Are you an artist worried that your skill is not sellable? Well, not only that you are wrong, but it is actually the exact opposite. Art business can be the most profitable business for you if done right. It is not only the monetary factor that drives this business but also the wholehearted love that the artist puts into his products.
A major misconception among people is that only “solution” products are marketable, without realizing how big the global art market is. In 2021 alone, this massive market was valued at $65.1 billion! Now all this money talk aside, let’s talk about can “YOU” be part of this market? Yes, you surely can.
I understand that artists have very little knowledge of business, as they are not really attached to the money side of it. That is why I have written a comprehensive guide for artists on how to start an art business. Follow these steps at your own pace to practicalize your dream art business idea.
1. Get the Right Mindset
Firstly, I congrats you on making up your mind that you can start your art business. The fear of the unknown is natural in our human selves, but it gets lessened when you are holding the hand of someone you can trust. Here, that hand would be mine, which will help you cross all your hurdles and give you a map to reach your destination.
What you will need to have beforehand before embarking on this journey is a commitment to stay motivated. Business, no matter what type, is never established in an instant. It might need you to grind, spend sleepless nights, and may even break you down at some point. Staying strong through these times will differentiate you from non-serious people.
2. Specify Your Niche
The application of human skill and imagination into practice is called art. And just as human imagination is limitless, art is too. You have to find the category that you like the most and then master it.
With so many options for the customers, they’d only like to have their work done by someone who only concentrates on his specific trade. And being someone who is just starting, you would not want to compete with so many people. As they say,
“Jack of all trades is master of none.” [we gonna ignore the rest of this for business’s sake, in the beginning at least ;)]
To sell art as a product, different niches can be like drawing, painting, handicrafts. There can be further art business ideas like landscape drawing, calligraphy, illustrations, sketches, etc. You can check my article about 31 drawing styles for beginners to get an idea of what you like. Once you’ve established yourself as a major player in one niche, you can then move to another more general one, and so on. The practical rule here is to move from smaller to bigger.
3. Master Your Skill
The competition in any market is more than it has ever been. Under such circumstances, the chances of a newcomer with mediocre skills starting his art business among the already established artist are not going to be an easy task. This is why you need to be the best of the best to stand a good chance in competing against the experienced art businessmen. However, the top is always empty, and that is exactly what you should be striving for.
Though the internet has made the competition high, it has also made it easier to compete by providing ease of access to thousands of learning resources through the internet. You can also connect to experts in your fields on different social media platforms. From learning platforms like Udemy, you can learn new techniques and skills.
4. Perform In-depth Market Research
After mastering your skill, now you need to market it. For that purpose, extensive market research is a must to understand the rates, in-demand products, and current trends and also to find new ideas to try.
Market research can be a physical visit to the art shops and exhibitions to see which artworks are showcased in the front, and which are being dusted in the back. This will give you a good idea of what is liked in the customers and what is not.
More over, there are now many online keyword research tools that can provide you the search volume of specific keywords. This, again, provide you the popularity of certain types of art among aesthetes. You can also find the location where your type of art is being searched the most, and then you can set your target audience to that region.
5. Learn From Your Competitors
Though the word “competitors” gives negative vibes, they are not necessarily your enemy. Rather, they can serve as torchbearers in your journey to the unknown. You can learn a lot by looking at successful art businessmen, and following their pathway to attain success. Similarly, you can learn from those who failed in art business, and avoid walking their path.
6. Learn From Your Customers
We all have heard that
The customer is always right
Now, how can we use this to our benefit? Just by doing what the customer is looking for, that’s it, that’s how simple and easy it is.
However, this does not mean that you should lose your own way to conform to the pre-set standards. Your individuality and uniqueness is what is going to differentiate you from other business in such saturation. This might even give you an entirely different target audience, which is just yours.
7. Learn from Yourself
Learning from yourself might sound like a bit of foolish advice. But what it means is that your business strategy should not be strict and stiff, rather it should be adaptable to given circumstances.
Blindly walking a path, because you saw someone else get success through it, is not going to help you. You need to understand what is working for you and what is not. This is one of those things that no one can help you with, and you will figure yourself out on your artventure journey because everyone is bestowed with different skills and pace to move forward.
8. Now the Business Talk
You’ve got the right mindset, and now know what you must keep in mind before starting your art business. But how to do business? It is unfortunate to say the traditional art market is dominated by big sharks, where a small fish like you won’t thrive. With a strong family background, good connections, or plenty of disposable money to market your artworks, you can be successful. But if you do not have any of these, then an online marketplace is the way to go.
To get started in the online marketplace, you need to have your own website. You can hire a web developer to make it for you, or you can simply build it yourself through WordPress, which is really easy to learn and manage.
You can apply themes of your choice to make it personalized as per your taste or art style. Once the website has been set up, then you need people to visit it, see your art, and do business with you.
9. Spread the Words
Business runs one of two ways; either the businessman goes to the customers, or customers go to the business. Though the long-term and more profitable is definitely the latter, but being a new art business, you must go through the former.
Today, the internet is the best place where you can go anywhere without even leaving your chair. Use the internet, and all the platforms available, to find your potential customers. Make business profiles on social media, and spread the word that another player is in town.
After finding your potential customers and give them offers so good that they cannot refuse. Making a portfolio of a loyal and well-pleased clientele can do wonder for you, as more and more people now check online reviews before buying anything from a business. Here is a guide that would help you have an idea of where to start and what to do:
So, a strong online presence is necessary to be successful in business today. And especially for an art business, which can be a fun play, rather than a strict e-commerce store. Your website can give the vibes of a colorful mesh, or a decent room of an artist.
Do It Now!
You are selling art. Your clients are there to have an experience, not some economic benefit. If you never compromise on your quality and deliver more than expected, then not only the customers will come again, but they will also help you in spreading the word of new art business in town.
If you think that your business will take off when you get your customer, then you are wrong, it’ll start when you will make up your mind that “I can do this”. And if you already have thought so, then without wasting any more time, start your Artventure now!
