I have always been an artist but over the course of the past few years, I have been able to branch out with my art career into also being a successful art entrepreneur or an Artepreneur, as the kids call it nowadays. It has been a journey that has involved a significant amount of learning, reassessing and adapting.
This is why I find myself writing this blog today.
I would like to share 3 things that have not only helped me in becoming a successful artist but have also helped me evolve in my art journey. So, here’s a quick little art business class for you:
Who are you? – Building a Personal Brand
With social media being all the rage nowadays, we have all become acutely aware of “personal branding” and how that can be a valuable asset for any business venture that you might decide to go on in the future. Personally, when I started out with my art business it took me a minute to realize that besides my art, my persona as an artist contributed to the overall representation of my business in the online and real-world space. Once I caught onto this fact, I had to evaluate my career values and business goals to see how they factored into my authentic personal brand. It is when I had realized a clear picture of myself and my work, I was able to have a better understanding of what I wanted my branding to be and the target audience that I was going for.
I believe, everything related to your online presence (your website, socials) should be an extension of the persona that you would like to convey to your potential clients. I am incredibly proud of my website, as it seems to perfectly capture my essence as an artist and also provides vital information for my artworks – which can be found in the Online store that lists all of my available artworks.
Actively listen to your clients
You might be a genius artist, but you will not be able to make it anywhere in the art world if your artworks are not selling. Therefore, building relationships with your clients and galleries is crucial. Make notes, draw rough sketches to share with them to ensure you are understanding exactly what they are looking for. Listening is an essential skill for any professional, however for an artist it can be a matter of incorrectly interpreting someone’s creative vision resulting in lost time, money and effort. Just like any relationship, it is incredibly important to listen and that is how you build a sincere and trusting client relationship.
Fill up the skill gaps – Ask for help and delegate!
Just like any other commercial enterprise, an art business has many functions besides the art itself: accounting, marketing, inventory etc. In order to ensure you handling these parts of the business correctly, do not be afraid to ask for help or delegate. Yes, asking for help can be the most vulnerable thing to do when you are a perfectionist like I am. However, the fact remains that you can’t do everything yourself.
It is literally impossible. If you are struggling or facing a challenge in your career path because of a knowledge or skill gap, then ask for help. I am sure there are plenty of people and resources out there to assist you. Also, at a certain point in the growth of your business, consider hiring people who can be delegated with tasks that are a time suck for you. Conserve your time and energy for things that actually matter to you and getting your business going.
And that is the end of this art business class! I hope you find these tips useful, but I would also like to say that experience is the best teacher when it comes to business. So, on top of this bit of wisdom that I have shared today, always be mindful of what you are learning from your experiences and how you can adapt with them!
Shop my artwork collection here.
Check my digital artwork collection here.