Marketing Art
An essay on the best way to get rid of
some really bad art.
I have been asked via Facebook
Messenger about how one should go about selling art by a young artist
in India. First off, I am the last person that anyone should be
asking that question. I am terrible at marketing art. I always have
been. I always will be. That doesn't mean that I don't know how
others have gone about becoming very successful at generating an
income, indeed, a huge fortune, at marketing their art during their
life time. The first answer is easy. Do what sells. Marketing a lot
of art and making a lot of money has absolutely nothing to do with
creativity. It is about being a great con artist. Creativity entails
a level of honesty. Marketing art and creativity are diametrically
opposed activities. That is to say, the best way to make money at
doing art is to be as non-creative as possible and still create an
object that can be sold. That being said, skip the rest of the essay
because I have nothing to say that is going to help an actual artist
sell their work.
First off, I am the descendant of an
indigenous tribe of people that are commonly referred to as the
Cherokee Nation. The cultural and spiritual aspirations of this
indigenous tribe were never, are not, concerned with the accumulation
of material possessions. One only needed to strive for the basic
needs of survival. After that, all other efforts were focused on
either objects that were an expression of personal identity or else
communal cultural aspirations. Expression of personal identity could
be objects that were spiritual objects, like a Sacred Pipe, or
ceremonial regalia, like shell gorgets or bead work. One's status
within the community and society was never associated with the
acquisition of material goods. Creativity was a process and function
of spiritual intent. That remains a primary reason for me to do “art”
today. The concept of making a living by selling ones work, as in the
commercialization of creativity, is one that is imposed from foreign
social dynamics. Asking me how to sell art successful and make a
living at art is asking me how to function within the “white man's
world”. I really don't know and I don't care. The very nature of
the process is an act of cultural genocide upon the indigenous
peoples of Turtle Island (North and South America).
With all that disclaimer business out
of the way let's jump in and have some fun exploring how to make
money. Again, the less you say with your work, the easier it is going
to be to sell it. That is an important aspect of the current art
market. During the 1960's a number of artists emerged that sold a lot
of art and did very well at saying very little. Studying their
marketing strategy is the best way of figuring out how to make the
most money in the art world while one is a living artist. The best
way to make a lot of money from your art is to die, but that topic
should be left for another day. While I am raking the art market
through the mud, as only a matter of a passing nod to the reality of
how irrelevant it is to creativity and art, I should also mention
that I am the opinion that every art instructor and administrator of
university fine art departments should be arrested for embezzlement
and imprisoned for life. One can teach how to create art. One can not
teach creativity, nor does the “Art Academy” do a very good job
of teaching art students how to market their art. As one gallery
owner put it, becoming a successful artist (ie. Selling a lot of art
work, which is the only kind of success that a gallery owner is
interested in) is based upon three things. Who you know. Where you
show. Who you blow. One would think that this market strategy would
be gender inclusive, but I couldn't tell you. I've never aspired to
utilize this market strategy. There are a number of examples of
artists out there that suggest that this market plan is still viable.
If selling a lot of art work is what drives you, then know that
marketing art is hard work, but the good thing about it is that you
can pray while you are on your knees.
I suppose if one is going to go to a
university to study fine art and this person has aspirations of
selling their art work and surviving from it, then there is nothing
wrong with taking some classes in business management and marketing.
The first and most important thing that an aspiring artist should
recognize is that art is a business. A business needs to do
bookkeeping and spreadsheets. If you can't afford to pay someone else
to do this then learn to do it your self. Learn how to do marketing.
That's the question here, right? You aren't going to learn about
marketing in the same class as the one that teaches you how to use
turpentine to thin your oil paint down so it smears around faster and
easier and you can get a painting down in two hours, how long most
art classes last, or if you get really fast at it, you can get it
down to thirty minutes like Bob Ross. Be sure to add some Happy
Trees.
