How do I actually sell my art? This can be so frustrating for artists especially if you look at people further ahead than you and think there is some magic formula. But artists today have a massive opportunity to create their own following independently of, or in collaboration with galleries.
This week, we discuss how to attract a following for your art – a topic that was prompted by a question from Maureen wrote and asked: “Could you discuss the challenging task of selling artwork? It’s all very well to produce a good selection of work, maintain a well-designed website, upload to Saatchi (or wherever) and add the best hashtags until you’re blue in the face! However the stumbling block in my case is clearly apparent. I, like many other artists, have no great following. Building a following takes years for the average person. I’d love to hear your thoughts.”
We actually agree with Maureen – all those things mean nothing without a following and yes it takes years to build a big following – but it doesn’t take years to start attracting new people to your work and it doesn’t take much for you to start selling paintings.
In this episode, we share how we each developed our audiences, particularly via Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Our tips include; choosing one or two platforms rather than trying to do everything; showing up consistently; acting like a pro even at the very beginning; focusing on sharing things that are of interest to others rather than just selling; engaging with others; and above all – being yourself.
Mentioned:
Ira Glass: The Perpetual Struggle to Find Your Creative Voice:
“Ted Hughes: an unauthorised Life” by Jonathan Bate
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Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
Hi, I am a regular listener since Louise Fletcher led me to this podcast from FYJ2020. I find your chats highly entertain8ng and useful.
I am gradually moving from an experimental phase into aiming to produce work in series and present my self as a professional artist.
I have quite good followings on my personal FB (1052 friends) and Insta (701 followers) pages. As I am a fairly well known creative in my local bubble! Since feb/March 2020 I have been sharing my painting and drawing journey on social media.
I feel at some point I might need to create new dedicated social media pages eventually for just my artistic journey/work, but I am worried about loosing followers. What do you think? Any thoughts, tips etc.
Sorry for the essay.
Kind regards
Liz Dees
Hi Liz, yes – you should have a Page for your art rather than using your personal profile. using your personal profile for business is against Facebook terms and could be deleted and also a Page (and a business account on Instagram) gives you more access to insights which is hlepful in the long run. You can share posts from your Page over to your personal account and invite people to come and follow you.