Do You Just Want to Create?
Marketing Is Not My Favorite Part!
If you have read any of my articles, you are learning they are mostly tied to my career. I am a professional fine artist, mainly producing landscape paintings for 50 years.
Being a fine artist is hard work but also a joyful journey!
Marketing my work … not so much the “joyful journey” part!
Why not? What is the problem?
The primary issue is figuring out how to find people to purchase your work. It is more challenging than you think. It takes time away from creating the work!
There are two very crucial aspects to selling:
- You need to find those who like your art style or subject matter.
- You need to get it out in front of the people that can afford to purchase your art.
So many people tell us how to make money with our art. Or, they may be saying you are not successful if you are not making some money from sales.
Do you paint to make money?
Maybe your reason for creating your art has nothing to do with sales. The sales may just be an added part but only be important to you for purchasing supplies to continue creating!
You may be working hard toward creating a well-known name in art circles. Or you just want to find like-minded people, other artists, to have a friend or two that understand your life as an artist. Maybe also to have friends to create with instead of a solitary life some have in their studio.
Whatever reason you want to promote your art, just know it takes hard work outside your time in the studio and creating.
There is no fast track to selling or making a name for yourself with art!
I do not see enough ideas on finding the correct audience for my art … or you to find the right audience for your art. Is your subject matter specific? Could it be the critical element in looking at people who would be interested?
Another avenue is taking a marketing class or workshop. We get “pitched” deals about classes and online opportunities to teach us how to market and make money.
Choose wisely! These often cost us money and make money for the “guru” that is creating that product. If you learn something from the opportunity, spending the money may have been wise. Good for you!
An essential piece of advice … know what you need at this point in your journey. There is an old saying that I love and applies equally to learning how to do art or selling your art: “Don’t put the cart before the horse.” Cicero accused Homer of doing so, complaining that the Greek poet stated the moral of a story before telling the story. (from idioms.thefreedictionary.com)
Many who teach marketing will tell you to start with a newsletter marketing plan. Almost every single time! Okay … so I can write a newsletter and send it out. Send it to everyone I know? When I started out these were typed, printed, and sent to all the physical addresses. Then what?
Newsletters …. Ha!
Yep, a marketing plan or a newsletter for me means I need “people.” Oh … I forgot to mention, in that statement about needing a newsletter marketing plan, now they are talking about email newsletters. How do we get those email addresses?
Bottom line: we need someone to send the newsletter to … and a place people can see the artwork.
How on God’s green earth do I find “my people?”
Yeah, okay, ask people to sign up for it. How? Where?
If there is no “in-person” event and only a virtual equivalent, you need an online message asking people to sign up digitally for your newsletter. We are told you cannot just start sending an email newsletter to people that have not opted into getting one.
Most of us have a website, or we are on social media. Or, maybe you write about creating on a blog! In any of those places, there should be a mention of signing up for your newsletter. It could be a link to sign up or is possibly a page for inserting the contact information.
I have learned to include a blank space for them to put their name so the newsletter can be personalized at the beginning of the newsletter. It seems more personal that way!
If you have a physical showing, you need a book for signup asking for contact information. But where does one put those? This should be easy to access at a “live” event and readily seen. Most of the time, it is just inside the entrance to the show!
Let’s get back to the bit about why we have a newsletter.
My people know how I paint. Many have already purchased pieces of my art pretty early in my career. And, a biggie… they bought when prices were lower! I’ve grown, and prices have gone up over the years. These patrons need to know new information about me and pass it along to their friends.
It gets us back to a previous statement about “finding the correct audience.” Right? You may ask your followers to forward the newsletter and recommend you to their friends and co-workers. That could be a new source of potentially interested clients!
And, those previous purchasers still have one or more of my paintings hanging in their homes they can show off to their friends. You may ask a patron if they want to host an art party for their friends. I’ve been to a few, and they were a lot of fun.
You have started the list of names and addresses or emails by finding people interested in your work. This is critical for people who want to see more … so send those newsletters I mentioned above. It is also important to continue adding new email clients for your newsletter and social media.
Time! Where do I get that?
All the above takes time to implement. Critical thinking is required to attract potential clients and inform them of new work.
This is time away from creating the work. You plan enough time to create, photograph, frame and create your inventory lists. Now you should schedule time for marketing.
Ideas can be found by reading what other artists are doing. Go to websites, and visit galleries. Read the list of shows and where they were held.
Set aside a few hours each week, or whatever time you can, to research what others are doing. If you don’t do this, you will squander your resources with little gain toward your goals.
Make each step as joyful as you can! They are as important as the actual creation of artwork if you want to sell.
It may not be your favorite part. Selling may be essential for you. If so, be consistent.
Do what is right for you. You may just want to paint!