Tags
abstract art, art, art selling, art success, Artist, artists tips, best selling practices, Colorful Art, how to sell art, how to sell art online, how to sell prints, modern art, print selling, selling art, selling art online, selling prints, sharon cummings, sharon cummings art, successful art business, successful art career, successful artist, successful artists
PSA for this blog means Promoting Sells Art. I am focusing on ONLINE PROMOTION.
Everyday someone says to me, “How do you sell so much art?”….”You sure are lucky!” or “I wish I could (fill in the blank) like you.”
The answer isn’t luck, magic or talent beyond compare. No no no. What you have to do is promote yourself. A LOT. This means being on various social media platforms actually interacting with other human beings. Liking their posts, commenting in a meaningful and sincere way and getting your work out there regularly. In means being grateful and saying “thank you” all day long. It means TIME.
“But I don’t want to waste all of that time on promoting. I just want to create. That’s what makes me happy.”
In a perfect World we would spend all of our extra time slinging paint, clicking that mouse or snapping that picture. But we don’t live in that World. The one we inhabit doesn’t work that way if you want to SELL YOUR ART. If you just want to have fun and don’t care if you ever make a single sale, then you are already set. Read no further.
All others:
Understand that I am a CAREER artist…Not a hobbyist. I don’t look down on people that dabble, do this for fun or just have a side hustle. I don’t look down on anyone. Selling my art is my ENTIRE source of income. So the stakes are high for me. I am willing to sacrifice more of my time than others. But I still manage to have a happy healthy life! I maintain a strong marriage, spend time with my daughter, (with Hubby) take care of a 10 acre homestead with 32 animals, exercise daily, go to church several times a week, read and go to my bookclub, hang out with my friends regularly, travel and visit family, travel for leisure a few times a year, AND create for 4 or 5 hours a day and I also do other things not listed. And I do it ALL without griping about the things that aren’t awesome. My life is REALLY HARD sometimes, but REALLY GOOD too. I am genuinely thankful for every day!!!
There are 24 hours in each day and I sleep for a solid 8. I spend about 3 hours TOTAL per day on Social Media…That leaves me 13 hours to do everything else. Yes 3 hours seems like a lot and I would much rather be CREATING during that time. But the REALITY of actually making SALES dictates more interaction on Social Media….Not just DUMPING posts and running away….But actually communicating with other human beings and cross promoting other artists. That is making me sales, growing my audience and getting me to where I need to be to make consistent sales.
EVERY real job I have ever had since the age of 13 required me to do things I did NOT enjoy doing. EVERY SINGLE ONE! Some required discomfort for many hours a day. Some ALL day long. 3 hours of Social Media time not only seems reasonable to me in light of my previous jobs, but I have found that my ATTITUDE has shifted. I decided to make Social Media enjoyable and that has made ALL the DIFFERENCE! Most of the things we complain about come down to our thoughts and beliefs about them. And thoughts can be changed. Try purposely changing your feelings about something. Force it until it becomes real. Most things are not near as awful as you’ve made them out to be and some can be quite lovely if you let them. Sure, there are days I am pressed for time and have to rush through cross promoting and doing any Social Media work, but overall, I am feeling enriched by the INTERACTIONS. I am making friends and learning more about my collectors. I no longer dread it, but look forward to it!
If you want to learn from an amazing group of artists who actively support each other, you are welcome to visit at the following link.
Abstract Art by Sharon Cummings 