5 Tips for Marketing and Selling Your Art on Instagram Like a Pro

12/19/2019

Market and Sell Your Art on Instagram Pro Tips

Why is Instagram such a great online platform for artists? What are some essential tips for working artists starting on Instagram? Why is it important to build up a following if we're intending to make a consistent income from our work and how does one even go about starting to grow one from scratch?

I sincerely believe that there's never been a better time to be an artist.

With the Internet and so many online platforms/tools available to us, it's easy to both connect with other artists and start getting our work known by possible collectors all over the world.

We can literally set up our own website or online shop in a matter of minutes and start making our work or services available for visitors.

This said, something I quickly came to realize after having left my last 'normal' full-time position and starting my own online business is that, it's one thing to have and use all of these amazing tools and it's quite another to actually make them work for your career as a professional artist.

As I shared in this past blog post, there's a lot to learn and start implementing in your online efforts. There's a strategy involved, and it's not just about mindlessly posting your work.

While we're building up our artistic skills and finding our voice, we need to be learning about marketing and actually putting to use these strategies we learn about.

It's only through actually experimenting for ourselves over a certain period of time, that we can conclude whether strategies are working for our specific artistic goals or not.

For most of us, it can not only take time to see sales coming in, but the process can be frustrating and quite overwhelming, as there's so much to learn about and so many options.

This is especially the case when we're just getting started.

Over at my YouTube channel, I've shared videos in which I'm very honest about what it has taken for me to get to the point I'm at, and have provided lots of practical advice for aspiring artists.

With my innermost group over on Patreon, I'm even more candid about my life as an artist and share the inside tips that have worked for me as I continue building my income online.

As I've mentioned in past blog posts and videos, as artists we are creative entrepreneurs. We're business owners.

It's important to understand that we're looking to sell products. Meaningful, unique products. But products nonetheless.

And just like any other business out there, it's essential to build up our brand and work on a message that is meaningful and unique to us.

To succeed as an artist, we must build up an audience (whether it's online, offline or both is completely up to you and your goals). We want to create connections with people who resonate with our work, our story and our message.

You may be able to sell a piece or two here and there out of luck, but it's these people who resonate with us deeply, who'll be not only cheering us on, but will also be coming back for more when we release new artwork.

I really believe that, the sooner we ease into marketing and sales, and actually see them as a fun, creative part of our work, the more successful we'll be.

Katherine Belle, who works as special contributor for Enjoy Canvas, will be sharing several essential tips that will help us make our Instagram account a success.

Katherine is obsessed with interior design, and is a pro at creating and sharing content online that is valuable for readers.

Let's get into her article!

5 Tips for Marketing and Selling Your Art on Instagram Like a Pro

Instagram has completely changed the way people buy and sell products (and services).

Literally, anyone can start selling via the Internet now-a-days. This is awesome because this means we don't have to sit through endless days wondering how we can grow our art business and sell more work.

It's all about how you market yourself and your art, which requires you actually interact with people and grow an engaged online community (your audience).

As long as you focus on sharing valuable (inspiring, educational, entertaining) content for your audience, stay consistent, and apply a few key tips, your account will grow.

And though this may take time, the opportunities that can come from your efforts are definitely worth it.

Instagram is one of the best social media platforms for artists due to its highly visual nature and it's ability to display a curated portfolio of your work to your visitors. 

Over the years, it has become the ideal social media platform for artists, right next to Pinterest.

Transforming Your Instagram Feed into a Source of Revenue

You worked hard on it. You poured your heart and soul into your artwork, and now it's time to reap the benefits that you deserve.

When it comes to marketing on Instagram to sell your brand and your artwork, it all boils down to growing an engaged fanbase and consistently networking within the art community (your followers, other artists and brands, etc.).

Remember the social aspect of social media and don't just post or try to sell and leave, but focus on asking questions, leaving valuable comments and creating connections.

You can pick up many more tricks of the trade along the way. But for starters, consider these crucial tips to apply once you have your Instagram account up and running.

1. Develop Your Brand

Branding has taken on so many meanings and contexts over time.

For artists looking to build their brand on Instagram, it's all about posting meaningful and inspiring content, while staying consistent both in terms of posting frequency, as well as the kind of content that's been shared.

Basically, you need to think of a theme that'll unify your posts, which can be related to your artistic style, the message that you want to share with the world, or other aspects pertaining to your artistic life.

It's a given that people's attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, and there's lots of competition online. This is why its essential to start developing a unique brand that transmits who you are as an artist.

Try browsing across Instagram through notable people in the art community. Study each of their feeds and their brand's look and feel. Take notes.

Pay attention to how they construct their bio, make their contact information available for possible costumers, and to the quality of content they share.

Notice how most of them make it a point to share content that their fanbase will find valuable in some shape, way or form. And how it's always related to what they're passionate about and are offering to the world.

You don't always have to share finished pieces! Share inspirational quotes from famous artists, pictures of your work in progress or your working area, sneak peeks of your drawings or paintings, your favorite supplies...

The possibilities are endless!

2. Put a Bit of Soul Into Your Captions

For the most part, your followers already know that you're on Instagram to sell your art, apart from sharing it with the world. But you must remember that simply posting a picture of your work with its name and price, and expecting people to buy isn't going to get you anywhere.

It's not creative. There's no hook.

You're not giving people a good reason to purchase your artwork. There's no story or connection with you, the creator of the piece.

And though, you might get lucky at some point and sell a piece to a customer just because he/she thinks it's beautiful, your true collectors (those who'll want to buy your work time-and-time-again), buy because they connect with you and your personal story.

Don't like writing or feel that you don't write well? You don't need to write a long novella to transmit a story. A few sentences and your own heartfelt feelings are more than enough.

Let people know about your process, your inspiration. Tell them the story of how this particular piece came to be.

People connect to emotions, and by getting good at sharing your story and message from the heart, you'll start attracting the right people.

Yes, you need to transmit that your work is up for sale, but never forget to bring your creativity into it and actually transmit your passion for what you do.

