Starting out not too long ago as a visual artist, I found it to be very creatively rewarding. There were a lot of artistic discoveries that helped me find my true self and when it came to my network, some people were supportive and others weren’t comfortable acknowledging it. A friend once told me that because art evokes feelings and deep imagination, it can affect those who are not ready to be expressive. So be prepared to accept criticism and rejection as part of the process.
You may feel alone in your career as an artist with so much competition in the market and a product that is undervalued. But these are some of the challenges we face on a regular basis and even for the professional who may be much more established, these are common problems.
1. My art is not good enough
Do you feel like you’re not “creative or good enough”? think deeply about what your definition of creative is for you. Do you think your art is not creative or cool enough as it doesn’t look as special as some other artwork you must have compared it to? Or is it because you haven’t done art for a long time? Whatever it is, you shouldn’t feel like your art isn’t creative or good enough, as your art will continually evolve and improve over time. The real remedy for this problem is to simply put your art on the market and market it, even if you don’t feel it’s good enough or creative enough to sell it.
This provides a good learning experience and will help you accept the reality that art is not designed to be perfect. Although you may look at your main artwork and feel like it sucks, well, that happens to most, so accept and embrace it. If you really believe that your art requires some work, then you should keep practicing and participate in more courses that can help you develop further.
2. No one is buying my artwork
When you feel like no one is buying your artwork, ask yourself if you have a plan to achieve the required sales. What channels are you selling from, and what are you doing to make sure those places are generating some revenue? Are you regularly updating your online store? Are you selling your artwork to the right target audience? Are you promoting through social media and are you doing it efficiently? Let’s take a deeper look at each of the following queries and discuss them individually: In order for you to come up with an ideal solution for this problem, you need to be willing to find where your problems lie and resolve them as quickly as possible.
Personally, I don’t freely sell my art to anyone because there needs to be value and respect for my creations, so finding the right buyer is a constant challenge. You don’t want to sell your art to someone for pennies and find that your masterpiece has been left in the basement and gathering dust. If you are marketing your collections at a more affordable price, invest in selling fine art reproductions/prints.
3. I don’t have a plan for my sales
In order to get more sales, you must have a plan on how to achieve them. Having plans/blueprints keeps you focused on your mission and helps you reach your goals faster as you have a better vision of where you will go based on said plan. If you don’t have a plan; then this could be the reason why you are not selling enough artwork.
Another good option would be to see other artists and how they market their artwork. It does not always require you to sell in galleries or markets. These days you can upload your art to many platforms that can help you sell.
4. Not knowing how to take advantage
If you are marketing your artwork independently, you need to make sure you have multiple means of doing so. This guarantees that you have more opportunities to get money as well as that your projects are better seen. In case you only trade at the same time either offline or online, you need to work on some other channel/income stream. This could range from marketing your art in various places online or offline, receiving commissions, and licensing your art. It’s exactly like that popular phrase: don’t put all your eggs in one basket!
5. Wrong target audience
You need to have a concrete idea of the type of people who are likely to buy your work. We refer to this as your “Target Audience or Market” and it is used to classify who your actual buyers are. If you haven’t thought about who your target audience/market is, start asking your friends and family for feedback first. Once you can identify the type of people who prefer your style of painting, drawing, or sculpture, they will become your target audience. You will need to market your products to the same age group, gender, demographic, and lifestyle preference as your initial research. Simply put, if your painting style is pop art, it more likely suits millennials than baby boomers. Therefore, you need to start creating and marketing specifically for this group.
6. Not enough online presence/social media
Whether you market online or offline, you may be missing out on a lot of prospects if you’re not promoting your art on various social networks. Suppose you are, even though you’re not getting enough participation or results from it. If so, you should ask yourself if you are doing it correctly, that is, are you posting at the right time? And are you posting the right content or projects? Are you aware of how often you should post on a social media platform? It may seem like a lot; however, once you acquire all this social media data, it will be easier for you and the best investment of your time as you will get amazing results.
7. Nobody supports my artistic career
Many artists and creatives have family members, loved ones or friends who are not supportive of their artistic career. Such a reason could be because they don’t see it as a promising career, and don’t realize how he would advance or sustain himself from such a venture, and to be blunt, they just don’t get the whole picture/scene. We can even assume that they are worried about you, since it is an area that is totally unknown to them. The best way to get them on your side would be to tell them of your plan. Discuss with them how you intend to earn money and let them know what you will do for a living. If you have a plan, then it would be great to reveal it to them and point them to other existing artists who make a living from their art. Through this, they will have a better vision and understand that this is a viable career prospect.
Your art business can be rewarding in many ways, however, it comes with many risks and sacrifices. If you are willing to follow through on your plans and invest your time and energy in developing and solving problems, it can be quite a rewarding career. Remember to ask for help from those who are willing to offer you guidance and knowledge.
