Nothing in the business of marketing and selling art ever stays the same.
How we measure success changes. What do you use to measure success in your art career? Is it the number of people at your live shows? The number of sales you had last year? The amount of tuition you can charge for a workshop? The number of social media followers you have?
All it takes is a financial crash like 2008, or a pandemic like 2020, or a technology influx like we have seen in the last two decades, and all of the "expert" advice books on success measures are being rewritten.
So if change is inevitable, what can/should we do?
Be aware of how change will impact your world. Of course it's always wise to have a nest egg of money and resources, in case changes end up not being in your favor. You can also insulate yourself by establishing multiple income streams. Cause and effect is real. There is a flip side to every new skill the world embraces.
Today, people are learning to use Zoom and other online interactive software to conduct their art business. That is resiliency. But you could argue that the cost of online courses is far less than in person workshops, so a hierarchy where skilled artists charge more has been disrupted. Personally, I am rethinking the business aspects of the workshops I have been hosting at my home studios for other master artists.
You could say that virtual openings are great because more people can attend. However, they do deprive collectors of seeing and experiencing the art in person, so they spend less time viewing it. Could this result in fewer residual show sales? Or will more eyeballs result in a better outcome overall?
We can count the number of attendees at our Facebook Live events, but we cannot be sure of how much attention they are offering us. If someone is at a physical opening, we can see that they are talking about and viewing our art. They are fully engaged. Online, for all we know they are multi tasking, or have walked away from their computer and left it on. I do that often.
How do we weather these shifts in what we have come to rely on as success measures? Maybe the trick is to rely more on our experiences and less on trying to find the magic formula? Just like you, I'm wondering.
It's often a numbers game. The longer and more enthusiastically you play, the more you win. I see this in my own history of entering art shows. I may have no sales and no big awards some years, and others will be super lucrative. The trick is to not get discouraged in the slow years. Those are the years when you focus on parts of the experience that will result in career advancement.
For instance, if nobody came to the show opening, what did you learn about the way you helped to market the exhibit and how will you do it differently the next time? Or, were there lots of guests at the opening? How can you connect with them so the likelihood of their attending your next show will increase?
It feels like we are in this changing landscape as 2020 comes to a close. Can you brainstorm more ways to have your art seen by more people?
In an uncertain world, some things are stable. In positive psychology, there is this concept I love, called the optimistic explanatory style. It's a theory where negative outcomes are the result of unstable external causes, and positive outcomes are due to stable global and internal causes.
In other words, the world is going to throw trouble at me. It's called life, and none of us get out of it alive. I can't control which obstacles come my way. The good news is, all my hard work and preparation matters. Good things happen to me because I have been hard at work getting ready for them. In a workplace environment, psychologists have proven that those with an optimistic explanatory style show greater productivity, have more motivation, and enjoy a higher quality of life.
These things never vary.
- The last person standing has an advantage. Don't quit. Quitters never win.
- People always resonate best with passion. Create what you love, and you will attract the collectors who love you.
- Be collaborative. A rising tide raises all boats.
- Statistically, the more people who view your art, the more sales and followers you will gain. Work hard to find new ways to share your art.
- You finally won a big prize, got into a great gallery or landed a museum show. You can relax and let the opportunities roll in now, right? Wrong! Sorry, but we never get to rest in this business.
What are some ways we can prepare for the next inevitable shifts? I think we are all ready for 2021 to begin, offering us a fresh blank canvas to work on. Knowing that things will get crazy again in the not so distant future, what can we do during this time between global upheavals? These are some time tested strategies for getting ourselves in the best position to face whatever comes next.
1. Focus on sharing your passions, gifts and talents. Identify them. Are you good at teaching? Are demos your thing? Videos? Marketing? Commissions? Podcasts? What are the activities you actually enjoy doing, and how can you plan to do more of them?
If you are reading this, you have a talent and passion for creating. How can you create in new ways? Maybe you can start a regular online demo each week where you encourage artists and collectors to watch or create with you. It is amazing what opportunities arise when you focus on sharing instead of just selling.
Personally, I have always loved two themes most in my art - America and steampunk. I am using this time to work through ways to organize my art projects into lanes that shine a brighter light on my passions. I love the USA and also those aged Victorian scenes - You know the ones. Give me peeling paint, rusty metal, stone, leather and lace grunge. Watch me bubble up with joy at those landscapes, portraits and still life pieces when I get to paint them. It feels obvious that I should have been painting more of THAT all along!
2. Go where there is the least noise. If you want to stand out in a crowd, you will get noticed more if you are away from the masses. I paint small and tight. My art is more likely to be noticed if it is in shows with art that is big and painted loosely.
Often, I will be at an art event that is out of my state or country, and the organizer will make a special effort to introduce me to people as the artist who came all the way from Virginia. It may work to your advantage to develop relationships with art venues in different, far away places.
Try fringe things that draw an audience. In a card shop, I have had good sales of small original paintings. It's like the time I saw a flower win an award in a prominent portrait competition. The unexpected draws lookers.
3. Be persistent and consistent. You can start a daily habit of setting time aside for tasks that best support your art career. I use my electronic calendar as my to do list each day. In it, I have entries that repeat each day, week or month. My daily 15 minute sketch time, my weekly posting of tips for artists, and my monthly check in's with my galleries are examples of tasks I have prioritized.
You may tweak these as time goes on, but it's important to have a core stack of unwavering, habitual behaviors.
4. Think of ways you can make people feel good and valued. It's true what they say - People may forget everything you say, but they will remember how you make them feel. No matter what changes in the art world, a handwritten note or a phone call to say hi will always be appreciated, and it will keep your followers coming back for more.
How many new things are on your resiliency list is up to you. I get excited as the fourth quarter rolls around each year, because I look at it as an opportunity to refine the strategies that will propel me into that next art adventure. I actually enjoy reflecting on what worked and what needs to be reworked.
In 2020, before I knew that a coronavirus was going to rock the planet, I had committed to these ways of staying resilient. Even with hindsight of a pandemic, I would not have changed anything on this list. That's how I know they really are about me being as flexible as I can, in as many ways as I can.
I am sharing them, hoping they spark some ideas for your 2021. You will know whether your list needs to be longer or shorter, easier or harder. We are all on this journey together, but we are at different places along the paths. My list won't work for you, and yours won't work for me, but we can draw inspiration from each other.
- Arrange trips to get photo and life references for new art
- Start a new mastermind group of artists dedicated to working together to share our art
- Work to deepen relationships with the galleries and museums I am currently planning exhibitions with
- Work hard to attain signature memberships in painting societies
- Identify new art venues and pitch them for art exhibits
- Limit number of weekly students and annual workshop commitments
- Explore ways to offer art at different price points
- Test ideas for new series of paintings or whatever art you create
- Seek out new exhibitions to participate in
- Look for ways to partner with and support local art centers
