A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is your opportunity to market your arts successfully and list all of the shows in which your work has appeared, as well as to reference private collectors and museums that have purchased your work. A resume and a CV are often very similar, but a resume tends to be one or two pages, while a CV is comprehensive.
Arts marketing for artists, can be best achieved when artists don’t only see themselves as conveyors of information, intention and feeling and are moved to communicate their messages by means of two and three dimensional objects, performance, or sound.
With art promotion and success, it’s always a good policy to remember that the idea of being a successful artist is a very relative notion.
I have granted myself permission to use a variety of techniques, as I want. Success is sometimes feeling that one isn’t categorized or confined and having the courage to promote whatever you do well.
Art sales and the topic of finances
If the topic of finances terrifies you, remind yourself of this: you can have wealth, and you deserve wealth through your art sales.
Marketing the arts and separating the artist from the entrepreneur
The business side of the arts, which can both sustain individual artists and lead to wealth creation, needs to be encouraged and properly managed.
Competitions as a way to promote art
I personally am very selective about the art competitions that I choose to enter. In my earlier years I used to enter just about anything, simply because the prizes were so enticing.
Creating wealth as an artist
Everyone knows the stereotype of the poor starving artist. For you, this can become an irrelevant notion of the past. As presented in my seminars, I have created a systematic, practical approach to creating a platform using the Internet to share your creative endeavours.
Art and money while pursuing your art career.
You might also consider other at-home business opportunities, such as writing a book. (This process is outlined in detail in my “Art Insights” seminar.) Ultimately, you can publish your own book e-book or online newsletter and have different products all related to your field of art. Many possibilities exist for a varied income stream.
Art marketing for emerging artists
If you are an emerging artist, set reasonable expectations. While no one gets very far without a certain amount of ambition, it’s important to realistically structure your approach to getting what you want.
Best ways to talk about your art in order to sell art.
The best way to talk about your art is to start with the elements that you are most clear on. It’s really important not to waffle when you talk about art in general and particularly when addressing your own work. It’s most effective to directly respond to the questions being asked.
Marketing artwork through approaching galleries
One of the first things that I’d recommend for an artist when they’re contacting the gallery for the first time is to never do it cold. Don’t just walk in off the street and expect that the gallery director will want to discuss your work with you.
Artist marketing is also an attitude.
Marketing is also an attitude. Your own perception of your work can usher in desired perceptions from others. Many artists start apologizing for their work. Here’s a secret: the viewing audience wants you to succeed, and they want you to be confident because they don’t want to feel sorry for you.
Art product and maintaining integrity as an artist.
Your attitude guides how you work with your materials. I have been in exhibitions the world over where I have shown next to artists who have simply poured their piles of rubbish onto the floor. I have witnessed artists hoping to get away with dramatic statements about the environment and ecology by simply grossing out the viewing audience, making hard-hitting abrupt and blunt comments, and using lazy forms of expression to masquerade as art.
Be resourceful with your art businesses.
Artists should think both creatively and responsibly about supporting their income. I wish to instil the importance of flexibility in today’s economy and the benefits of a multi-tiered income stream to support artistic activities. A multi-tiered income stream is not a compromise – it is an intelligent means to continue to practice what you love.
Arts marketing today.
Websites are a cornerstone of arts marketing. Artists need to have Internet presence, and the best way to do this is by having a website, or at the very least a blog. When you approach a gallery director, you can lead them to your site for a snapshot of your work.
Selling art effectively means managing your time and also means placing a value on it.
Managing your time also means placing a value on it. I set aside time for silence and space. Do not assume that packing as many shows into a year is the right use of time.
With art and business, know what you want and set goals.
Visualize what it is you are seeking and what you expect out of your creative business. Artists all to often enter this business environment without knowing what they want or what is possible. When you are sitting alone in your studio and you’re wondering why you’re not having any success, have you ever asked yourself how much you’re willing to sacrifice for that success? Success often requires hard work and sacrifice. The degree to which you’re willing to go will be entirely up to you. Think carefully about what you really want to accomplish and set some goals to help you get there. If, for example, you want to have four exhibitions a year, start planning for them. Make the necessary connections. Have a target and set your goals.
Too few artists think of themselves as businesspersons. But art and good business go hand-in-hand: by practicing the art of good business, we sustain a lifetime as a practicing – and prospering – artist.
I’ve often wondered what arts marketing is selling, exactly. I’ve come to the conclusion that when we engage in arts marketing, we as artists are trading in transcendent experiences and altered mindsets, rather than mere objects.
Art is the business of sharing worldview, but it’s also the business of artist sales in the face of stiff competition. No business would attempt to compete without a strategy, and without a business-minded plan, both artist sales and the impact of your art suffer.
