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The dream of many artists is to turn their passion into their full-time job. If that’s your case, and you are considering to take the first steps in that direction, making money out of your works, then these tips might help you.<\/p>\n
There are many different ways to get started. In this particular case, we want to focus on the option of selling artworks online, both original pieces and printed copies. The most important perk of this business model is\u00a0that it offers far more creative freedom<\/strong> than other alternatives, such as working as a freelance designer or illustrator. You can develop your truest creative self, without having to adapt or change your ideas in order to please the particular taste of a client.<\/p>\n Needless to say, if you want your works to sell better you will have to focus on the type of works your audience like best (we will talk more about this later). But remember that on the Internet everything has its public<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We have decided to talk to three artists who have very different styles and use very different techniques, but they have one thing in common: They knew how to find their niche and turn their passion into a profitable business.<\/p>\n Starting to sell your works in this saturated market can seem daunting at first. But we have something clear after speaking to Valero, Sophie and Lis<\/strong>: don’t ever feel discouraged, and don’t give up.<\/p>\n Valero Doval <\/strong>is a Spanish artist\u00a0who creates colourful, vintage artworks that combine illustration and collage techniques. He has worked for clients such as the New York Times, Le Monde, Kenzo, H&M, Orange, Panasonic, or Timberland.<\/p>\n You can find him at phis official website<\/a>, or via\u00a0Etsy<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, Instagram <\/a>and\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0If you could go back in time to when you were just starting selling your art online, what piece of advice would you say to yourself?<\/p>\n Valero:<\/strong>\u00a0You should avoid setting any expectations. In fact, I think that’s advice that could be applied to any other field. Frustration comes for many reasons\u00a0but the main one must be expectations. You just have to keep working and believe in yourself. I am sure that out there, there is an audience for each and every one<\/strong> of us.<\/span><\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Are there any myths about selling art online you have debunked over the years?<\/p>\n Valero:<\/strong>\u00a0When eCommerce was just starting, there was this idea that buying online was unsafe. Although some people still have that mindset, transactions have become safe, fast and convenient. \u00a0Paying via PayPal, for instance, gives people a big sense of security.<\/span><\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0What has been your marketing strategy? What do you think has worked best, and worst?<\/p>\n Valero:<\/strong>\u00a0I mostly work on <\/span>series<\/strong>, so to offer a full series of works for a discounted price is an option that has worked well. Another thing to do is to promote your products on Etsy, a platform that gives you quite a lot of exposure. What I don’t recommend, for example, is to reduce the price of a work to sell it. Lowering prices doesn’t equal sales. The important thing is to persevere and take your time to learn what your audience likes, what works best, and focus on that.<\/span><\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Three online platforms that you would recommend for selling and promoting art?<\/p>\n Valero:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0What do you think are the most important things in a portfolio?<\/p>\n Valero:<\/strong>\u00a0To display clever and well-executed works.<\/span><\/p>\n Rachel Byler <\/strong>is an American artist and cat lover who has sold over 2000 works on Etsy. Her watercolour paintings are inspired by nature and fantasy worlds. She paints and prints her works taking care of the whole process and the quality of the results personally from her studio in Pensylvania.<\/p>\n You can find her on her official website<\/a>, and also on\u00a0Etsy<\/a>, Facebook,<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Pinterest<\/a>.<\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0If you could go back in time to when you were just starting selling your art online, what piece of advice would you say to yourself?<\/p>\n Rachel:\u00a0<\/strong>If I could go back in time I would tell myself that it is going to be a lot of hard work getting an art business going, but it will be so worth it. I would tell myself not to compare my work to anyone else and to be confident in my style and design.<\/p>\n I also want to comment that just because you create good art doesn’t mean it\u2019s necessarily going to sell right off the bat. You have to work on getting your art noticed and this can take awhile. But don\u2019t give up!<\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Are there any myths about selling art online you have debunked over the years?<\/p>\n Rachel:\u00a0<\/strong>Yes, I would say that when I first started I thought it wouldn\u2019t make a difference to share my art and updates on social media. I didn't want to make more work for myself and thought it would not be worth the time. However, as my business grew I learned and saw how important it is to utilize social media. I slowly started sharing my art more by making a business Facebook page which then lead to a business Pinterest account and now I recently joined Instagram! It helps your shop get a lot more traffic and helps your customers stay up to date. As a side note, I want to add that I think it is really important to be yourself when sharing your work and posting on social media. I think customers like to see that you\u2019re a real person and appreciate when you are genuine.<\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0What has been your marketing strategy? What do you think has worked best, and worst?<\/p>\n Rachel:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>I have a couple different marketing strategies. I would say it is really important to brand yourself. You want a strong logo and design for your shop. You want your business to look put together and professional. You don\u2019t have to get it right the first time but be honest with yourself and if your logo could be better then update it. I have changed my packaging and logo multiple times since I started.<\/p>\n Another marketing strategy that has worked well goes along with being honest with yourself, is that I try to create things that I think a lot of people would like. I usually have this conversation with myself. \u201cI like this a lot and would hang it up if I painted it, but would other people want to hang this in their living room.