As an artist who sells work to the public, it’s essential that you think of the marketing of your artwork as a business.

Think about the word business – to me, all it means is just busy-ness – what you do in order to keep yourself inspired and curious about life; it’s just what you do from your heart with the skilled co-ordination of eye, heart and hand.

Never forget that any business is a profit-making enterprise that exists in order to make money. Your practice of your making is your art. The selling of the results of your practice is your business.

Yes, you do your artwork from your heart. But there is nothing wrong with being paid for the work you do: the hours spent at your craft, the years spent learning it, the years spent refining your skills all go into the game of supporting you to keep on going.

A starving artist is soon a dead artist, and somewhere down the line, you need to acknowledge that you cannot serve if you starve to death! Case in point: look at Vincent Van Gogh – how many wonderful paintings could he have given the world if he had not died penniless and insane?

After a 45-year up and down experience of being the epitome of the starving artist, which is now thankfully over, I know how it can seem like you can be swallowed up by a mysterious, complex, and often baffling industry.

The playing field isn’t level; the cards are stacked in favor of the galleries, reps, art houses, who all seem to exercise the power and control, and they play by rules that exist to ensure that they make money. We, the artists must play along or go independent. Which is OK: there are opportunities that abound today that simply didn’t exist only a few years ago because of the internet and the speed of communication.

Many of us are swamped from the beginning because of our naiveté. We attach romantic notions and lofty ideals to our work, and art in general…I know I sure did – and still do! We think that the industry exists to advance art and culture, and believe that we’re a part of a noble pursuit. We are! But – we often fail to realize that in business, the primary objective is to make money. Did you ever hear anyone say, “I’m going into business! I can’t wait to see how much money I’ll lose!” I don’t think so.

Although galleries and other entities who sell art may have high artistic standards, they are not charities or benevolent associations. By definiation, they are not cultural foundations that exist solely to serve artists and art; they are businesses that exist to make money.

For us artists, this understanding is critical because it can impact whether we can get our artwork sold and be successful in the marketplace. The need for our art to make us money is a reality, and if we hope to succeed, we must shape our works in ways that will help our sellers sell.

I like to think of art as a service. We use our skills and expertise to provide works will help inspire, entertain, wonder, feel relaxed, add color, status and elegance to people’s lives. A piece of art is an experience, one which can take its viewer to any of an infinite number of alternative realms, whether emotional, mental or imaginary.

Art serves to record the consciousness of the Times. Art serves to make an otherwise mundane world not only livable, but delightful.

Here’s how to help your sellers: when you create your art, decide whether this piece you’re working on now is only for your personal archives, or if it will go into the public arena to help inspire someone, to broaden their vision, to remind them why life is good.

If it stays with you, then, no worries about frames, pedestals, etc. But if it’s to be sold, then make sure you do what it takes to offer a complete work so it’s easy on your seller to move it out the door to its new home.

Be professional and look at your finished piece through the eyes of your eventual buyer. Is it complete? Is the finish well done, or does it need touch ups? Will it scratch the surface of a table or snag people’s clothing? Do you have polishing instructions pre-printed out that your gallery can give the buyer?

Do you have a little anedote or story about the piece, the idea behind it or the source of inspiration for the piece? All these things help you present a well-thought out, finished piece that your gallery or rep can sell for you so you can spend more time in the studio doing what you’re good at and love. And making money!

Selling your work is a good thing – it means you can pay your rent and you can eat and you can make more, and that the people who bought your work have something they can cherish and hold close to their hearts. It’s a Good Thing.

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Angela Treat Lyon • The Gateway to Angela: AngelaTreatLyon.com. You’re welcome to use this in your own newsletter or blog – please include the entire article and this resource box with the live link. Thanks! © Angela Treat Lyon 2009 • All Rights Reserved

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Image: Ready Frog: Bronze, 2″ x 2″ x 4″ © Angela Treat Lyon 1982 (sold)