The Not So Starving Artist

Artists are not “destined to be starving”. If you're an artist, you can actually make money from your art, feel good about it, and build up a following to support your independent career. So why do so many artists struggle in their quest to earn a living through their art? The good news is that most artists struggle NOT because they lack talent but because they have not been trained to represent themselves, to build a customer base, and to actually sell their great artwork. Sound difficult? In the past this was very challenging for most of us, but now a days it has become pretty easy and cost effective.

Just like selling anything else, you have to build your brand. Building a brand helps you to get a following for your work, sparks interest and keeps you top of mind. You can do this by engaging in social media (Facebook, Twitter), participating in shows/events and working with art community organizations. Basically, getting your name and your art in as many channels as possible to create that conversation of who you are and what your art stands for.

As an artist, making the decision to sell your art online could be the best decision you’ll ever make. Why you may ask? Well, when people see something they like, they search for it on-line to find out more information. And if your not there when they search, they will come across someone who is, which means your missing potential sales. The art market is booming and with the Internet you can put your artwork in front of thousands, even millions of potential art buyers all across the globe. But what’s the best way to sell art online? Should you program your own art website? Well, that’s probably not the best choice for most of us, and I’ll be the first to admit that coding a website is next to impossible and very time-consuming to build and maintain. And hiring someone is quite costly. Another option is paying for a pre-built website that lets you display your art online without worrying about the code or maintenance costs. As a Canadian artist, you should be involved in organizations such as Artistically Connected, a Toronto based company that showcases and allows you to sell your work thought the internet for a very low monthly fee. The best part is that they also work hard to build the brand as a source for art, so more and more people visit Artistically Connected before looking elsewhere for art.

The biggest key to success for a modern day artist is to embrace all the different channels available to showcase your work. Think of yourself as a business and really use the different media available to advertise yourself and your work. There are lots of very cost effective ways to get the message out there. Doing this, you will see significant interest from buyers and art enthusiasts because they like the story of who you are and what you have created. Over the long run, this also means that your work can be priced in line with demand; so if you have a waiting list for your work, increase your prices.