\u201d It is still important to create for yourself but you also need to recognize that not everyone has the same tastes you do.<\/p>\n Thankfully I have not stuck to any strategy that I would refer to as the worst. However, sometimes I get stuck on a painting idea that I really like but then doesn\u2019t end up selling very well. That\u2019s why I always try to paint something that I will enjoy as well as others.<\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Three online platforms that you would recommend for selling and promoting art?<\/p>\n Rachel:\u00a0<\/strong>My number one platform for online sales and promotion would be Etsy<\/a>. I conduct all my sales through Etsy. It has such a large amount of visitors and once your artwork is starting to get viewed and is in the front of searches you can get a lot of traffic coming to your shop.<\/p>\n I would also recommend Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and Instagram<\/a>. Since so many people are using these platforms it is a great way to introduce them to your work. Instagram is perfect for sharing quick photo updates and progress shots of your art.<\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0What do you think are the most important things in a portfolio?<\/p>\n Rachel:\u00a0<\/strong>I think it is important to show your best work in your portfolio as well as a range of different styles or medias that you work in. This is important especially if you plan on doing a lot of custom pieces for clients. This will allow them to see your versatility and your experience.<\/p>\n Lis Dawning <\/strong>is an artist from California who creates very personal and spontaneous works. Her paints big canvases using a brush and also her hands. The canvases feature abstract forms that remind of natural patterns, textures and landscapes.<\/p>\n You can find her on her\u00a0official website, <\/a>and also on\u00a0Etsy <\/a>and\u00a0Pinterest<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0If you could go back in time to when you were just starting selling your art online, what piece of advice would you say to yourself?<\/p>\n Lis:<\/strong> If I could go back in time I would tell myself to not be fearful of the competition. There is so much amazing art online and it is easy to feel like you may be more appreciated in your local market where there is less to compare yourself to. The truth is you don’t have to compare yourself to anyone else. Put your passion in your art and don’t be scared to let people see that passion.<\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Are there any myths about selling art online you have debunked over the years?<\/p>\n Lis:<\/strong> A myth that I have\u00a0definitely\u00a0debunked over the years is that\u00a0“people don’t buy originals online”. I built my online business solely selling originals and still sell a large number of originals every month online even though I now also offer prints. There are lots of customers out there that don’t need to see and touch an original to feel comfortable purchasing it. They just need to feel comfortable that they can “trust” you as an artist.<\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0What has been your marketing strategy? What do you think has worked best, and worst?<\/p>\n Lis:\u00a0<\/strong>My main marketing strategy has been great customer service. I don’t do a lot of “typical” marketing in terms of\u00a0advertising or social media\u00a0but I feel that recommendations and happy customers are the best marketing tool you can have, especially for an online business. When people can’t physically\u00a0see\u00a0you or your art. It makes them feel more comfortable buying your product when they can get a quick response to any questions they may have and\u00a0they can\u00a0see all your good reviews from previous happy customers.<\/p>\n I think a mistake that many people make while selling online is to spread themselves too thin. There are so many ways to try and reach endless amounts of customers online. But in those pursuits,\u00a0you are not giving everything\u00a0you have to the customers that have already found you and put their trust in you. If you focus your energy on making those customers happy your business will start “snowballing” all by itself.<\/p>\n SC:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Three online platforms that you would recommend for selling and promoting art?<\/p>\n Lis:<\/strong> My three main platforms for online sales have been Etsy<\/a>, a good personal website<\/strong>, and Pinterest<\/a>.\u00a0First Etsy has been a great way to gain exposure to a virtually endless amount of global customers that I would not have exposure to on my own. Once a customer finds you and is deciding whether to buy a product it is good to have a professional and easy to navigate website of your own that will build their trust that you are a reputable company.\u00a0 Then there is Pinterest. I admittedly don’t focus a lot of energy on social media but Pinterest was a platform that I was noticing was bringing in a lot of traffic to my shop just from others pinning my products. I then decided to start marketing myself on Pinterest and it has\u00a0helped increased that traffic source even more.<\/p>\nValero Doval Editions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Valero](\"https:\/\/www.safecreative.org\/blog\/es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/023_Aerofauna.jpg\")
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<\/a>The Colorful Cat Studio<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Rachel](\"https:\/\/www.safecreative.org\/blog\/es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/072016RachelColorfulCatStudio.png\")
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<\/a>![\"Colorful](\"https:\/\/www.safecreative.org\/blog\/es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/il_fullxfull.990468598_8cw0.jpg\")
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<\/a>L Dawning Scott Fine Art<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Lis](\"https:\/\/www.safecreative.org\/blog\/es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/072016LisDawning-e1469623255879.png\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Large](\"https:\/\/www.safecreative.org\/blog\/es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/il_fullxfull.890354919_7z3n.jpg\")
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<\/a>![\"Abstract](\"https:\/\/www.safecreative.org\/blog\/es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/il_fullxfull.867497972_k9m3.jpg\")
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