So, how do things usually unfold? Here's the standard scenario of what I'm actually selling. Let's break it down step by step.
Firstly, why should I interact with people in real life, offline, if there are millions of potential clients on the Internet and ready-made websites-galleries?
After a month. If someone had told me about free advertising methods earlier. Oh, and by the way, can someone explain to me why advertise your website and page?
And another month later. Why am I even trying to sell my paintings independently? There must be another way! And what am I actually selling?
And after several months of such actions, I finally understand. Here's what I understand. Maybe the main product for sale is not the paintings? Not drawing lessons? Not courses on art history?
So here's the thing. I don't want you to spend half a year before you come to this rare thought.
My Most Important product is ME.
Your Most Important product is YOU.
Yes, many have heard about this. Few understand it, let alone apply it. You can clearly see in your genre's niche that there are artists who effortlessly sell a couple of works every day and even get commissions. And then there are those who can barely sell 1-2 paintings a month. Or there's a huge difference in the price of their work, hence the artist's profit. Why? My paintings are not bought because I have an incredible storyline or my watercolor is more "watercolorish" than other artists'. It's because they like me. So, the question is different. How do you establish yourself in the target market? How do you make clients come to you? It's a great question. And almost no one teaches the answer. Usually, they suggest painting more. How does all of this work on the Internet? Through content that meets the needs of your ideal clients. Start sharing experiences, cases.
I feel like many members of the group are tense right now, especially newcomers. I'm not commenting on the level of artistic mastery. In this group, I'm dealing with something else. Your education and biography interest me at the "who you are and what you do" stage as a fact.
But what really matters to me is what you create as an artist, what your art is about, and why you create it. I share the approach to painting, drawing as a profession from art therapy. The approach, attitude, and your subsequent actions matter. It's important. In short, a professional has ongoing development and continuation in the theme, technique. And discipline. If something needs to be done by a certain date, they will do it well and on time. They won't wait for inspiration and conditions. This is the approach to a profession.
Unexpected Moment
An unexpected moment you may not even be aware of when you want to sell your paintings. Any sale involves communication, interaction with the buyer or dealer. When you post your paintings in our group without any identifying text or request, it's your habit of communicating. And you're most likely behaving the same way elsewhere. What's wrong with this situation for you?
Well, you have a whole bag of problems. You don't want to read the group rules. So, you're not even interested in knowing where you've been accepted. You read how things are done here, but you don't care. You're special and unique. Who cares what anyone else says? So what if there are over 4000 other members in the group besides you? People? Who are they?
You think it's okay to steal other people's time and attention so they can look at your work without a description, questions, or relevant requests. You're incapable of learning because learning means reading, learning, and applying immediately. Everything else just flies over your head, connections, and money.
Selling paintings requires learning a lot of things. And applying them immediately with manic persistence. That's when you're really learning, not just consuming information like popcorn at the movies, and there's a chance you'll meet at least 30% of your expectations and ambitions. If it's 50%, even better. Then you're being bought on a regular basis.
If you lack brains and respect, that's your problem. Admins delete silently and immediately. Start with the fact that you and your paintings are unknown to anyone in general. And people generally don't care what streams of consciousness you poured onto canvas and paper. Harsh? Offensive? Your problems.
When you come to a popular online store, a platform with services, a website, and a gallery for selling paintings, you have to abide by the established rules. Rules that the platform operates on. Rules set by others long before you decided to come and bless everyone with your ingenious, unique, and incomparable paintings in your signature technique with a masterful composition. You'll have to consider that there are people around you. Surprising, isn't it? But you're not just interested in everyone, not just anyone, agree.
You need those who have resources that you don't: knowledge, practical experience, money, time. Because you want something in return for your publication. An opinion, consultation, advice, problem-solving. And here's more bad news for you. There's always a queue for such people. Always. There's a big crowd of people like you, wanting to get something. And you're one of them. Unpleasant? Your problems.
And now the question. One you'll definitely encounter when showing your work to buyers, viewers, dealers, curators, producers, patrons. And you'll have to answer it. Why should time be spent on you as an artist and your work?
When does good art become great?
Good art becomes great only when it creates a unique and personal connection between the artist and their audience.
This statement comes from a famous art fair that recently generated significant revenue and entered the top 20 leading global platforms of contemporary art. And they are right. Why? Because you create art objects – paintings, sculptures. You embody your feelings on paper, canvas. You pour out your imagination in creative realization.
This is a rare gift. A sparkling gem. Have you ever wondered why these ideas, feelings, thoughts, desires come to your mind? Have you ever thought that the painting, sculpture, photograph you create is just an intermediate step? Not the final result of creativity? Have you ever thought that you create art not to hide it, but to act? To show, demonstrate, share, talk about it. As soon as you start to act, opportunities for promoting and selling your paintings come to you.
And the next series of ideas and feelings come wave after wave straight into your hands. This is my favorite involvement. Interaction. Between you as artists and viewers. You and buyers. Between you as a person and your feelings, desires, thoughts. From which you create art.
And all this comes to you to become accessible to others. Present your creativity. Reveal yourself to others. Publish. Share. Sell. Act. Otherwise, this gift goes away with the opportunities. And you are left with nothing. Good art becomes great only when it creates a unique and personal connection between the artist and their audience.
Artists on Results
These are reviews and some results from artists who have benefited from thematic learning and the application of recommendations from posts in the general group, starting from 2017. We continue to collaborate closely to this day.
When did it all happen? In late July and early August 2018. It was a small real-time experiment, lasting 2 weeks, at the request of the artist Alexander H. The format of communication was video, live streams, and posts. Each time a separate theme and homework. Sometimes such a format is called a marathon. Then the analysis of the completed task and again a new topic. Finally, feedback. Often they ask, "But how many paintings did he sell?"
See the message from the messenger after some time:
"Galina, hello! Do you remember me? Last summer, I painted one picture, large and quickly. Recorded a video process.