In the context of creativity, Bob Ross
would be a bad example. He basically did the same landscape painting
over and over again, with small variations, with techniques that
allowed him to work fast and create work within the time frame of a
television show. That was his art. He created an identity of being a
good presenter for television. It was a notable effort. He was a
combat veteran of the Vietnam War that started painting as part of
therapy for PTSD. His chatter throughout his television shows that we
all love so much is how one talks one's self away from the edge. He
didn't start out with aspirations of selling his paintings. He
started out with aspirations of engaging in activities that pushed
the rat-a-tat-tat into the background enough so he didn't do self
harm or hurt others. His wife realized that there was market
potential in putting him in front of a video camera and letting him
chatter away while he found some momentary peace. One of the best
things any artist can learn from Bob Ross is the importance of
getting good turpentine and have lots of paint rags about. Other than
that, one should never have any aspirations to replicate his success.
You really don't want to go through what he went through in order to
get there.
Self-replication is the name of the
game in the art market, and indeed, the art world. The Art Academy,
that exclusive cult we call art education, is all about
self-replication. Doing art that imitates your instructor gives them
this sense of validation that they are important as an artist, and
thus the student is rewarded with good grades. The best art
instructors are the best ass kissers, and since that's how they made
it in the Academy, they expect the same from their students. I got a
lot of C's in the university. I'll explain to you why that is later.
Pucker up, buttercup. Getting good grades in art class has nothing to
do with creativity. And speaking of, I've done a bit of reading about
what creativity is and it is all mystery. The Ancient Greeks
associated it with the Muses. Like creativity and inspiration are an
outside source and the artist can court the Muse. Actually Ancient
Greek literature didn't address painting or fine art back then
because this is all basically new activities among humans. Poetry and
theater, judicial matters, and government were topics of interest
with respect to the Muses. Along with composition, shading, priming
the canvas, learning to do lost wax casting sculpture, and so forth,
I took a class in aesthetics. It's a great field within the
department of philosophy that inspires learned pursuants to come up
with cleaver ways of saying that they have no idea what creativity
is. The Ancient Greeks put it best. Don't look under the skirt of
your Muse. She will get embarrassed and leave. That means; don't
spend a lot of time trying to figure out where inspiration comes
from. Just know that you either got it or you don't. Those that have
it, do it. Those that don't, teach it. I know a person who has
aspirations to be a great writer. He is very good with the craft of
writing. He lacks a Muse. He has made a good living as a journalist
and editor for other writers who were inspired but not as skilled in
the craft of writing. I can barely stand to read his own creative
efforts. Even his efforts at imitation of other great writers is bad.
The most important thing to keep in
mind with respect to great artists becoming successful is that they
didn't get there on their own. Learning how to file business reports
for tax purposes is a good skill to learn as part of learning to be a
professional artist, so when you do generate enough cash flow from
your efforts and you can hire someone to do the accounting and
bookkeeping, you'll know how to read their reports and know when they
are doing a bad job. Willie Nelson trusted his accountant and got ran
through the wringer because his accountant was charging him for
income taxes but put the money in his own pocket instead of sending
it to the IRS. Knowing how to write a hit song and knowing how to
read a balance sheet aren't taught in the same class. If making money
from your art work is your primary aspiration then the best thing
that you can do as an artist is poke your eyes out and make a living
as a beggar. You'll make more money.
There is some great art out there and
the art market is the number one financial market where a lot of
funds are being exchanged without any oversight or regulation. Among
the living artists that are selling a lot of art through galleries,
if that is the path that interests you, see the marketing plan I
pointed out earlier. The meat market is alive and well in the “art
world”. Meanwhile, there are a number of artists who have been very
successful, success being defined by their bank accounts, without
going through the process of the “3 who's”. Well, one of them is
where you show, but anyway. There are a number of artists who have
made a few million selling their paintings, and prints of their
paintings, who never had a show in Paris, London, or New York City.
Seascapes have been one of those subjects that sell like hot cakes.
It's a bit like Bob Ross with sand and incoming tide. Finding a
subject matter that sells easily and doing a lot of them is one way
to make money. The conflict with creativity in doing this is a
discussion for another day. Like when I was visiting a Native
American artist in New Mexico who talked about his struggles to
survive and provide for his family from his visionary art, while
comparing his life and career to a peer that he had gone to collect
with at the Sante Fe Art Institute for Native Americans. That artist
did the typical tourist art of landscapes with pueblo scenes and made
a few million. He decided to drop out of that market and do his own
work. The kind of work that he was inspired to do when he first
started in college. After six months of this he killed himself. The
Muse of inspiration was gone and all that money and financial
security didn't matter. Poke your eyes out. Really.
