Three secrets to success - tips from a professional artist

1) Diversify Your Income Streams

Artists often think that the only way to make money is to sell originals in galleries, markets or other venues to fine art buyers – what they may not realize is that there are lots of opportunities to diversify their income streams. Artist can sell reproductions, teach classes, open Etsy shops online, coach others and do so much more to add different lines of revenue to their artistic business. It’s all about finding the many different ways that your skills apply to different kinds of customers – art may be your favorite thing, but it’s not the only thing an artist can do!

2) Maximize Your Image

Did you know that an artist has license over any image they create for their entire life +70 years? By presenting reproductions of images in different formats, an artist can maximize the amount of revenue there their able to make over the lifetime of a single image. Every artist loves to sell an original, but what they may not realize is that you can only do that once-if you take the time to create a reproducible image, however, you maintain your ability to continue earning income on that image for a very long time. As Sean said in her presentation, “you might sell your original to one buyer, but you will sell many, many reproductions over the life of the image”.

3) Reframe Your Art as an Asset

It’s really easy for artists to be very attached to their images – it’s your original work, and it represents a powerful expression of your personal thoughts, feelings, and creativity. A good professional artist, however, will reframe their art as an asset that can be bought and sold in many different ways. It’s always good to feel attached to your art, but by treating it as an asset that is designed to generate income, you change your perspective on the process of “selling” your work. If you can do that, sales of your work aren’t sensitive to the buyer-you’re more able to position your art as available for an entire community of people who may be interested in purchasing it in different ways, at different prices.

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