Art is all about exploring, honing skills, and finding your creative niche. However, to begin earning money through artwork, one needs to wear a businessman’s cap. You might spend hours and hours creating every detail. But in the market, there are so many other artists like you. Your craft will be one among all their creations. Therefore, for a beginner, it is essential to have the right strategy to start earning money. And, once you find buyers and the target audience, you can have a steady source of income. Below we list the details of the ways to make money as an artist.
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Go Online
The best way to get noticed in the digital era is to have an online presence. By staying active online, you get to know the pulse of the market. It becomes easy to identify the target audience for your niche art. Social media pages, art websites, and stock agencies are the right place to showcase and sell art online. Along with original art, it is also possible to sell prints. Prints are no longer limited to photographers alone. Illustrators, painters, graphic designers, and sculptors can sell high-quality print copies of their original artwork. You can license your work through stock agencies and earn royalties for each sale that happens on it. Once you get sufficient recognition, you can directly start selling through your website. Also Read: Christmas Party Ideas That Can Make You Party A Special One
Work For Art Galleries And Magazines
You can learn the business of selling art when you work in an art gallery or for art magazines. You get to know behind the scene activities like art curation, workshop preparation, etc. You can draw inspiration from the wide range of artwork and meet fellow artists. You also come in contact with art lovers and customers. Thus, working on these platforms gives you insights into the industry. You get opportunities to network and can be realistic concerning the price range.
Utilize Social Media
Undoubtedly, social media is the best place to promote your art. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest – are the platforms available, and you will have to choose a suitable one and share the content in other media. Initially, you can follow the well-liked artists and check their profiles and interactions to understand how the medium works. It is also advisable to join artist groups on channels like Facebook. You need to post consistently high-quality, interesting content and put in efforts to gain followers. Then, you can add CTA buttons and redirect them to your website or e-commerce store. It is also possible to earn money through paid ads. Another popular way is to become a social media influencer. When you have thousands of followers, brands contact you for sponsoring their products, and you get paid for the promotions. Also Read:5 Marketing Tips for 2022
Network
At the beginning of a career in the art field, one has to work towards becoming recognizable. To directly sell your products, people must remember you. The more you show your face, the more memorable you become. Therefore it is necessary to go to art shows, attend workshops, etc. It is not easy for an artist to have a following and attain fame. One has to reach out in search of potential customers.
Networking is not giving friend requests or following people alone. One can strike up a conversation and maintain the relationship. People genuinely interested in your projects share details with their friends and like-minded people. Thus, increase the prospects of selling. It is essential to remember that you need clients to buy your artwork. And, when you have repeat customers, it implies that the source of income is going to be steady.
Create Blog/Youtube Channel
Most of the artists have their portfolio blogs. The advantage of a blog is you can showcase the work in your desired manner. There are no restrictions such as the number of words, video length, etc. Moreover, the traffic that you get on the blog has a higher chance of conversion. In social media, you have random visitors, but people who are genuinely interested and looking for artwork check the blogs. You monetize the blog through affiliate links, ads, and sponsors. After gaining sufficient followers, you can write ebooks, conduct virtual workshops, etc. To demonstrate the quality and features of the products, creating a Youtube channel is advisable. Youtube is more suitable for coaching purposes.
Email Marketing
It is one of the oldest methods of marketing in the digital world yet relevant to date. As an artist trying to sell your artwork, you should know who the target audience is. It is not possible to interact with everybody. You would meet enquiring about work but do not make a purchase. But you can remain in contact through mail and update them about the latest projects. Thus, you need to build an email list and include frequent visitors, art influencers, bloggers, news and magazine editors, etc. With regular emails, you stay in contact with interested people. You can inform them about the upcoming events and workshops.
Final Thoughts
Every artist cannot make money promoting your artwork. Fortunately, multiple channels are available today, and it is advisable to learn the different methods of generating money. The key is to continue doing your work without comparing it with other artists.