Click on image to visit original source over at pexels.com.

3. Use Hashtags Strategically

In digital marketing, hashtags double as maps and street directions.

Hashtags are what make it possible for others to find your posts. They make the content you upload discoverable, which is an absolute must in an already saturated platform.

By using hashtags strategically and implementing best practices, you'll keep growing your audience consistently. Never forget them in your posts!

You'll want to stay up-to-date with tips and recommendations from Instagram specialists like Alex Tooby and Vanessa Lau, as algorithms change as months go by, but here are a few key tips to get you started:

- Use the Instagram search bar to find hashtags that are related to the type of art you share.
-Try to be specific. Instead of doing #watercolor, add #watercolorlandscape or #watercolorportrait, depending on what you're sharing.
- Find other artists who have large followings and take note of how they use their hashtags. How many do they use? Where do they place them within their post? Do you see any hashtags that are used repeatedly?
- Create a list of the best hashtags you find over time, but don't always use the same group of hashtags in all your posts. Switch them around, add or subtract to them, depending on what it is you're sharing.
- Only use hashtags that are actually relevant to your post.

And lastly, create your own brand-specific hashtag! Make sure to use it frequently and encourage your loyal followers to do so as well whenever they're talking about your brand on Instagram.

4. Think of Ways to Make Your Feed Engaging and Dynamic

Though all social media platforms are different and the things that work well in one might not work well in the other, there's one thing that is essential in all of them in order to make your account a success.

And this is engagement.

Constantly give thought to ways that you can use the tools Instagram provides, such as Story features (stickers, questions, polls, etc.), Instagram TV, and create engaging content in regular posts so that your audience can participate.

Think outside of the box and make it easy for them to relate and be able to respond.

Ever tried doing art challenges such as sharing a new piece every day?

What about sticking to a particular style or subject for a month or a whole year and consistently bring people into your process and artistic progress?

Let people into your artistic journey!

Whatever you do, don't forget to keep things positive, fresh and fun.

People are looking for positivity and are more likely to want to see more from you if you keep things inspiring for them.

Give them a reason to keep coming back.

Never underestimate the power of creative content, whether that's on your IG feed or on Instagram Stories.

5. Track and Monitor Your Progress

Because you'll be using your Instagram account to promote your artwork and grow your art business, it's important to switch to a business account.

Don't worry! Switching from a normal to business account on Instagram is easy (and can also be easily reverted).

By switching to this type of account, you'll be able to have special insights into your analytics.

This means you'll be able to learn about the demographics of the people who are following you (age, location, gender, etc.), how your interactions are growing over time, the amount of clickthroughs to your website or shop, what times and days your audience is most active on the platform, and more!

This will allow you to objectively implement new strategies and shift away from what's not working, which will lead to faster growth.

Remember, your art business on Instagram is as much a display of your passion as it is a way to make a living. And because of this, it's important to make strategic efforts and continuously assess whether what you're currently doing is working.

Before posting anything, ask yourself if you'd find that content valuable. Also, always consider if your efforts contribute to your end-goal of growing your audience and making a living from your work.

On a final note...

Instagram can do wonders for launching your artistic career and getting rid of the need for galleries or big-name critics to tell you whether you can succeed or not.
But most of all, it's helping artists develop meaningful connections with possible customers and other people of their profession as well.

Instagram is, indeed, a beneficial tool and can be an incredibly effective marketing weapon. All it needs is knowledge on how to wield it.

Now it's your time to build your brand and become the successful artist you were always meant to be.

I'd like to send out a huge thank you to Katherine for so generously providing all of this helpful information for us and inspiring us to get our work out there!

Visit enjoycanvas.com for tons of ideas on interior decor and transforming spaces with art.

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Thanks so much for reading!

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7 Useful Tips to Market and Promote Your Art

9/11/2019

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If you create amazing art and share it on social media, sales will start rolling in, right? What does it really take to start getting your work and name out there as a professional artist? What marketing tactics work for artists in today's world?

As I have shared in past blog posts and YouTube videos, being a full-time artist and making regular art sales involves way more than shutting ourselves in our studios, consistently producing work and blindingly sharing on social media.

Studio time is absolutely essential, don't get me wrong.

However, so is creating meaningful connections, as well as making time to learn about business strategies, marketing and sales. At least this is the case for all of us who want to get to a point at which we're making a livable income from our work/artistic skills.

As artists, we are creative entrepreneurs.

It's imperative to make peace with the fact that we're business owners and that we're selling products and/or services.

Meaningful, unique, impactful products that we should be proud to share with those around us!

No matter how skilled we are or how amazing our work is, sustainable success implies learning about business, staying on top of boring and tedious tasks we may not want to do (such as accounting and taxes) and creating connections with other artists/art businesses/art lovers. All this has to be done while consistently producing new work and getting our message out there in a way that is professional and coherent.

This may not be something us introverts want to hear, but we need to be able to talk about our art, too. Repeat customers or collectors buy our work because they establish a connection with us, the creator of the piece, not only because the artwork is nice to look at. And we want repeat customers!

There's a lot to learn, for sure. And it can certainly be overwhelming, as well as frustrating, when we're putting in so much work and not getting the traction we're hoping for.

Learning from other artists who are farther along in their journeys, as well as from creative business experts has been a huge factor in me being able to grow both my artistic skills and my online presence, which has led to exciting opportunities and sales. And though I have a long way to go still, I'm very thankful that we have access to others who so generously share their advice with us.

Today we have an article contributed by Erica Martin, who creates educational content for ArtworkAbode and has 10 years of experience in creative writing, Graphic Design and the online world. She'll be sharing seven key things that artists should make sure to start and/or continue working on throughout their careers that will help ensure greater, sustained success.

Without further ado, let's get into her article!

7 Useful Tips to Market and Promote Your Art

Unfortunately, there are a lot of artists out there that want to make an income from their work, yet don't know enough about business, or show any interest in learning about it.

