Anatomy of a Sale | How We Used Photoshop to Make a $5,000 Art Sale
How many times have you heard this: “I like this painting, but the size won’t work for my space”? I’m sure I’ve heard the phrase hundreds, if not thousands, of…
Debate | Should you Watermark Art you Are Posting Online?
I am frequently asked by artists whether they should watermark their artwork before sharing it online. There seems to be a pretty widespread concern that posting artwork images online could…
Debate: Should Artists Show Work in Doctor’s Offices, Banks and Other Business Locations?
Last week, I received an email raising the question of whether it would be worthwhile for an artist to show her work in a doctor’s office. The doctor would display…
From a Reader – Creating Art Sales by Promoting your Work to Your Network of Acquaintances
I’ve often written that selling artwork is all about building relationships with potential buyers. There’s another side to this however, in that people with whom you already have a relationship…
Collective Wisdom: Finding your Bread and Butter
In speaking with a number of artists who have built financially successful careers, I have observed that many of them have stabilized and strengthened their art business by creating a…
9 Tips to Help you Better Manage Sporadic Cash Flow in your Art Business
Managing cash flow successfully is one of the greatest challenges for any small business. It is a particularly difficult issue for artists and galleries where sales often spike and dip. Artwork doesn’t tend to sell in regular patterns, and because of the high value of many pieces of artwork, when sales do occur they often cause a real spike in an artist’s or gallery’s income.
This irregular cash flow can cause logistical (and emotional!) problems for those of us in the art business. I would like to share a few things I’ve learned over the years about managing cash flow in the hopes that my experience might help make you a better manager of your cash flow.
Crafting Professional Emails for Better Art Business Communication
As an artist in the digital age, chances are you have to write emails on a regular basis. You might have to use email to approach galleries, maintain current gallery…
Collective Wisdom | The Artists who Won’t Go Away While I’m Trying to Sell
On RedDotBlog, we’ve often talked about different scenarios in which you might be trying to sell your work. For many of you the opportunity will come at an open studio event,…
Don’t Overdo the Gratitude When you Make an Art Sale
There is nothing more exciting than selling a piece of art. If you are directly involved in the sale process you will feel a rush of excitement and accomplishment, as…
What to Say When Clients Want to Know if Art is a Good Investment
Not too long ago I received the following question from gallery owner Steve Harrison:
I had a visitor in my gallery yesterday and asked, “Now because this is original art it won’t depreciate will it?” How does one answer that question. I spend a lot of my time trying to figure out an answer to that question. Of course, a person should buy what they like and no one should ever bank on an “investment” whatever that might be. Still when a person is spending gallery prices for original art, the question “Will this painting retain its value” is a question that deserves an answer. How do other people answer it?