How To Make Money with Your Art
There are many ways you can make a living as an artist.
Let’s get something out of the way first: none of them are wrong or superior. There is a lot of elitism in the art world and I am simply not here for that. Some methods will be better suited to you - your medium, personality, and desires - so keep that in mind as you decide how to go about selling your artwork.
Art Galleries
Let’s start with the traditional gallery approach. If you opt for the gallery route, you are actively pursuing gallery relationships and letting them handle all of your marketing, selling, and contact management.
The upside is that you don’t have to do the legwork which means more time in the studio creating. The cons: You take a 40-50% cut and you don’t own your collectors, meaning, you do not have a direct line to them. For some this is a deterrent, for others, the peace of mind is worth it. (Introverts rejoice!)
Art Festivals, Art Fairs, and Craft Shows
It’s a grind, but you keep all of the profit. In my experience, you end up spending about the same amount in booth fees, travel, lodging, marketing, time and materials as you would fork over to galleries, BUT you get to meet your collectors in-person and be outside all day, and will get commission requests more quickly. Seeing firsthand how people interact with your art will give you the best insight - and THAT is invaluable.
Art Festivals vs. Craft Fairs
When it comes to art shows, you want to make sure you have found the right fit. There are two major types: fine art shows and craft fairs. If you are a painter, photographer, sculptor, and similar traditional mediums, scout out fine arts shows. If you create embroidery, leather or woven goods, clothing, crochet, coloring books, or the like, you may do better at a craft show. Connecting with the right audience is the key here.
Potters rejoice! You fit in at both :-)
Selling OnlinE
This is where you need to get really informed. It’s easy to set up an online shop with your Squarespace site or Shopify, but we all know that just because you build it, doesn’t mean the buyers will come. You need to be consistent and get really good with your marketing. Or hire someone to do that for you ;) But patience is key with this approach. There are also plenty of pay-to-play sites like Saatchi, Etsy, ArtStorefronts, and the likes, that do that for you, but each one has its own pros and cons. I’m not going to get into that today, and am actually writing an article about that, so all I’ll say for now is to do your research.
Licensing
You send high-res images of your work off to a licensing agent and then a few years later you may see your artwork in Home Goods. To some this may sound terrible, but it may also pay for your Maui vacation. If you don’t mind seeing your work on rugs, coffee cups, and notebooks, then licensing may be your bag. Take for example an artist that I’ve worked with who garnered more attention from her large-scale acrylics, but whose heart lies in her watercolors. She had a different style working with these different mediums so showing the work together wasn’t working well anyway. I advised her to continue showing her acrylic paintings at shows and license the watercolor work, which has increased her sales on both fronts. There are licensing agents who handle exclusively this, and I am not one of them.
So what’s the best approach for you?
This is surely not a comprehensive list but it hits the target audiences for mid-career artists. There’s nothing wrong with participating in local exhibitions and street fairs, vending your work at festivals or on Facebook, live painting at events, or selling gift items featuring your artwork. It’s all about designing the lifestyle that you want and that fits your creative practice.
What are some of your favorite approaches to selling your art? Let’s get the conversation going in the comments!
Need to shake up the way you’re doing business? Let Easel help you determine the best approach for you and your art, and how to navigate that road. Click here to book your free consultation call today.
