Master Your Art Business: Achieve Your Goals by Focusing on Your ‘Second Thing’

As an artist, growing your art business requires more than just mastering your craft. It involves navigating a range of roles—from marketing and sales to client management and logistics. While…

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…

Three Patterns of Art Buying – How to Increase Sales with the Three Types of Art Buyers

If you’ve been in the art world for a while, you have likely observed three types of art buyers: one-time buyers, clients who buy a lot in a frenzy, and…

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?

How are you making money from your art?

As a gallery owner, my attention is focused on generating sales in our galleries, and helping artists learn how to get into galleries and build great relationships with gallery owners….

Broadening Your Reach: Strategies for Finding and Cultivating Art Buyers

As artists, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea of finding the perfect collector—a mythical person who perfectly aligns with our art and is just waiting to discover…

The Biggest Challenges Facing Successful Artists

Many artists struggle to generate reliable sales. Many of my posts here are about how to begin creating more robust, more consistent sales by increasing your exposure and optimizing your…

Artistic Productivity | Cornerstone of a Successful Art Career

Having spent over 20 years in the gallery business, I’ve noticed a key common trait of financially successful artists: they are constantly in the studio, hard at work. I would describe these artists as productive and prolific.

The realities of the art market today are such, that in order to generate regular sales and establish a strong collector base for your work, you have to have significant inventory. To a certain degree it’s a numbers game. You have to have enough work available so that you can show the work in a variety of venues and get the work in front of enough people to reach the buyers.

Can Artists Deduct the Value of Artwork Donated to Charities or Non-Profits?

Today, a question arose in our Art Business Academy Q&A session regarding the tax implications of donating artwork to charities or non-profits. An artist who donated a large painting to…

Ask a Gallery Owner | Should I Use a Pseudonym?

Do you think it’s a bad business move to give yourself an artist name? If when you may concerned or want to protect your private life from your business life would that be a sufficient reason to have an artist name?

I was wondering what your thoughts were?

–Victoria

Many artists have asked variations of this same question. I’ve worked with artists who use their real names, along with a number of artists who have adopted pseudonyms. It’s quite common for actors and authors to change their names.