Gone are the days when art galleries would approach you, make everything happen and set your career up for life. Nowadays, it’s not enough to be an artist; you need to be artful too. Here’s how…
You may have noticed (to your chagrin) that Instagram is full of middle-of-the-road artists with 50,000 plus followers. How come people with questionable artistic talent get to have lucrative careers as artists? Because they know how to play the game.
How then – as a professional artist – can you be taken seriously in this free-for-all arena? In a fair world, your talent alone would put your name in lights and put money in your pocket.
In the real world, you may have to play the game a little too, so those irksome interlopers don’t get your slot at the Tate. The following tips may help you.
Find – and own – your niche
To stand out in a saturated market, you need to identify your one-of-a-kind speciality and use this to develop your brand. What do you do that no one else is doing? Why should someone buy your abstract artwork in blues and greens, rather than someone else’s blue and green abstracts? What is your USP (unique selling point), and how do you convey this?
You also need to find a price point that does justice to your talent and supports your reputation. For example, a highly-curated gallery or art website could potentially sell your work for ten times more than you’d get on Redbubble or Etsy, especially if it’s a limited-edition print. Note: limiting the edition number is a good way of upping your prices.
Collaborate to proliferate
Professional collaborations can be a highly effective way to get your work in the public eye. Displaying your work or blog on a relevant platform can quickly build your reputation, even if the customer base isn’t much bigger than your own.
Simple as this sounds, it can be surprisingly powerful – because you’re reaching fresh audiences, yet you’re not coming to them cold. A few collaborations like this can start getting your name known and putting you in the delightful position of being approached, rather than doing all the chasing.
Social media is a good place to find people to collaborate with. You can direct-message them and say, “Hey, I’m an artist/photographer/sculptor and I’m looking for places to showcase my work. Any chance you take pitches?” Don’t be shy to DM people. In the creative world, people usually love to be approached this way – it’s more of an ego boost than an inconvenience.
Get it right with galleries
When choosing a gallery to exhibit your work, make sure they’re the right fit. What can they do for you that you can’t (or don’t want to) do for yourself? E.g. bring you clients and connections? Deal with the digital side of things? Or help with marketing and positioning? Think about your priorities and consider what your brand needs.
To avoid a professional ‘faux pas’ don’t approach galleries directly unless they have a ‘submit your portfolio’ link on their site. Wait for galleries to have an open call. Or cunningly slip mention of your portfolio into the conversation if you’re talking to a gallery about something else. Going in cold and bold doesn’t tend to get good results.
Top tip: galleries often send out scouts to fairs and exhibitions. Showing your work at these spaces is a great place to be spotted by ‘people who know people’. It’s much better to be approached by a scout than rejected by a gallery (or twenty).
Be seen in the right places
If a would-be client or gallery is impressed with your portfolio, they may look you up online to see more of your work. So you need to think of the internet as an extension of your portfolio and make sure you show up in the right places. For example:
- To be taken seriously as an artist, don’t put your work on websites that sell anything other than art. If customers can buy your art and a Scooby Doo t-shirt in the same shopping basket, that may not be the look you’re going for.
- Don’t necessarily say ‘yes’ to every opportunity if this will devalue your work. E.g. exhibiting alongside people who paint for a hobby may create the wrong impression.
- Be mindful of the breadcrumb trail you leave with every online interaction. E.g. if you ‘Like’ someone’s Tweet, this could result in their artworks or profile page (not yours) appearing if someone searches for you and your work.
So be selective about who you’re rubbing virtual shoulders with online, if you want to present your brand in a certain way.
Accept rejections graciously
Whether or not people like your work, never give them a reason to dislike you as a person. Every little interaction you have with a potential client is an opportunity to develop – or destroy – a relationship.
For example, if a gallery sends you a rejection letter, don’t react badly and send back an angry reply. If it’s a ‘no’, be gracious and thank them politely for their time. Then three years down the line (when your portfolio or their taste may have changed) you can approach them again.
And remember, in the arts world, people talk and word can spread fast – so always be on your best behaviour. This, along with finding your niche, building your brand, choosing the right gallery, finding the right price point and being seen in the right places, are all part of playing the game and being an artful artist. We wish you every success with your career.
This how-to guide was inspired by one of our Zoom Dives with Verity Babbs, Artist Liaison at Rise Art online gallery.
Our Zoom Dive events are deep-delving discussions between our founder, Carolyn Dailey and a handpicked creative business expert. You can listen to Carolyn and Verity’s full discussion here.
Fancy catching our next Zoom Dive, live? See our Events calendar and sign up for free.
Meanwhile, feel free to plunder our Knowledge bank for more advice and learning resources for artists, architects and photographers.