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Art style and what it can do for your creative business
I talk a lot about art style because I think it’s the most important thing for an artist who wants to sell their art. Creating my art style meant honing in on qualities I loved in my paintings, and when I perfected my style, I fell in love with art all over again. What is an art style? Your style is made of choices you make consistently in your artwork. Line and shape, color palette, subject matter, composition, and texture all play a role. If you paint with thick outlines consistently in your work, that’s part of your style. If you never use the color gray, that’s part of your…
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Offensive comments about your art + how to handle them
As an artist who shares or sells your artwork, you hear a lot of feedback. Most of the time, the comments you’ll receive are appreciative and uplifting. Sometimes though, the comments are offensive — even if that person means well. In this blog post we’ll talk about a few common offensive comments about your artwork and how to handle them. I also have a video where I cover these same comments. If you’re a video person instead of a reader, feel free to watch it here 🙂 “Anyone could do that.” This comment is offensive because it undermines your skill as an artist. If you have a simplistic style, do…
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SELL ART COMMISSIONS (THE RIGHT WAY)
The other day I was reading a blog post I wrote when I was just beginning to sell custom art commissions in my business. It was a venting article — one that got quite a bit of attention from artists who could relate with my inner turmoil about the stress of custom artwork. However, while reading it back to myself, I realized that I could no longer relate to it. Now, I know better. Now, I know how to reduce the stress by using systems, taking only jobs I like and following a set process. Read this article and you can know better too 🙂 ONLY CREATE CUSTOM WORK IF…
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When to raise your prices: How do you know?
YOU’RE WORTH MORE Pricing your artwork as a new artistpreneur is one of the first challenges to hit you. It seems like this one factor will determine if people buy your work at all or if you’ll fall flat on your face. Frankly, this isn’t true. In fact, the beginning price doesn’t matter that much at all. As long as you begin selling in general — THAT really matters. But your prices will inevitably change over time. As you grow, your prices will grow. If you’re pricing your art for the first time, make sure to read this pricing article here. After you’ve been selling for a while, the next…
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Create multiple income streams in your art business
SAFEGUARD YOUR REVENUE If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this pandemic, it’s that diversifying your income is very important! Having multiple income streams in your art business brings safety and stability to your financial well-being. If your entire business relies on one thing, what happens when something goes wrong with that one thing? For instance, if you only sell artwork online, what happens when there’s a mass power outage? What happens when you have trouble with your personal internet connection for a whole week? In another example, if you only sell at art shows, what happens when suddenly all events are canceled and people are not leaving their houses?…
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First 4 steps to take to become an artist
THE BEGINNING How do you become an artist when you’re just starting out? After making the choice to finally pursue your creative passions, you have to start taking action. Great. But which thing should you do first? In this article I’ll walk you through what’s most important in the beginning of your artistpreneur journey. 1: MAKE YOUR INTENTION KNOWN Making your plans known seems so small but it’s really a big step. Deciding in your heart that you want to become an artist is one thing, but stating it out loud to your parents at dinner is a whole other beast to tackle. If you’re not willing to proclaim your…
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Create your own art website — NOT a Society6 account
YOUR SHOP TYPE MATTERS Guess whaaattt? I’m super thrilled because my artwork was featured on BuzzFeed! Hooray!! It was included in a roundup of spooky-themed products in this article here. This is the type of exposure that can help any artist climb to the top of their sales game and get a little more attention from other outlets, starting an avalanche of media coverage. And like you, I’m definitely ready for that climb. But there was one issue with this super cool article. It didn’t link to my shop. It linked to my old account on Society6. WHY NOT USE PRINT-ON-DEMAND SITES? The thing is, I used to sell exclusively…
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Pre-sale orders: a tool for profitable artmaking
REAP BEFORE YOU SOW Ever tried to sell a piece of art without showing someone what it looked like? Sounds crazy right? Well… that’s exactly what I just did. Let me explain. These past few weeks I tried my hand at hosting a pre-sale for the first time ever — with my new 2020 calendars. For those who might not know, a pre-sale is basically selling something to people before you’ve even made the thing. This concept is scary (or at least it was for me) because I have always leaned on showing off my artwork as a way to market it. I had my doubts: I doubted that it…
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Your first year as an artistpreneur
ARTISTPRENEURSHIP TIPS Whether you’re diving straight in as a full time artist or taking it slow as a part-time artistpreneur, there are a few strategies that can help you survive your first year. In this article, I’ll go over what you need to focus on to stick with it, make a profit, and expand your brand awareness. MY FIRST YEAR This month (Nov 2019) marks the first anniversary of my online shop! Hooray!! Before taking this leap, I sold my work at art shows for years and designed work for friends and family — basically I made just enough money to fund my painting hobby. I was content with this…
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Start an art account on Instagram with these steps
BECOME A SOCIAL MEDIA SWEETHEART So you’re ready to begin sharing your work online. Sweet. But how do you start an art account on Instagram? Instagram is the biggest platform for artists right now. One BILLION people use Instagram each month and creatives have been using this platform to reach new people every day. There is so much potential waiting for artists on Instagram as long as you know how to utilize it, where the boundaries are, and how to grow your reach. Let’s get into it. THE VERY FIRST STEP You probably already have a personal account. That’s fine. But first and foremost you must decide on whether to…