Oftentimes, they associate negative emotions like shame or fear when it comes to business and selling, and refuse to see them as areas that can be creatively fulfilling and can grow alongside their artistic skills.

Marketing and sales are instrumental in an artist's career and success over time, and the sooner one is able to embrace them, the sooner the success will come.

I've met artists that don't even know how to price their work! Some have no idea how to earn a profit from their paintings and end up losing money on sales. Others drive away potential buyers by overpricing their work.

In Erika's blog post titled Essential Tips on Taking Art Commissions, she explains two common methods used by artists when pricing their work, as well as many other important points that will help you keep healthy relationships with clients.

Here are seven key things to start doing to market your art and begin gaining the experience/connections you need to grow your brand and make sales more consistently.

**1. Get in Touch with Galleries, Businesses or Event Organizers that Could Provide a Space for You to Physically Share your Art**

In the art world, it’s essential to create meaningful relationships and network on a regular basis. Not only with other artists, but also with people you could work with or could offer valuable opportunities to show your work in the future.

As tempting as it may be to spend all our time sharing on social media and online communities, nothing will replace connections we create in person, especially when we're just starting to get our work known and gaining expertise.

It’s important to approach gallery owners or venues that can provide a space to display your work, as well as establish strong communication with possible collectors who have already bought from you or have expressed interest in your work.

We cannot just connect with other artists and expect to make sales this way.

Visit as many art shows or related events as you can, whether you're displaying your own art or not. Have updated marketing materials such as business cards prepared at all times.

The more events you visit, the more people you will meet, and the more likely opportunities will come your way. It's as simple as that.

If the idea of networking makes your skin crawl, try to look at it as opportunities to meet like-minded creatives or art-lovers. Do your best to stay open and always approach every new person thinking how to can provide value to him/her, as opposed to what he/she can do for you.

Be on the constant lookout for art-related events, opportunities to participate in art shows/markets, and even competitions or juried shows (if that's your thing).

Charity events, non-profits, restaurants and small businesses can also provide great opportunities to start getting your work out there.

There are also artist associations or clubs where you can meet a lot of peers. Through participating in such groups, you can learn important business tips that have worked from others, as you simultaneously grow your artistic skills and stay motivated.

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Visit the Artist Merch Studio shop on Etsy!

2. Build a Strong Social Media Presence as a Professional Working Artist

Now-a-days, having a strong social media presence is basically essential for all kinds of businesses.

If artists don't have a professional-looking website that is updated frequently and aren't consistently sharing their work/message (in a professional manner) on social media, they are missing out on opportunities to create connections and make sales.

You can’t just close yourself in your room and think that your art will magically find its way to other people!

Luckily, social media is available for everyone. Even those who don't like the idea of investing in advertising. All social media platforms give you the option to build your profile or professional page where you can share your work and engage your target audience.

What’s even better is the fact that most social media platforms come with some basic analytics you can use for free. These tools can help you learn about who is interested in your work and help you define your target audience better, which is very important.

Experiment and do research to learn about what works on each social media channel because they are all quite different. I'd recommend to explore a few different ones that you feel called towards, and then limit yourself to a couple that you feel work best for your particular situation.

Become an expert at those and stay consistent so that you can grow your communities. You'll need an audience in order to start selling your work.

Make sure that your online participation shows you in a professional light and that you are including links or contact information everywhere. People need to know what you offer and how to contact you at all times. Follow best practices when you're creating your profiles and pages.

With ever-changing algorithms that share our posts to our followers less and less, it's even more important to make sharing quality content a priority, as well as staying up-to-date with changes.

Finally, remember that social media is meant to be "social". You want to engage with people who ask you questions and show interest in your work. It's all about building those relationships, and not only about constantly sharing or selling. You never want to appear spammy!

3. Strengthen Your Art Portfolio and Make it Available for Others

All artists need to have a strong, updated portfolio where possible customers/clients can find their work easily.

It's important that your portfolio shows your art style and includes the kind(s) of pieces you're personally interested in working on. Remember, that it's important to commission yourself.

Always be working on personal projects that excite you and make your style shine, even when you aren't having others commission you.

Carefully curate the work you include in your portfolio. As you continue progressing in your career, weed out the projects that no longer serve you or make you shine in your best light.

Make sure to include information like size, title, medium and, if the piece is available for purchase, state the price.

Write an Artist Statement describing/contextualizing your work and your story. Why do you feel compelled to create art and what sets you apart from other artists?

4. Build Your Art Blog

Building a blog (or YouTube channel) is one of the best things artists can do now-a-days in terms of online marketing, as these help you build a community around your work and your brand.

Not to mention a blog is, by definition, updated with new material frequently. This means it's one of the best ways to build a strong SEO online. I will not be getting into SEO in this post, but do know that it's an essential component behind making a website rank in Google.

Websites that aren't regularly "fed" with more content, don't have a chance of ranking when they have competition from bloggers who regularly create new content.

For any artist looking to set up an online store, knowing about SEO and keywords is key as well!

An artist's website should include a portfolio and a blog through which he/she can share the 'behind-the-scenes'. Through sharing special insights into their life and creative process, artists are able to establish deeper connections with their audience.

Let people into your process! Allow them to see the work that goes into creating your pieces and what fuels your projects.

Whenever you have new posts on your blog, you can share them on your social media channels of choice and continue feeding useful, inspiring information to your audience.

Slowly but surely, you'll build a community and create deeper connections.

5. Write a Creative Business Plan

Believe it or not, artists also need to have business plans. Don't get scared, though! They don't have to be overly complicated or extensive!

A business plan is a document which outlines all your goals, resources and actions you need to take to achieve set objectives over time.

As Erika shared in her blog post Time Management for Artists: My Secrets for Staying Consistently Productive, it’s not enough to have a vision – you need to build a smart plan and stick to it over time.

A business plan reminds you of what’s important and helps you stay on course. Some of the questions your business plan should give answers to are:

What are your short term and long term goals?
Who is your target audience?
What do you need to sell your art?
How many new pieces can you make every month?
How will you be sharing/promoting your work each week?

