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Avoid these 6 mistakes in your online art shop
SELL MORE, SERVE MORE. Sell art online this year by avoiding a few simple errors – errors that are often overlooked. Artists have a lot to manage in their creative businesses and an online art shop is just one part of it. But to sell art online is to give your creative business a way to scale! So let’s tackle a few common mistakes you might be making so you can get to scaling instead. I recommend selling your artwork at in-person shows first before creating your website. Read this article here to learn why art shows move your art journey along faster. Paying too many fees Making a good…
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Selling art at events: types of art shows
EVENT MARKETING AND COMMUNITY Selling art at events is the fastest way to advance your art business. But there are many different types of events for artists and they all seem to blend together. For every different type of artist, there’s a different type of show. So let’s get into the details of art event categories, what happens and where they take place. EXHIBITIONS Selling art at events labeled as exhibitions means it’s in a gallery setting. A nice one, usually. Typically how exhibitions work is you will not set up a table here, but your artwork will be framed and hung on the wall by a curator, whose job…
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Reviewing your art: 3 tips to get clarity
LOOK BACK TO MOVE FORWARD Everyone critiques their own artwork — or at least they spend a lot of time criticizing it. Any rough review can be discouraging. Adding a pinch of strategy when reviewing your art will take it from negative self-talk to constructive ideas. Today I’m gonna give you three big tips for analyzing your work so you can move forward and progress instead of wallowing at your current level of artistry. It’s time to move forward. It’s time to make better art. 1. ASK BETTER QUESTIONS Your brain is like a computer. When you ask it a question, it will answer that specific question. When you ask,…
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Compiling a body of work and repurposing content
NEW LIFE FOR OLD WORK Today we’re gonna talk about accumulating artwork into an official body of work and repurposing content to market this work. Making art is what being an artist is all about — obviously. But what you create isn’t always equal in quality, and it can serve different purposes. Some art is fit for your “body of work.” Others fit better into “promotional content” or scrap content. It gets deeper. Let’s dive in. Preparing to compile a body of work A lot of artists have a vague goal of building up a large body or collection of works. A body of work can define you as an artist,…
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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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Marketing tactics: Generate hype to sell more art
WHY NO ONE IS BUYING Artists often feel like the way to sell more art is to make better art. While honing your skills certainly helps, it ultimately doesn’t make sales for you. Have you ever seen a successful artist that you genuinely thought was bad at art? Me too. That’s because for one: all art is subjective. I’m sure their fans didn’t think it was bad. And for two: they marketed well so they could find those people who thought it was good! Don’t put ALL of your energy into honing your artistic skills. There are people who love your art as it is right now. You just have…
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A mood board is the secret to consistent artist branding
BUILD YOUR BRAND WITH BOARDS Mood boards are the perfect way to begin building your artistic business brand. You can keep them for reference when making decisions on the look, feel and message of your brand and truly personalize them. Before we get into how to use them, let’s talk about what it is, exactly. WHAT IS A MOOD BOARD? Sometimes called an “inspiration board” or “vision board,” it’s basically a collage of images, text, and whatever else that expresses a particular vibe or goal you’re striving for. Traditionally they were made with foam panels or cork boards and you could pin things to them manually. Anything from magazine clippings…
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Finding your target market: Online, offline tips
YOUR PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE Everyone says that to sell anything, you’ve got to start finding your target market. Once you identify that group, you can aim your sales at them and selling artwork becomes loads easier. But how do you find them? WHAT IS A TARGET MARKET Let’s define this clearly first. A target market is a group of people who need your product, want your product, or are very likely to be interested in it. They share a common problem. They share common interests, hobbies or attitudes. Your market could be specific to certain demographics: gender, age, location, etc. The more narrowed-down your market, the better off you’ll…
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Why You Need an Art Portfolio ASAP
CREATE SOMETHING YOU OWN If you don’t have a portfolio for your art yet because you think it’s not the most pressing issue, or you think you don’t need one, I’m here to convince you otherwise. Preparing a platform specifically to strut your stuff — whether online or hardcopy (preferably both) — can change your career for the better. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity, right? So you need to be prepared when opportunity knocks, and having a curated portfolio is the best way to get ready. Here are 4 strong reasons having a portfolio is a MUST for professional artists: 1. IT’S CONVENIENT It’s convenient for others and for…