Is your art business busy or are you struggling to get the ball rolling and get your art noticed? Are you still struggling to get your work seen? There are many things you can do and you may be missing some opportunities. Here are the 7 tips to get your art business rolling and take it to the next level.
- Read
- Follow/Subscribe
- Plan
- Promote
- Show
- Network
- Communicate
With three events coming up in one month and two commissions underway, September has been my busiest on record. I can assure you it did not come without working for it. I’m going to let you in on a few secrets that helped me get things moving along. For those of you who are already busy, you’ve obviously done something right. I’ll discuss that topic in another post, but welcome your comments and tips.
What Have I Done to Take My Art Business to the Next Level
It began with research and gathering information from websites to books. This involved art coaches, and experienced professionals. Here are some of the resources (with links) that have helped me.
- The Art Biz Coach Alyson Stanfield
- Art Incby Lisa Congdon
- Artsy Shark
- The Artist Market Company
- The Abundant Artist
- Light Space and Time
As Alyson Stanfield will clearly tell you, It takes much more than just making art. Recently I read about an old addage “If You Build it They Will Come” and how that is not necessarily true anymore. Competition is fierce and you need to get out of your art studio and get in the scene. Only about 50% of my time is spent making art. The other half is marketing, networking, ordering, framing and so much more.
About the 7 Tips to Get your Art Business Rolling
Reading: Two must have books
Most important of the 7 steps to get your art business rolling are the tips found in these two books I’m recommending. My hands down favorite is Alyson Stanfield, The Art Biz Coach. She is wonderfully impressive and knowledgeable. Alyson’s advice helped me tremendously. You can follower her blog, but I highly recommend her book I’d rather be in the Studio. You can buy it directly from her site, or if you are in a pinch, get a used copy for less at Amazon.com. The material is invaluable and I still refer to this from time to time.
Art Inc is also extremely valuable. The author Lisa Congdon will take you through art business, promotions, selling, pricing, getting exhibitions and gallery representation, to your artist statement, publications, contracts and more.
Follow and Subscribe
I know I said limit your social media time, but following and or subscribing to these key art business authorities will benefit you. Often, when I find helpful information that I want to save, I will pin it to Pinterest so I’m sure not to lose it. You are welcome to check out tips I’ve pinned in Art Marketing and Art Business. As a matter of fact, I’m always learning and expanding, so these boards are updated from time to time.
Honestly, I really can’t say enough about the valuable help I’ve received from these wonderful people. I’ve learned valuable information from these key art community leaders. I’d highly recommend subscribing to their blogs and implementing some of their top strategies.
Proof It Works
Since I have taken time to go to our local art walks, my connections have nearly doubled and I’ve got a foot into a local art gallery. I’m learning about exhibition opportunities I would not have heard of from my studio. That includes internet searches.
Plan
As a free spirit, I can not stand being on a schedule, but it’s highly important. Alyson Stanfield of the Art Biz coach helped me recognize this a most. As a busy mom of two teens, I’m on the go all the time. You must schedule time for your business to be successful. Your family must honor and respect your studio/office time as well. I put a plan on my studio door and although we have to make exceptions and changes, it’s a general rule. That way I can schedule around school and extracurricular activities.
Promote
Promotion is a big challenge on an artists budget. Most of my promotion is on social media, but you do not want to turn people off with a hard sell. By reading tips from the experts I have listed, I’ve gathered helpful information on promotions.
Show
You must get your art seen period. Another valuable tool I learned from Alyson Stanfield, the Art Biz Coach. Local markets are a good way to start. Enter shows and contests, (excellent opportunites) awards and shows add value and get your work recognized. Check out Light Space and Time above for frequent online contests, but don’t stop there, find local venues as well. Become a member of local artists guilds, alliances, or organizations. Often they have show opportunities.
Network
Beware: I’m not just talking about social networking here. As a matter of fact, that can be a time killer and take you away from other things you need to be doing to become successful. My suggestion is to limit your social media time. For me, I check in in the morning, and usually again in the afternoon or evening. The challenge is to keep my time limited while keeping my art alive. This all comes under the planning action.
You wanted tips to get your art business rolling? Get out of the studio and go to local art venues.
- Galleries
- Art Shows
- Art Museums
- Art Alliances
You’ll be glad you did. For instance, I’ve gone to the big shows and galleries. Visiting local galleries during artists talks and Art Walks, have been my favorite. Take a friend if you are new at it. It’s a fun time. Each time you go, you will get more comfortable. When you have the opportunity, chat with others and start establishing relationships. Be careful about ethics. It’s inappropriate to promote yourself to patrons during these events. Meet the owners and continue to show up so they get to know you. I’ve made a really good friend at a local gallery, Markay Gallery, from doing this.
Join your local arts alliance, guilds, museums etc. This is a prime networking opportunity and as stated before, you will learn about show opportunities through them as well.
Communicate
Keep your followers connected. Update your social media regularly, but limit your time. Newsletters and blogs (like this) are very important as well. Again, you will find more elaboration on these topics in the books, sites and blogs I have listed.
On a final note, you will have to learn to handle rejection. We all get rejected at some point. Whether it be from an art contest, an art gallery, a buyer, a critic, or any of the above. Acceptance and rejection is an ongoing process. As stated on my recent post, Handling rejection , my advice is learn from rejection. It helps us improve.
I hope you find this blog helpful. If you enjoyed this read, please share.
Please note, I get no commissions or funds for promoting any of the resources mentioned in this post. There are merely shared for knowledge that I have found helpful.
Written by Tina A Stoffel
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