Making a living from your art can be quite a challenge. . . so here are a few of our favorite resources and innovative tips to increase your name recognition and sales this year:
1: Stage your art
Giving potential buyers a way to envision your art in their space is a fantastic way to market your art and close sales. Most collectors spend a lot of time and effort trying to imagine how an artwork will integrate into their home. They consider the color and style of the piece, its dimensions, the framing, and even how it will complement their furniture and room design.
ArtPlacer provides a realistic preview of how art will look in any room. Its strength resides in the ability to instantly scale and adjust the work in a room with perspective. A user can upload an art image, select an interior or upload one of their own, enter the dimensions and land an excellent-looking preview with the right proportions.
The ArtPlacer library includes art booths, bedrooms, dining rooms, empty rooms, galleries, just walls, kid rooms, kitchens, living rooms, lobbies, bathrooms, restaurants, and workplaces along with a wide variety of framing options and lighting conditions.
If you already have a website, the ArtPlacer widget allows you to include the functionality of the app within your own site, too. Or, use it to stage your art in a beautiful interior before sharing on social media—there’s no wrong way to use this technology.
2: Get organized
As an artist or an art professional being organized is a must. You need to be able to easily keep track of your inventory, your sales, and clients’ information. A good organizational system like Artwork Archive or Art Galleria will help you run your art business much more efficiently.
These portfolio management partners allow you to catalog your full art inventory by adding medium, location, price, and sale status. You can also add or rename fields to match your data requirements.
Using tools like these will help you save time and stay on top of your artwork, and you’ll instantly appear more professional to potential buyers, gallery owners, and other art notables.
3: Launch an online store
Your website will often be a visitor’s first introduction to your work, so it should be well-designed and be able to convey your message through distinctive content and style. And once you’ve drawn people in and gotten them interested in your art, why not make it easy for them to purchase one of your pieces?
Art marketplaces such as Etsy or Artfire are cheap to try out, and you can set up an account up in minutes to sell your art. But if you want more control (and the ability to use widgets like the ArtPlacer app) you’ll most likely need your own website with a built-in store like EE’s Simple Artist Websites.
4: Get engaged on social media
Instagram is still one of the best places to market your personal brand online, gain loyal followers and build a community of fans.
You should become as passionate about expressing yourself through social media as you are about expressing your personality through art. Don’t try to sell pieces in every post, instead, tell your followers about who you are and what you are making.
Create “savable” content for your feed. Consider the following possibilities:
- work-in-progress images
- motivational quotes
- before and after shots
- behind-the-scenes video
- live transmission in the studio
- voting for favorite artworks
- upcoming shows and news
- and so much more. . .
Giving your audience a real glimpse of your everyday life, your messy workshop, and even your doubts can be a great way of connecting with your audience. There’s so much you can post about that’s related to your art, so open up!
In the past, a new art phenomenon would slowly rise into the collecting scene. Nowadays, being featured on the right blog or feed can boost your career as an artist. It means you could meet influential players, dealers and collectors overnight.
Never before has an artist had the power to engage so directly with their audience. Think about what you would like to say and post it!
5: Start networking
Staying behind a canvas may be a comfort zone for artists. But the truth is that the more connections you make, the more opportunities you will create.
Despite the world going digital, personal connections are still incredibly important. Joining an artist organization, being part of a local artist community, donating art for worthwhile causes, meeting other artists, and sharing resources and tips are invaluable in forging real and strong connections with people. Make sure to stay in touch by sending e-mails and interacting through social media.
Want some other ideas? Teach workshops, give artist talks, offer commissions, organize your art show or even reconnect with clients that have already fallen in love with your work.
Are you ready to take your art to the next level in 2020? Try something new and get your art out there!
Special thanks to ArtPlacer for sharing this post! To learn more about their art staging app, visit ArtPlacer.com.
This post may contain affiliate links.