If you’re an artist, then you know that having a successful art business is essential to your success. But starting one from scratch can be daunting — especially if you don’t know where to start. Luckily, there are some simple things you can do to help get your business off the ground. Follow these tips and soon enough, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a success.
- 1. Start with the end in mind
- 2. Know your audience
- 3. Build your brand
- 4. Create a website to showcase your work
- 5. Network and use social media to expand your reach!
- 6. Stay true to yourself and your style
- 7. Be patient, it takes time for people to find you!
- 8. Keep working to refine your work and business
- 9. Have a positive outlook
- 10. Don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth! You deserve it!
1. Start with the end in mind
Before you start thinking of the logistics, get an idea in your head of what it will take to get there. What kind of goals do you want for your business? How will you measure success (i.e., sales)? How quickly do you want to grow? These things will help determine the plan you create and let you set clear and attainable goals.
2. Know your audience
It’s important that you understand who you’re selling to and how to reach them, so get a good idea of who your target demographic is going to be. Do research on what they like, look at other businesses in the same field (or ones that inspire you), and start figuring out if you want to be selling at galleries, open studios, online or other venues.
3. Build your brand
Your brand is essentially what sets you apart from the competition and makes you unique — so take some time to figure out how you want people to see you. What do you need your art business website to say about you? What kind of feel do you want your branding to convey? What would make someone choose your art over another artist’s? These are all things you’ll need to figure out before you launch.
4. Create a website to showcase your work
This can be as simple as having a space on your own personal website to redirect people to, or it can be a separate website altogether. Regardless, make sure you have someplace where you can display your portfolio and ideally sell or share your work with others. You can also use this online presence for brand tracking and research purposes to monitor engagements with your audience.
5. Network and use social media to expand your reach!
It’s important that as an artist, you’re part of a community, and it’s good to be active in that community. Talk about your work, share your ideas and let them know what you’re up to. Social media is a great way to connect using images, but also videos and blog posts can help generate interest.
6. Stay true to yourself and your style
You should never try to sell something you don’t believe in or create something that meets the expectations of others. If it’s not a fit for you, then it won’t be a success. Stay true to your own style and only do work that inspires you — because if it doesn’t excite you, then nobody else will care about it.
7. Be patient, it takes time for people to find you!
Not everyone is going to stumble across your art business right away — and that’s okay! It takes time for people to find you. That being said, it doesn’t mean you should be idle in the meantime. Keep creating and doing what inspires you and keep sharing that work with others. If they like what they see, then there’s a good chance they’ll become a fan and come back for more.
8. Keep working to refine your work and business
Once you’ve started, keep going! The best way to learn is through experience, so take these opportunities to grow and see what happens when you put in the effort. Even if things don’t go exactly as planned, you’ll still have learned something and be better off for it.
9. Have a positive outlook
There’s going to be a lot of rejection in the art world — nobody succeeds without a little failure along the way! But in order to grow your art business, you need to have confidence that things will work out in the end. You’re doing what you love, so embrace the journey and know that even if things don’t go as planned, it’s all part of the experience.
10. Don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth! You deserve it!
The art market can be a tough place. The truth is that as an artist, you’re probably not going to get rich off your creative work — but that doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. So if someone wants one of your pieces, do some research and see what other artists are charging for similar pieces and ask yourself if you’re being fairly compensated.
So if you’re an artist looking to grow your business, use these tips to get started and don’t be afraid to put in the hard work. It takes time and effort, but eventually, you’ll see results. Keep creating art that inspires you and stay active in the community to reach new audiences. And most importantly, have confidence in what you do and charge what you’re worth!