6. Regularly Revise Your Business Plan

As a creative business owner, you're going to be wearing many hats. You're also most-likely going to be plagued with new ideas (shiny objects) that pop up as you continue learning about all the moving parts in your business and try to take advantage of opportunities that pop up.

It's easy to get off-track and loose sight of your objectives.

It's important to review your business plan every so often to make sure you stay on course and continue making steady progress towards your goals. It's okay if you're going slow due to life responsibilities, just keep your artistic objectives in mind and keep taking small steps in the right direction.

A year from now, you'll be happy you pushed on!

Make sure to add both short-term and long-term goals to your business plan and make sure to assess whether you are achieving those goals. If not, revise and adjust.

Things don’t always go as planned, and there's nothing wrong with adjusting your strategy.

You're going to discover things that work and things that don't as you continue taking those steps, which means you're going to eventually have to make changes to your plan.

You'll discover factors you hadn't initially considered that are impacting your work towards your goals. Things you'll have to include into new versions of your document and continue working to improve along the way.

This is completely normal! A business is a living, breathing organism after all!

It's important to stay flexible. You may even find that new, exciting doors open up for you that take into into a path you hadn't even considered before!

7. Never Stop Networking with Art Lovers, Businesses and Other Artists

As we mentioned earlier, creating connections is essential and people need to know about what you do.

Start shouting what you do from the rooftops and growing that web of people around you that you could possibly work with, learn from or even support.

You'll go far if you make sure to come from an honest, inspired and helpful place.

Try setting a personal goal to attend art-related events once or twice a month, or whatever works for you're own situation. Stick with it over time and it'll do wonders!

Reach out to other artists online and join artist communities that will help keep you inspired and consistent.

Just remember to grow that web through both local and online actions.

Once you're able to establish a good network of people and others have gotten to know you as a reputable, hard-working artist, your work will start promoting itself.

Of course, this takes time and persistence over time, so don't get discouraged!

As with any entrepreneurial venture, it's important to stay persistent and to keep going, even when some opportunities don't pan out.

It takes time to build a name, but remember that everyone started at zero.

I hope this post was helpful!

Thanks so much to Erica Martin for so generously sharing all of this useful information with us. For more inspiring articles from Artwork Abode, visit their blog here.

Thank you for reading and I wish you much progress and enjoyment in your art journey!

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5 Tips for the (Serious) Self-Taught Artist

8/21/2019

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Do you need to go to art school to become a highly-skilled and successful artist? What experiences do art schools provide that being self-taught doesn't? As a beginner artist going down the self-taught route, what can I do to ensure steady artistic progress and get to a point at which I'll be able to actually sell my work?

Throughout the years, I've had the honor of meeting many successful artists both online and offline. Some of them did go to art school and some of them didn't.

There are highly successful artists who didn't go to university at all and took up low-paying/low-stress jobs until they advanced their skills enough and started making an income from their art sales.

There are artists who reach success later on in life, after having completed university studies and years of working in a completely different field.

There are others who did attend art school only to realize it was a total waste of time, as they had to learn all of the techniques they were personally interested in, on their own.

There are others who did go to an amazing art school that allowed them to advance their skills immensely in an inspiring and challenging learning environment, and also created great contacts that helped them fast-forward their careers post-graduation.

Finally, I've met people who went to art school and created breathtaking work, but gave up and started on a different path after they realized that making a consistent income from art involves learning about sales and marketing, as well as being willing to push past their comfort zones.

The scenarios are really never-ending, and there is no right or wrong way to go about it.

Every artist has to forge his/her own path, depending on his/her own goals, as well as the situation they are personally in.

You need to define what success means to you personally.

Does it mean being able to create artwork your proud to share, but not necessarily earning an income from? Perhaps just a side-income?

Does it mean getting your artwork shown and sold by popular galleries?

Do you want to get known on an international level and sell on your own terms?

Does it mean earning enough of an income through art sales that you're able to live comfortably? If so, what does living comfortably for you actually entail? How much of an income would you have to be making each month in order to live that way?

Today, I'll be sharing the five key things that successful self-taught artists do since the beginning of their journeys, which enable them to make faster progress in both their cold artistic skills, as well as their confidence and ability to share and speak professionally about their art.

But first, I'd like to clarify a couple of things.

I personally did go to art school. I was lucky to be given a scholarship and was able to attend a great university through which I learned from experienced professors not only in the Graphic Design field, but also from artists teaching (very basic) drawing, painting, silk-screening and photography.

It was through university courses that I learned about Art Fundamentals, how to talk about art, experienced what it's like to create an original project from scratch and pushed myself to see a piece through until completion, which is so, incredibly important.

I leaned about the importance of sticking to deadlines, managing multiple projects simultaneously and experienced what it's like to get my work critiqued by skilled professors who literally tore my work down in front of large groups (eeek!).

Click on image to visit original source on Unsplash.com.

This said, in terms of painting, which is how I make the majority of my income now-a-days, I'm mostly self-taught.

And though I'm thankful for having the opportunity to go to art school, based on my experience post-graduation, as well as what I've gathered from other artists who've I've had the chance of meeting, it's definitely not necessary to have an art degree in order to become successful.

Especially because, in today's world, we're able to experience and learn all of these things art schools offer through the internet. More specifically, through blog posts, video tutorials, courses offered by skilled artists who are willing to share their techniques and knowledge, and online communities.

This said, having all of this information and possibilities at our fingertips can often be confusing and overwhelming, especially when we're just getting started.

Many beginners don't know where to start or skip over fundamentals, just to be disappointed with their creations or with the fact that no one is liking/buying their work after they've put very little time and effort in.

Before getting into the tips, I want to briefly explain what being "self-taught" means to me, as there are different opinions on what this entails.

To be perfectly honest, I don't feel there's such a thing as a 100% self-taught artist.

