-and-Sip Parties: Paint-and-sip parties have become a popular trend due to their accessible nature, catering to people of all skill levels and backgrounds.

These events are enjoyable, sociable, and interactive. Incorporating paint-and-sip parties as an additional revenue stream can help keep your business thriving and profitable.

7. Selling Art Online: To gain more visibility online, create a website for your art and brand yourself. If you don't have a website yet, click here to start one.

In addition to selling through your online shop, you can also sell your work on other online art marketplaces for additional exposure. 

And to get more eyes on your art, create social media channels to promote your work and attract more attention to your talent.

8. Collaborate with other art business owners through affiliate sales: This option is for artists that have established online courses. You can collaborate with other  course creators. Together you can cross-promote each other's business and earn commissions.

9. Create a YouTube channel and monetize it: Open a YouTube channel and share your art skills and monetize it. If you have 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours, you can apply for YouTube partner programs that allow an artist to monetize their channel via advertisement, subscriptions, and channel membership.

10. Create and Sell Online Art Courses: Teaching workshops online lets you reach more people without leaving your studio. 

Online courses take longer to plan out and produce, but once your online system is automated, it is relatively passive, and you have an asset that will last you many years. 

11. Art Business Coaching: Once you have established yourself as a full-time artist and have a marketing system that has produced results, you can coach other artists on your business strategies. 

You can offer digital courses or in-person workshops to create an art coaching business. But if you prefer a more personal touch, one-on-one or group coaching may suit you better. 

12. Mentorship Membership: Once you have established yourself as an art business coach, and have gotten results for yourself and other artists, you can open a mentorship membership to help emerging artists build their businesses with your expertise.

You can support these artists by providing them with business training and frequent Q&A.

13. Art Membership: You can also create a membership group to teach artists how to paint XYZ. You can monetize it by giving artists support through a FB Group with monthly lessons. 

14. Open an Art Gallery: If you have the resources, opening your own art gallery can be quite lucrative, given that you have the necessary marketing and sales skills.

I have personally run my own gallery for over 13 years now and have found it to be a great source of income. However, it does require the right mindset, discipline, and time management skills.

Consistently promoting your work in a dedicated space can greatly increase your sales and allow you to sell more art than you can produce. I won't sugarcoat it - running an art gallery is hard work, but it is also creative and rewarding. To find out more click here.

15. Sell Art via Public Venues: Don't just display your art for sale at art shows and galleries. You can also showcase and sell your art in private and public places. Nowadays, you can find art installations and displays in public places such as cafes, airports, libraries, etc.

When your art is sold at the venues mentioned, you earn a commission and the rate varies according to each establishment.

16. Be an Art Blogger: If you create fantastic blog content and have established significant readership, you can monetize your art blog by affiliate marketing which means you can sell ad space, and when a product is sold through your blog you earn a commission from the brand. And the other way to monetize your blog is by making it into a paid membership site.

17. Art Rentals: Enter the world of art staging. Some artists work alone or with intermediaries that specialize in leasing artwork that fits a client’s desires. This could be for giant corporations, real estate companies, the film industry, or events and functions. 

Basically, interested clients rent art to stage their businesses to create an ambiance, or impress their customers.
 
Art leasing is a contract between the artist and the renter. You can do this independently or with galleries that lease art.

18. Create a Commercial Line: If you live in a tourist town or city, you can use your artistic ability to produce a series of works specifically for tourists. With this special edition of products, you can sell your commercial line yourself or through visitor centers, souvenir retailers, and museums.
 
When I lived in the Rockies, I created a line of tourist souvenirs such as T-shirts, mugs, tote bags, magnets, and prints which I sold through my gallery.

And I sold the entire line to the museum when I left the Rockies. 

19. Wholesaling your Products: You can sell your work through other retailers via wholesale. With wholesaling your work, you have to ensure that you get your product created for a great price and quality, ensuring that you can set attractive prices for your retailers and still profit. To learn more about this, click here.

20. Subscription Boxes: If you want to start a subscription business, this is what it’s all about. Subscription boxes contain your products, such as art cards, magnets, small prints, etc. 

These boxes are automatically sent to your subscribers, usually once a month for a specific period at a set cost. And the items you send are usually a surprise for your customers.
 
Customers enjoy subscription boxes because getting a treat every month is fun. 

21. Email Marketing: Email marketing to sell your art is vital to the success of your business. If you don’t have a subscriber list, it is time to start one, because email marketing is the #1 online source for selling anything.

You have to be consistent with your email marketing for it to work. If you only send out 1 newsletter a year, your subscribers will most likely not remember you. So keep your newsletter frequent, and create relevant art content for your subscribers to impact their lives so that when you have a collection to launch, your target audience is ready to purchase from you. 

To do email marketing well means you need subscribers, to start a subscriber list click here. 

22. Online Art Auction: You can sell your work via an eBay auction; this is a helpful method if you want to sell older pieces that no longer represent your work. Be careful how you use sales via auction because you do not want to give a false impression that you are selling your art for a bargain. 

23. Mural Artist: If you love painting on grand scales you can set up your portfolio and seek work from your city or other individuals who want a specific space painted. You can also place an ad on the papers telling people about your business. 

24. Illustrator: With an artistic talent, the unsurmountable work that is available to you is outstanding. You can advertise your service as an illustrator and work with publishing companies or independent writers.

Conclusion
So here you have it! 24 ways you can make money from your talent. Pick one to start and grow from there. Creating additional revenue streams into your business will bring your business sustainable success.

If you don’t want to go through the trials and errors to operate your art business on your own, come check out my webinar, where I will share with you how to build an art business from scratch and how to do it well so that you can create a business that is sustainable and lucrative. Click here to grab your free training. 

With Joy,
Ting