I want to sell my art but where do I start? I often get this question from aspiring artists in my Art Marketing Facebook Group. To start an art business either as a part-time or full-time venture does have its risks. But if you do it right, it may yield significant rewards. For one, you will be doing something that you love, owning a creative business and being your own boss does have many benefits. I have put together a Ten Step Guide to help you with the process of selling your art effectively. And it starts with,
1) Build your Art Portfolio To be a working artist, the first thing you must have is a cohesive art portfolio. Creating a few paintings and calling it a business is not going to cut it. Think of your art business as a store. Would a shop survive if it only has a few products to sell? No, that would be retail suicide! And the same business logic applies to artists entrepreneurs as well. To sell your art, you need a significant amount of work. Offering your customers choices will increase your chance of selling more. The first thing you want to do is create an annual collection of artwork. I would start with 15-25 original paintings per year. If you are aiming for a part-time business, go for the lower end of the spectrum. And if you are focusing on full-time, go for the higher end of the spectrum. 2) Photograph your Artwork Once you have finished your collection, you need to get your work photographed. Ensure your photographs are of the best quality possible, and represent your work accurately. With quality photos you can make prints with your art and use them for online purposes. There are three options on how to do this. You may do it yourself, hire a photographer or work with a local printer. At the beginning of my career, I would finish a collection of paintings and have them photographed or scanned by a photographer or my local printer. After a few years of sourcing them out, my husband, Paul, invested in a good camera and became my photographer. Doing it yourself is not an easy task, but once you have the system set up with proper lighting, you can take photos of your work conveniently. 3) Get a Website You need a Website to sell and showcase your inspired creations. Having a website is a must and a necessity. Many new artists enroll in marketplaces such as Big Cartel or Etsy. The only drawback with using borrowed platforms is that you have to abide by their rules and algorithm. As a professional artist, you must have your own website to brand yourself and command attention. To get a website up, you can either hire a website designer or do it yourself. Hiring someone to do it for you is easier but costly. If you choose to do it yourself, it will be time-consuming to build. But in the long run, the benefits outweigh the time spent. There are many website builder platforms out there, and before you decide on a platform, check out this Article. It provides a review of website builders that they recommend. 4) Systemize your Art Inventory After you have created a website, it is time to get organized with your art inventory data. At the beginning stage of your art journey, you might think that this is not important. But to be a professional artist, you need to produce a lot of artwork. Therefore to keep things organized, you will need to keep a good inventory of your work. For your data entry you can use apps such as Google Sheets or Excel spreadsheets. Your spreadsheet would need all the pertinent information to keep things in order. To help you with this task, I have created an Art Inventory Spreadsheet Guide, and you can grab it Here! 5) Choose a Social Media Channel to Share your work. Share your artwork on Social Media to grow your audience. Select your favorite S.M. Channel to share your art. You can market yourself and give your art exposure through consistent postings. To help the algorithm work for you, you need to post at least three to four times a week. Your posts have to be educational, entertaining, or beneficial to your followers. If your time is limited, choose only one Social Media platform and create consistent content for your art. When you have some money to invest in your business, you can pay for Facebook advertising. Promote your website by targeting the right audience will help to get more eyes on your work. 6) Start an Email List To cultivate your target audience to become buyers or collectors, you must start a Subscriber list. With an email list, you can create weekly or monthly newsletters about your art. Keeping your audience informed is good email marketing and without it, you will not be able to connect effectively with your followers. The size of your email list has a direct correlation to the success of your business. It has a better impact on your business compared to any social media channel. Here is the stat, only 2-5% of your social media followers will see your posts but 20-35% of your email subscribers will read your emails. That is why it is vital to have an email list. To learn how to start a Subscriber List, click here 7) Start a Blog So you must be wondering what you are supposed to do with the newsletters that you have created. The good news is the time you spent creating all these wonderful email marketing does not go to waste. First of all, your newsletter should not stand alone. It should live on your website as evergreen content. The way to do this is to start a BLOG on your website to house your Newsletter. Your blog is a place to share information about you and your brand and what you can do for your audience. If your contents are relevant, informative, beneficial, and entertaining, you will cultivate an audience for your art. When doing so, you will also attract new potential customers online to your website. Think of it this way; your newsletter is the promotional email about your Blog. To find out more about how to start a blog, click here. 8) Sell your Art via Self or Gallery Representation If you want to make a living from your art, you have to sell your work. You can do this by either self or gallery representation. If self-representation is your choice, doing art shows and events or owning a gallery is worth your time and investment. Your business can grow exponentially because there is nothing more effective than face-to-face interaction with your potential customers. And the benefits will also help boost your online business. Art shows are also affordable, which means you can keep your business expenses low and your profits high. Here is a blog that I have created that gives you 14 reasons why doing art shows helps with your overall business. Click here to find out more. But if you dislike the business side of the art business, you can always opt for gallery representation. I have created a list of pros and cons on Gallery Vs. Self-representation. So if you are on the fence about selling your art yourself or let someone else take care of business, here is an article to help you with your decision-making. Click here. 9) Sell your Art Online via Social Media. Selling art online or in person is all about building connections with your audience. People want to buy from people they like and trust. So if you put your art on your Social Media and wonder why they aren’t selling, it could be because you haven’t invested your time in building relationships with your art fans. You need to start conversations with your fans and build a connection. Networking with other artists is also an important asset to your business. This way, you can interchange ideas with each other for mutual benefits. 10) Join a social learning group or take a course Being an artist-entrepreneur means you have to up level your art marketing efforts consistently. Taking a course, or joining a social learning group to learn about art marketing is a MUST. It is always wise to invest in educating yourself because knowledge is power. To be a prosperous entrepreneur, you must have vast marketing knowledge to sustain your business. If you need help with art marketing, come and join my Creating a Profitable Art Business Facebook Group and network with other like-minded artists. Click Here to join. Conclusion To make your art into a business takes moxie. You have to put in as much effort on your art marketing as in your craft. It is wise to network diligently, and build relationships with your potential customers. Always engage in conversations with your fans, give out business cards and get them to subscribe to your newsletters. Utilize your online and in-show presence the best you can to grow your business. I wish you all the best, remember you don't have to do this alone. Join my Fb Group, and I will help you to grow your art business. 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
February 2025
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