Reason being, whoever is serious about improving in any field, will most likely be taking it upon themselves to look for material to learn from, whether it's books, videos or classes. These resources were, of course, put together by someone else and as consumers of such content, we're getting directly or indirectly influenced by them in some shape, way or form.

Most of us, even started drawing by copying other artists' work. In a sense, we were learning from other artists even back then, as we were replicating those shapes, lines, colors, etc.

Throughout our lives we've all been influenced by artists around us and were exposed to all kinds of art that were created in or before our time. And the artists who created that work were also influenced by artists around them and art that came before their time.

We're all influenced by others, whether we want to admit it or not. This goes for people who've been to art school or haven't been to art school.

We're all a wonderful mishmash created by the culture we've been brought up in, the people who've been around us throughout our lives, and the different kinds of art (design, music, literature, cinema, etc.) that have impacted us in the point and time we've been living.

For the sake of this post, however, I'll explain what I would personally consider to be a self-taught artist.

In my opinion, being a self-taught artist implies not attending art school, or any kind of academy in which a full art curriculum has been laid down for you to follow over a relatively long period of time.

A self-taught artist, for the most part, decides on his/her goals, searches for resources and learning material (whether it's books, workshops, classes, figure-drawing sessions, online courses, etc.) and goes through his/her own self-imposed "curriculum", so to speak.

Though an artist that did attend art school still has to continue doing all of these things after having obtained his/her degree in order to continue improving (the learning never stops), a self-taught artist didn't go through that initial "formal" training. *That formal training could have been amazing, or it could have been useless.

In my opinion, taking a workshop a couple of times a year, or following individual tutorials online, doesn't really count as formal or in-depth training (unless one takes a very complete course through which you're able to obtain direct feedback from the instructor).

Most likely, one-off workshops or stand-alone video tutorials will not lead to steady or significant progress unless the artist actually prioritizes his/her work enough to continue working consistently and complementing those classes or tutorials with other resources in a coherent way, depending on his/her current skill level and goals.

Short workshops or week-long art retreats are super fun, but usually, students are basically copying the instructor's techniques and are not taught Art Fundamentals, which are what will allow them to create original, visually pleasing compositions from scratch.

I know because I've taught those workshops. Because there's a very small amount of time, the instructor ends up giving his/her students the fish, instead of teaching them to fish for themselves.

The instructor's goal is (usually) to give you a taste of what creating art is like, and to facilitate an experience that will enable you to have a quick art win (oftentimes something pretty that you can take home). It's not to encourage you to find your own style or give you the tools necessary for you to make significant progress in your journey on an individual level.

Short workshops and video tutorials don't allow for adequate feedback on part of the instructor or deep conversations amongst students, which are key in order to improve at a deeper level. Oftentimes we're unable to see our own mistakes when we're just getting started. Not to mention, it's incredibly important to get used to sharing and talking about both our art, as well as art created by others.

Next, I'll be sharing five key things you can do to ensure you're getting the most out of the resources offered by the Internet and make faster, meaningful progress as an artist.

Click on image to visit original source on Unsplash.com.

**5 Tips for Beginner, Self-Taught Artists**

1. Don't ignore Art Fundamentals

Something I often see in beginners that fail to cover the basics, is that they're unable to create certain effects their looking to create, or end up very frustrated because their artworks don't turn out the way they see them in their heads and have no idea why this is.

Learning about Elements and Principles of Art, as well as Composition, Perspective, Anatomy Basics, etc., will enable you to create original, visually pleasing, powerful artwork on your own, without having to depend on other artists' work as inspiration.

The successful self-taught artists I've met made it a point to learn the basics and continue improving upon fundamentals as their journey moves forward. They understand that it's important to have a solid base to jump off from.

Learn them for free, pay for a course, do whatever you'd like, but never underestimate the importance of learning the basics. This will set you up for success and the knowledge you'll gain will permeate into everything you do and any kind of artwork you choose to create.

*Over at my Patreon membership site, I offer not only real-time drawing/painting tutorials, direct feedback from me on your work and live Q&A's, but also full classes on Art Fundamentals which cover all the basics you need to know as a beginner just starting out and much more for only $15 a month.

**2. Embrace exploration and enjoy the journey**

Oftentimes, beginners only give importance to the end-product and make very little time for studies and explorations. They jump straight to the canvas and/or judge their worth as an artist by how well the product turned out, ignoring the growth and self-discovery that can come throughout the creative process.

Successful artists, formally trained or not, understand that getting great at drawing or painting takes time and dedication, just like any other learned skill. They understand that there are gradual steps to follow, and that by learning certain skills first, and gaining confidence incrementally, they will be facilitating more complex tasks for themselves.

It's mind-boggling to me how many times I've had people reach out saying they're ready to draw someone's portrait in full-likeness when they haven't even taken time to learn basic facial proportions or have practiced drawing techniques that will enable them to recreate three-dimensional form and skin/hair textures.

While it's true that we have access to an immense amount of information online, most beginners don't know where to start and get lost because they aren't aware of the sequence they should be learning topics in, or how to break complex compositions or subjects apart in order to study them separately and ensure greater success.

*This is why I offer one-on-one, individualized classes via Skype designed around your own current skill level and goals. These classes allow me to fully focus on my students individually and I'm able to offer in-depth feedback, as well as provide specific assignments that help them stay consistent and make much faster progress. *E mail me to learn about my rates and availabilities. Spots are filling up fast!

3. Join some kind of artist group or community and try to obtain (constructive) feedback from artists that are a bit farther ahead than you are

As artists, spending time around like-minded creatives is essential in order to stay motivated and consistent. There's a large part of an artist's work that gets done in isolation, but we ultimately create art to share it with the world.

A local or online group/community will help you stay consistent, which is absolutely key if what you're looking for is meaningful progress. The Internet provides us with many different options to join art communities via membership sites, Facebook groups and online forums.

This said, the more public these groups are, the less likely you are to gain constructive feedback and support in a timely manner. Also, the more likely you are to come across people who will be very harsh in their judgements or comments, which can be detrimental for the beginner.