The second worse thing that can happen
to an artist who is talented and inspired, after they don't poke
their eyes out, is to become famous. Fame kills creativity. Fame
demands stability and stability means that you avoid innovation and
self-replicate yourself, over and over, until you croak. Defining
success is a tricky business. It isn't about cash flow and market
value, obviously, unless you fancy yourself a cross-disciplinary
artist/porn star. To be a successful artist you have to complete the
next work of art. Given all the forces at play to squelch creativity,
functioning in a creative manner and getting work done is a success.
That's the reality of creativity. There's a bit of a gap between a
successful artist who is still doing art ten years after they get out
of college as opposed to the market concept of successful. Being an
artist is a tough reality. There is no fast track to success like one
might find in other career choices. It's a lot of hard work and being
at the right place at the right time, shaking a lot of hands at art
openings, and marketing. Marketing is basically story telling. You
have to have a good rap. Go hang out with street artists who have
easels set up painting while they have a display of their work behind
them. Listen to them talk to potential customers. They know how to
hustle. They can't sell paintings for thousands of dollars on the
street so they do a lot of work fast and sell it cheap, fast. Listen
to their rap. This is the blue print for your market strategy.
Patrons love a good story to go with their acquisition from a living
artist. If you don't have a story ready for every painting, you won't
sell art. Selling art face to face, whether to studio visitors, at
street markets and art fairs, or in galleries, is the most satisfying
way to make a living. That doesn't mean you don't pursue gallery
representation. The trade off is that they take a big chunk of sale
but you sell more work that way. You derive more income by having a
gallery sell ten paintings than you do by selling one painting
directly to a patron. Learning to navigate through the gallery scene
is a whole other class that you won't learn from a college professor.
You have to beat the pavement and get out there. Go to gallery
openings. Eat the free food. Go easy on the free wine if you indulge.
Patrons love watching an artist make a fool of themselves after they
get drunk at a gallery opening. That's one of the reasons they go to
openings. They love to watch you fall all over yourself. That doesn't
sell art. Yours or the other artist.
The most important goal of marketing
strategy is learning how to develop a patron base. That's marketing
101. You need patrons. You will need to start out small. Small means
paintings that you can carry under your arm. Small means a lot of
drawings. Early on in your career you will be selling a lot of
sketches and drawings. Be careful and don't sell the ones you need
for studies of major paintings when you can afford to do one and have
the patronage to support the effort. Do a lot of small drawings and
paintings. Sell them at a price that keeps them moving. Don't
undersell them below their value but don't expect to win the lottery
at it either. The best way to price your work is to go to art fairs
and galleries and see what the market is supporting. It breaks down
into several categories. The medium, the size, the actual work, your
age, and whether you had to get down on your knees to make the sale.
Pricing art is complicated. Sometimes you sell more art if you double
the price because the patrons are going to brag about how important
the work is and they never brag about how cheap it was. Understand
that about your patrons. They are supporting you. Not looking for
bargains. It's a strange market and the psychology of it all is very
different from selling refrigerators.
Keep in mind that moral support from
family, friends, and peers is not the same as developing a patron
base. Your mother may have some great ideas that she wants you to
paint but she isn't going to buy those paintings. A few drawings here
and there are okay, but having a fan base is not the same as a patron
base. All those other artists that click the “like” button on
your social media page aren't going to buy your work. A thousand
“like” clicks won't buy a gallon of milk. Enjoy the moral support
but don't confuse this to be a marketing strategy for one minute.
Patrons have their checkbooks out and are writing in them. Some of my
best patrons have never clicked the “like” button one time.
I'm a slut when it comes to marketing
my art. For the right price I will do anything. You want an oil
painting of your dog? $20,000.00 up front and the balance as per the
contract and I'll start first thing tomorrow. I may be a slut but I'm
not a cheap whore when it comes to my art. Art is serious business.
