5 Tips To Grow Your Art Business and Sell Your Artwork

If you dream of supporting yourself by selling your art, you are not alone. The path is difficult, but if you're willing to put in the work you will succeed. Here are five tips to grow your art business and sell your art.

Define Yourself

Do you paint? Maybe you’re a photographer or sculptor? Before you can grow your art business, you need to know what you want to sell. There are different markets for paintings and sculpture, so concentrating on one medium will focus your creative energy and help build your identity in the art community.

Because there are many talented painters and photographers, you need to further define yourself. Now is the time that being a little different than everyone else will pay off. What or who are the usual subjects of your art? Do you use a technique differently from or better than your competition? When you can answer these questions, you will have found your niche.

Produce

To sell your art, you first have to create it. That fact may seem obvious, but if you hope to move beyond selling one piece of work at a time in a local gallery, you need inventory. Typically, it takes longer to finish an oil painting than to snap a roll of film. Likewise, you can usually sell a painting for more money than a photograph.

Therefore, the amount of art that you should have on hand corresponds to the genre and scope of your business. In addition to a catalogue of finished pieces, you should know how quickly you can put a piece on the market, and how to keep up with orders if you do any pre-sales. Get small business advice to determine how productive you need to be.

Go Online

So much commerce takes place online these days that smart artists have no choice but to create an online presence. Your website could simply be designed to showcase your work and provide biographical information, or it could take sales and process payments. There are inexpensive DIY website platforms available, but unless you’re tech-savvy, hiring a professional to create an attractive, well functioning site is worth the cost.

After creating your website, market yourself on social media if you haven’t been already. Use social media to not only promote yourself, but also to get to know your target customers. Perhaps you only create what the muse inspires you to. That attitude is romantic; however, if you know there are art lovers out there who want paintings of cats or photographs of sunsets, then you can produce to meet that demand. This business approach may sting your pride as an artist, but it can make you money.

Display Your Work in a Gallery

Despite the dominance of the internet, there is still a desire among art fans to see artwork in person, usually in a gallery. Galleries are more appropriate for paintings, photographs and sculpture due to being able to command prices that pay for the privilege of exposure. If your craft doesn’t carry the same prestige, hire a kiosk at an art fair and don’t forget to promote your website.

If you’re good at what you do, word will spread; the power of word of mouth can’t be underestimated. As you grow more popular, you will draw more people who are curious to see what all the fuss is about.

Keep in Touch

To stay in business for the long term you need to develop repeat customers and attract new ones. This strategy includes sending out marketing emails and social media posts, but goes a step further to creating and maintaining relationships. Artists are notoriously hard to work with. Don’t be. Nurture relationships with museum curators, city art council leaders and art professors.

Be prolific and have a thick skin and you will succeed. You may try to do everything yourself, but participating in the local art scene and online will help sell your work and grow your business.