If you're looking to advance your skills for free, just make sure that you're taking your time to look for communities that are positive, constructive and inspiring.

As an email subscriber, you have free access to my closed Facebook group, Art in Harmony. This is an incredible community full of positive, engaged artists of all levels and mediums that are looking to help and inspire each other. I'm also there several times a week providing art challenges, drawing and painting tips, and inspiration. Join me and over 750 artists from around the world by becoming an email insider here.

Though it's very easy to share your work through social media channels and groups, and even get a few likes here and there, it's not that easy to get actual constructive feedback from artists that are further along in their journeys.

It's also through both obtaining and giving constructive feedback, that we improve and are able to practice our communicational skills. To become a professional and make consistent art sales in the future, we need to become better at talking about our work.

Why? Because the whole idea of "I'm letting my art talk for itself", will just get you so far.

Your audience needs to be able to connect with you. If they don't connect with you, the artist behind the work, you'll have trouble building an audience and making consistent sales.

Crafters Gonna Craft Artist T Shirt on Etsy

The Only Time I Feel Alive Is When I'm Painting Artist T-Shirt on Etsy

'Til Death We Do Art Artist T-Shirt on Etsy

Visit the Artist Merch Studio Etsy shop!

4. Stay consistent and stay focused on your goal

Arguably, being a self-taught artist requires more discipline than being formally trained, as you need to establish deadlines and working times for yourself from the very beginning. It is entirely up to you to hold yourself accountable and stay consistent.

It's important to understand that, as with all learned skills, becoming great requires consistency and patience. Though some artists may have been incredibly fortunate to have parents or family-members who were artists themselves and were thus able to develop certain sensibilities and skills at a very young age, none of us are born knowing how to draw or paint.

This is actually a good thing! It means anyone can learn to draw or paint.

This said, I know how hard it can be to make time for your art as a busy adult. Even as a full-time working artist, there are tons of things that need to get done and get in the way of actually creating art.

Whatever situation you're personally in ("regular" full-time job, kids, etc.), accept it fully, remain grateful and create practical, realistic goals for yourself. Commit to them.

It doesn't matter if you only have a short amount of time each day to work on your art. What matters is staying consistent over time and not giving up. Even a few 20-30 minute sketches several times a week will help you make progress.

In my blog post/YouTube video How to Make Time for Your Art as a Busy Person, I share the specific things I did to improve my artistic skills while I was still working at my last "regular", highly-demanding teaching position.

Remember there will never be a perfect time to do anything. If you want to succeed at the goals you set for yourself, it's going to be up to you to make them a priority.

5. Realize how far you've come and stay positive

As artists, we're often our own worst critics. It's easy to forget how far we've come since we started. It's important to acknowledge every-single-piece as a step in the right direction. Even if the outcome wasn't what you expected it to be, you're still moving closer to your goal.

If you keep going, in a few months you'll be lightyears away from the version of you who never got started at all. Lightyears.

Imagine the artist you can be a year from now if you commit and push forward.

I 100% believe that working on maintaining a positive mindset is an essential part of being a successful artist and being able to keep that success going over time.

During the actual creative process, remaining positive and believing in yourself is going to make it much more likely for you to actually succeed. If you think you can't do something, you probably won't be able to do it. The mind is a very powerful thing.

Remaining positive is also incredibly important throughout the tasks we do after or in between the creation of art, such as applying for art shows or galleries, sharing our work via social media, responding to feedback, selling our work, communicating with clients when working on commissions, etc.

The more you're able to stay positive in these kinds of situations, the more likely you are to be seen as a professional and reach sustained success.

A while back I shared a blog post/YouTube video in which I explain all the things I make sure to do on a weekly basis to ensure I stay healthy and productive as an artist. Read it here.

Finally, always believe in yourself and celebrate each and every little victory. Most importantly, celebrate yourself.

Though you may not feel like it right now, you are an artist and you are capable of doing whatever you set your mind to.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you found this helpful. I wish you tons of progress and enjoyment in your journey.

Become a Patreon community member to get access to:

-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Weekly sketchbook prompts to help you stay consistent and progressing your art skills
-Direct feedback from me
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Live Q&A sessions
-Live classes on Art Fundamentals and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!

*Click below to learn more!

Artistic Perfectionism and How to Overcome It

Drawing from Direct Observation Tips to Improve

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Should You Sell Your Art on Etsy? + 5 Vital Tips If You Decide to Go for It

6/21/2019

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Should I Sell My Art on Etsy + Essential Tips

Is Etsy a good online marketplace to start selling your art? What are the essential things to know about as a newbie just starting out on this popular platform? Selling art online is as easy as just uploading your work and waiting for the sale, right?

As an artist just starting to make the transition from selling my paintings locally to selling online, I know how confusing and overwhelming it can be to try to make sense of all the information available to us about selling art via the Internet. Even picking a platform to start on can seem like an impossible task.

What if we start on one and it turns out to be a huge waste of money, time and effort?

And there's so much to wrap our heads around, even beyond selecting a platform or marketplace.

We need to learn about online marketing, which is a monster topic in itself that consists (among many other things) of creating a personal brand, building up an audience, learning what works on different social media channels and selecting the one(s) that works best for us, as well as consistently sharing our work/message with the world.

We need to learn about taxes and accounting because, make no mistake, as artists we are creative entrepreneurs. If we want to get to a point at which we're creating a consistent income from our work, we need to start seeing what we're doing as a business and not be afraid of stepping into our entrepreneurial shoes.

As business owners, we must be willing to consistently step out of our comfort zones, accept that we need to pivot or try something new when things are not working, and not be afraid to invest in different parts of our businesses. For some of us, this may even include looking for specialized courses and/or coaching.

Finally, and most importantly, we need to consistently work on our mental and physical well-being because our brands/businesses are an extension of ourselves.

The more time I spend working on building up my own business (which consists of many things aside from selling art online), the more I find this to be true.