Commissions are a great way to earn a living as an artist. Learn what
a good contract looks like and use them. Handshakes work sometimes
but the bigger the price tag, the greater the need for good
paperwork. People love to con artists out of their work for some
reason. We are supposed to be stupid when it comes to business
matters and we live up to that reputation in so many way. I love the
story of an artist who was commissioned to paint a mural in a famous
actor's home. The price was agreed to with a handshake. There was a
basic understanding of what was wanted. The artist was provided a
small living space in the residence so he could live there and work.
He got meals provided. As he started to work the concept changed.
Changes had to be made to the mural. What was supposed to be a month
long project was going on for six months and the patron's teenage
daughter was having an affair with the artist as well. It was getting
complicated. Finally the artist packed up one day and left. He never
got paid. What sounded like a great situation to start with turned
into a nightmare. Maybe he even got sued for breech of contract for
not completing the project. Paper work covers all that. That is one
example of how artists have been ripped off for not doing good legal
paper work. Successful artists do commissions and that includes good
contracts that make sure they get fairly compensated at the end of
the deal.
I love the idea of putting my art work
on the side of a coffee mug. Some artists don't like that. Prints,
reproductions, T-shirts, mouse pads, sell it all. I love creating
bumper stickers. There have been a lot of artists who have made more
money from reproductions of their work then they have sales of
original work. One way to generate an income from your work is to
find a market for reproductions. Getting your art work on an album
cover is a great way to market your art. Do a contract. Make sure
your name and website appear on the cover. That's the difference
between a slut and a cheap whore. Don't give your art away for any
reason when it comes to multiples. If they make money off your work,
you should be making money also. Learn what copyright laws mean and
use them.
/When I was 20 years old it was
suggested that I seek out a relationship with a 50 year old heiress.
It was a serious suggestion. The only artists that get out of art
school and go straight to full time making art either have wealthy
parents or a wealthy benefactor (with benefits). The rest of us wash
dishes, wait tables, work construction, or find other jobs that drain
our energies and sap our creative urges until all those tubes of oil
paint stashed under the bed have dried out by the time that we are
thirty years old. That's the nature of the profession. A successful
artist is one who is still doing art at the age of thirty. It is a
hard life and tough reality. On the other hand, being an artist who
is still plugging away at sixty eight in spite of the lack of fame
and fortune, there are many reasons to hang in there and keep going.
Like I alluded to at the start of the essay, I'm doing art for
spiritual reasons. I want to do art that elevates everyone's
awareness, whatever that means. Welcome to the spirit world of
indigenous cosplay. One minute I might be talking about subatomic
physics and interstellar space. The next minute I might be talking
about Grandmother Spider and the Star Nations. It's all the same
thing. Just different names. I have a very definite reason for being
an artist. I like money. I don't have issues with selling art or
making money. I consider my work to be of value and anticipate
deriving financial compensation for my work when it goes to live with
someone else. But money and financial success doesn't define me or
serve as a value judgment about how good my art is. In order to
derive the best experience out of the creative process, resolving
those questions of identity and spirituality are going to be very
important. Your mother or spouse may not agree with your motivations.
That's part of the challenge of being an artist. Get used to it.
Success is signing a completed work. Do a lot of work. Small stuff
that gets the creative juices going but also don't be a purist to the
level you refuse to do stuff that is easy to sell early on. Flowers
sell easy. You want to make money with your art. Paint flowers. I
could have said that and skipped all this other stuff about blow jobs
and poking out your eyes. To those artists still reading this, do art
because it is the motivation and inspiration that the Universe has
provided. It is a sacred trust between humanity and the Universe. We
go into the Great Unknown and come back with inspiration to do
something that has never been done before. That sense of childlike
wonder that comes from this process is beyond material and financial
measure. To everyone else still reading that are curious about how
the artist goes about marketing, it's an easy mix of overlapping
models of counter-espionage, political science, insider trading, and
drug trafficking. We just provide the product. Love.
Oliver Loveday © August 15, 2021
1:40pm EDT
