Above: Image by Yanko Tsvetkov of alphadesigner.com
One of potential shortfalls for Artists, who are involved in the business of selling their Art, often has to do with their thinking. The answers to many of the same old questions regarding a career in art, no longer need to automatically be given. We have a choice. We can decide to answer in a new way by re positioning ourselves, centermost, smack dab in the middle of managing and nurturing our own creative careers. Today this is entirely possible. Especially when we begin to formulate some new answers to some very old questions….
How will People see my Art?
The Old Answer:
• A gallery blesses you by letting you be one of their artists. They will, if you are lucky, show your work, have exhibitions and build relationships with collectors who will purchase your work. You probably will be expected to remain in your studio and not get too involved in the business of the gallery.
• Collectors will not be able to easily visit your studio and more than likely you will not be given the collectors names who favor your work as the gallery sees you as competition. The gallery would prefer to handle everything. They will choose when and to whom they show your work.
The New Answer:
• Because of the Internet, Artists can build their own following whether they are in a gallery or not. Having a website and staying in touch with people via email, newsletter, blog, etc. who like your Art, consistently over time, builds an audience, not just of collectors, but also artists and even other galleries and dealers. As your work is seen more and more, and your audience grows, so does the possibility for sales of your work.
Who will build my Career?
The Old Answer:
• A gallery will make my career. I pray to God that they accept my work and that I can sell for them. I will do anything to get in the door.
The New Answer:
• You can make your own career by building your email list of everyone and their brother who love or have loved your work. There are 277,436,130 people in the United States as of March 2014. 80 percent of them are on the Internet. I don’t think it is unreasonable to think that maybe 2,000 of those 225 million people might be interested in your Art. By the way, access to all these people is included in your $25 a month Internet connection.
• If you can generate sales on your own, if you are still interested in galleries once you do, (And there are plenty of reasons to be: gallery people can be super friendly, generally are very passionate about Art, they manage amazing exhibition spaces, Art Fairs, connections to their buyers, etc.) then you can begin to interview the galleries to see which will fit you best. One of the primary things galleries care about is sales. If your work has already begun to sell, they will be interested.
Who will Sell my Art?
The Old Answer:
• The gallery and its staff are more presentable, better at business and have more experience than the Artist when it comes to selling and talking about your Art. Artists sometimes are not particularly social and prefer to be in their the studio. Clients are more comfortable talking about buying Art with the gallery than an artist.
The New Answer:
• People are tired to death of canned experiences. They crave the real thing. They want authenticity. This is why they buy original Art in the first place. The next best thing to buying a painting, or often the first step towards making a purchase is having an opportunity to meet the artist.
• Do you ever notice how much interest people have in the process of how you make your Art? It turns out Artists are actually extremely thoughtful, interesting people who can articulate and communicate just fine about what they are making. One of the best people to help buyers buy is pretty simple. It is you.
Beginning to reframe how we respond to questions of what we can and can’t accomplish is a crucial step towards achieving our creative goals and dreams that quietly reside within us all.
Questioning, Nicholas
Hi! I’m
Nicholas Wilton
the founder of Art2Life.
With over 20 years experience as a working artist and educator, I’ve developed a systematic approach that brings authenticity, spontaneity and joy back into the creative process.
Join me and artists from all over the world in our Free Art2Life Artists Facebook Group or learn more here about Art2Life.