It takes a lot of mental strength and deep-rooted determination to stay persistent with learning and implementing. To show up everyday, even when things aren't growing as fast as you'd like them to. To keep believing in oneself and consistently providing value, even when negativity is thrown your way.

I find caring for our mental and physical health is even more important as artists because, not only is what we do so personal, but most of us are working on both our art and all of the aforementioned things alone. We don't have assistants or a team to share our worries (or even wins) with.

I share the specific things I do on a weekly basis to stay happy and productive as an artist in my blog post/YouTube video titled 5 Essential Self-Care Tips for Artists and Creatives.

Because of all this, I'm incredibly thankful that we have the opportunity now-a-days to connect with other creatives around the world and learn from people who are willing to share their experiences/knowledge.

Today, we have writer and seamstress Annabelle Carter Short, who's had her own handmade business for many years, sharing a lot of useful information about selling on Etsy with us.

Let's get into her article!

The Pros and Cons of Selling on Etsy + 5 Key Tips

by Annabelle Carter Short

Click on the photo to visit www.pexels.com

Many independent artists struggle to start selling their work. Not because they're not inspiring or creative, but because they lack an understanding on how to actually sell their art. If you're looking to make money off your art, consider trying Etsy marketplace for a start.

According to Etsy 2018 numbers, the platform has approximately 35.8 million active users, 1.98 million sellers, and over 50 million products listed for sale. With sellers all around the world, Etsy is a marketplace that is well-known for facilitating sales of arts and handmade products.

But, what are the advantages and disadvantages of selling your art through Etsy? And, is it right for you?

Advantages

• It is convenient and has a more accessible set up than building your own website or physical shop.

• Through the years, Etsy has worked hard on its branding. It is already trusted and respected by customers looking for handmade goods. This is a huge help for starting businesses that haven't yet built up an audience or fanbase.

• Etsy has a blog, forums and a lot of resources for users on everything from product photography, customer care, packaging, taxes, branding your shop and much more.

• This platform has a targeted customer base. The audience here is not looking for mass products, and not necessarily for the cheapest ones either. Uniqueness (and quality) is what will sell.

• You can open up your shop for free in a matter of minutes and the fees taken by Etsy when a seller uploads a new product, as well as what it takes when a sale gets made, are very low compared to other selling platforms (like Amazon and eBay) or setting up your own e-commerce website.

• When you get a sale, the money is transferred to you immediately, as opposed to other markets like eBay.

Disadvantages

• Etsy has frequent updates and you will need to always keep learning and adapting to change.

• Competition is fierce (especially for certain niches like jewelry, hair accessories, printables, etc.) and you cannot rely on the platform's search field to be your one and only traffic source. This means that you have to be very hands-on about sharing your work and growing an audience that you can promote it to.

• Though Etsy's fees are a lot lower than other marketplaces like eBay and Amazon, you will have to take them into account, as well as your shipping costs, when you are setting your prices.

• Having a shop on Etsy, means you have your shop on someone else's property. According to their Terms of Service, they can choose to suspend or close your store at any point in time if they feel you aren't playing by their rules. This means, you have to take time reading these documents carefully.

*Verdict

If you're looking to start selling your art online, Etsy is a great option. Through this experience, you'll be able to gain knowledge on the basics you need to succeed online like pricing, customer service, shipping, taxes, and marketing products effectively.

A lot of handmade businesses start on Etsy and move on to creating their own website/e-commerce store after gaining such experience and traction. Many of them keep selling on Etsy even after setting up their own independent shops, because they know the unique opportunities this presence can bring them.

To start on the right foot, you'll need to put some effort into understanding the platform, and how to maximize your business potential. As mentioned above, the competition is high, but that doesn’t mean there is no space for you. You just need to learn how to make people notice your shop.

Here are five essential tips for you.

1. Build your brand

To run a successful Etsy shop, you'll need to work on your branding. Branding is much more that just a logo.

Create and build a brand based on your target market and your unique offer. Besides the aesthetic aspects such your logo, color palette and the look and feel of your photos, you should also study which kinds of words and ideas you'll be using to communicate and connect with your audience.

What messaging can you use to transmit your mission and values? What sets you apart from your competitors?

Good branding is what will make people remember your business.

With your brand in mind, set up your shop for success by creating a cover photo, adding your bio, and even creating a welcoming video for your customers. Make sure to also include polices and not leave any fields blank.

2. Make your product stand out

Do your research and understand your market and competitors. Understand what is trendy, but don’t fall into the trap of doing what everyone is doing.

Differentiate your work by understanding what makes you unique. Maybe you use an interesting combination of art mediums, have a special process or an unusual source of inspiration.

Find what differentiates your products and place them in front of the right niche.

Think of ways in which you can share your process and thoughts with your potential customers so that they can connect with you and understand the hard work that goes behind the creation of your art.

Remember that you are just as important as the art you create and, most of the time, people will buy art because they connect with its creator.

3. Visuals are everything

When people are shopping online, they cannot reach out and touch a product, which is why high-quality images that show the product clearly and in different perspectives is essential.

You'll need to invest time in producing high-quality photos to display your work. Having a good camera and lighting is essential. If you're taking pictures of paintings, don’t forget to also use a tripod, since it will help to maintain stability, alignment, and focus.

Erika offers some great tips on taking quality photos in this blog post.

When creating visuals to upload, think of whether your artwork should be scanned or photographed. Smaller illustrations or even paintings that don't have texture can be scanned, while larger/textured paintings should be photographed.

Also, creating mock ups of your paintings or illustrations showing what they would look like hanging on a wall can really help a customer visualize what it would look like hanging in their home. If you don't have an area to set this up at home, you can buy mock up generator files through www.creativemarket.com that will help your work shine to its full potential.

Finally, consider looking into photo-editing softwares that will help you with color correction, as you always want your visuals to represent the product as truthfully as possible.

*Interested in starting on Etsy?
Open your shop and start uploading for free by claiming 40 FREE listings here!

Click on photo to visit www.pexels.com.

4. Be found

Like with any search engine, you should make time to learn about SEO and use keywords that will help you get found. Strong keywords will help your products show up in the shopper’s queries listing.

Make sure you're using them in your title, description and filling up all available tags. Brainstorm these keywords first, try to make similar searches and check results.

Title –Be specific and detailed in your title and use words that shoppers are actually typing into the search field (oftentimes these are very different from words we would use). Focus on using the strongest keywords here and stick to the 140 characters limit.

Description – Describe everything you can about your product. Think about possible questions shoppers would have and reply to them into this section. Don’t forget to mention your artwork size, medium, supplies used, care instructions, and any other relevant information.

Tags – Tags are a word or combination of words used to describe your product briefly. You can add up to 13 tags per item listing (use all of them!). Etsy suggests a few keywords to your tags, which you shouldn’t ignore! They are based on the audience’s searches to related products and are extremely useful. Without these tags, chances are your work will be hidden from potential customers.

If you need some extra help into deciding which keywords are best, you could try EtsyRank and/or Marmalead.

5. Get noticed

Every time you publish a new product, it will be displayed on the top of its category for some time. Use this in your favor and don’t upload all your products at once. Choose the best time, when most of your target audience will probably be scrolling on Etsy, and upload your products then.

Another way to get noticed is by driving traffic to your store through social media. Make good use of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and so on. Learn about what works best with each platform and select the ones that are right for you. These tools are the best solution to create awareness and engage with your potential customers.

Remember, social media is all about engagement, not only posting. Use them to create connections with potential customers and stay away from only promoting work you want to sell. Reply to questions, ask your own, and always think of what your possible clients would like to see.

Finally, start to learn about paid promotion to amplify your reach. Think of investing a small amount in targeted campaigns via Facebook and Etsy's own promoted listings and testing out different strategies.

Final Thoughts

Etsy might not be the perfect platform, but it's probably the easiest for beginners. You will have to learn about technicalities and selling strategies, but this is applicable to any other e-commerce platform.

Put some effort into understanding the algorithms, using keywords appropriately, having great photos, managing finances, and driving traffic through your social media. When you feel more confident, you could even open your own website and sell your products directly.

Annabelle Carter Short is a freelance writer and seamstress of more than 7 years. She’s passionate about selling on Etsy and starting a handmade business. In her free time, she likes to make DIY projects with her two kids. Annabelle also works with few organizations to provide the best resources for raising and educating a special needs child.

Follow Annabelle on Facebook here.

I'd like to send out a huge thanks to Annabelle for sharing her expert advice with us.

And I want to encourage you, fellow artist, to make time to establish your own artistic goals. Set a plan for yourself and get to it. Do whatever research you feel you need to do, but don't allow yourself to get stuck or overwhelmed with contradicting or confusing advice.

Take action and implement what you learn because otherwise, you'll never really know if that path will work for your specific situation.

Inform yourself, make a decision based on your gut feeling, and get to it.

As one of my business coaches always says:
"Clarity comes through engagement, not thought."

And even if a platform doesn't turn out to be the best for your own goals, you'll have learned a whole ton from taking action.

Finally, if you're passionate about your art and it's your dream to one day make a living from selling, step one is to get your skills up to a level at which you're able to offer original, quality work with confidence.

Helping aspiring artists progress their skills and find their voice is one of my passions, and I'm here to help in a variety of ways.

Become a member of the Becoming Artists community on Patreon to gain immediate access to content on Art Fundamentals, exclusive drawing and painting tutorials that I don't share anywhere else, as well as live classes and Q&A's in which I answer all your questions.

I'd love to help you out!

Become a Patreon community member to get access to:

-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Weekly sketchbook prompts to help you stay consistent and progressing your art skills
-Direct feedback from me
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics
-Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!

*Click below to learn more!

Drawing and watercolor painting tutorials on Patreon

Time Management for Artists Tips and Goal Setting Worksheets

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My 5 Favorite Podcasts for Artists

5/27/2019

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How does one go about making a living as an artist? How do working artists manage to juggle their art production, marketing, all of the administrative tasks that come with running a business and their own personal life? What does it really take to be able to sell art online? How can we deal with artistic burnout/creative block in order to keep producing consistently?

Podcasts and YouTube videos created by working artists and art-business experts have been invaluable for me ever since I first started planning on leaving my last "normal" full-time position, up until today, as I navigate the challenges of online creative entrepreneurship (while still teaching and selling locally). Today, I'll be sharing my top five.

Honestly, if it weren't for all of these amazing people sharing their own experiences and advice so generously, I don't think I'd be here today. I simply wouldn't of had the courage to leave my many years of working as an employee and starting my own art business.

Check out my past blog post/YouTube video titled How I Became an Artistpreneur to learn everything I did to prepare to leave my last full-time job.

I absolutely love listening to these podcasts as I draw or paint and I highly recommend all of them to anyone who's just getting started with selling their art or wants to make any amount of income through their artistic skills. All of these are both inspiring and incredibly useful as they provide practical, actionable tips to help get your art career up-and-running.

I talk more about each of the podcasts in this video and you'll be able to find direct links to all of them below.

If you enjoyed this video, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel! I share a new video every-single-Friday with art tips, drawing/painting tutorials and encouragement for aspiring artists.

Best Podcasts for Artists

1. Creative Pep Talk
http://www.creativepeptalk.com/episodes/

2. Art Biz Coach Podcast
https://artbizsuccess.com/podcasts/

3. The Jealous Curator (Art for Your Ear)
http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/art-for-your-ear-podcast/

4. The Thriving Artist
https://clarkhulingsfund.org/chfpodcast/

5. Beyond the Studio
https://www.beyondthe.studio/

Hope you enjoy them and find them inspiring and helpful!

Become a Patreon community member to get access to:

-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Weekly sketchbook prompts to help you stay consistent and progressing your art skills
-Direct feedback from me
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics
-Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!

*Click below to learn more!