Last Year we put out a short PDF on the 10 things we’ve seen successful artists do. It's a list of suggested actions that we know, if implemented, help artists make more money from their work. It's been really well received with numerous downloads by artists looking to further their creative career. It's still available now if you are looking for some inspiration so follow this link to download it yourself if you haven’t already.
However, for many artists, making money from your artwork isn’t the only important thing and some of the feedback we got after putting out the last PDF echoed this. Many artists don’t get into making art professionally for the money, and there are so many other things to be gained from pursuing a creative lifestyle.
I wanted to highlight some of the actions you can take that aren’t all focused on the financial side and more about bettering yourself and improving as an artist in a more well-rounded way. I hope it will give many of you reading this the confidence to make more art and get it seen by others.
ACTIONABLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO DEVELOP YOUR PRACTICE
Chatting to artists at the gallery I’ve discovered many want a few actionable things they can introduce to their creative process to help improve their work and get more out of the limited time many of us get to focus on our artwork.
Here is the second part of the list I've developed of some key actions I have found particularly useful within my work, either leading up to an exhibition at a Gallery or developing my work further as my career, style and practice develops.
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE ART WORLD
Taking part in exhibitions and submitting your artwork to competitions are great ways to immerse yourself in the art world. It's an amazing creative world out there and being part of the art community is a fantastic way of improving as an artist as a whole.
Visiting exhibitions, becoming part of local art groups or collectives and following insightful blogs, newsletters and podcasts all feed into your creative development. It’s incredible the number of tips and inspirational ideas I personally have gleaned from conversations with other artists or by listening to discussions about art in general.
Being involved in a community of creatives that share ideas and opportunities is a great way of seeking improvement in your work but it also adds understanding and deepens your knowledge of what it takes to make great work and what’s needed to put your work in front of the right people.
At the very least, immersion in the various art subcultures and communities supports your developing story as an artist. It gives buyers confidence in your ability through your interest, knowledge and participation in the wider art world. Your own artist bio is a great place to highlight your links and connections.
We spoke about the numerous “touch points” needed to find your audience in the last PDF and being an active part of the wider art community is an invaluable way of achieving many of these.
CONSTRAINTS BREED CREATIVITY
I think struggling to come up with original ideas that excite and inspire you to get creative, is a common problem even for the most experienced artists. With so many images and ideas being presented online it's hard to find something original and difficult to get started when it feels like a huge hill to climb.
One of the most useful methods I have found, when looking for new ideas is to create some constraints to the project or piece at hand. If you create some limitations it gives your mind something to build off of rather than simply staring down at a blank sheet of paper hoping for inspiration to strike from nowhere.
It's about recognising the limitations already present, such as the materials you use or the size of the canvas or surface you’re working on, and adding to them.
Perhaps it's using a minimal colour scheme such as the ZORN palette to create your work or maybe it's about selecting a specific theme such as “dark rainy landscapes” to work within.
The amazing thing is the more specific and restrictive your constraints the more creative you need to be to make something new. Your brain is able to stop worrying about all the things it doesn’t need to focus on freeing up valuable mental energy to laser in on creating something new.
This concept is just the beginning though and can be used in combination with the following two techniques to great effect.
BISOCIATION
Bisociation is a technique I often use when looking for new ideas. It's a great way of building on the previous concept by choosing two seemingly disparate subjects, media or themes and combining them to create something new.
This is often done in writing where authors combine two different genres, like horror and romance for instance, to create something that feels brand new and original and it's something that can easily be translated to other creative fields.
Simply select a couple of niche areas you are interested in and start thinking of ways to combine them in ways you haven’t seen before. It can create some brilliantly powerful combinations if selecting subjects or themes that are easily recognised or have strong connotations but that rarely sit together. It's about experimentation and creating new ways of looking at what’s already around us in new and original ways.
THROW AWAY YOUR FIRST 10 IDEAS
This may seem like a strange idea but it's one I know works well when you’re trying to push your creative process.
If you have already followed the previous two concepts and created some limitations for your work and combined a few niche themes, you are probably well on your way to creating something original and exciting. However, if I’m ever still struggling to find something that feels like a truly new idea and I want to take it one step further I will often start by making a list of all my ideas so far and throwing them away.
Our brains are all pretty similar, constantly looking for patterns and order. They often settle on the easiest patterns and ideas to recognise first and so many ideas feel the same and unoriginal. The first ten ideas you come up with will most likely be the first someone else does too. If you want to create something brand new and unlike anything else, your best bet is to get rid of the first ten and keep pushing yourself to discover a few more.
UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE BUY ART
This is something I think a lot of Artists struggle with. I will always stand by the idea that if you keep making great work and get it on display in the right circles, the right buyer will always come along eventually. What often happens, however, is that artists don’t have enough confidence in their work and exhibit it anywhere and everywhere they can without consciously thinking about their desired audience.
A common question we get asked by artists at the gallery is “How do I price my work?”
It's a difficult question for us to answer directly because your pricing is strongly influenced by your audience. If you want to be making £20,000 a picture you need to carefully study the artists already at that price point and understand what they are doing to justify that price.
You need to gain an understanding of that artist’s audience and what they are seeking when they buy art in that price bracket.
Who is their art aimed at?
Who is their marketing driven towards?
How are they creating a demand for their work within that audience?
What makes that particular buyer care about their art?
The formula for increasing your pricing is surprisingly simple but often difficult to stick to. It's two steps.
Raise your profile as an artist and get your name out there as much as possible through exhibitions, competitions and digital marketing aimed towards your chosen audience.
Then, once you have a name for yourself within the right circles, limit the supply of your work to one or two exhibitions a year of your best pieces, at the prominent places your audience frequents.
Increase demand and limit supply and your prices can increase accordingly.
Ultimately, however, it comes down to how well you know your audience. There is a certain type of art collector that simply won’t buy artwork that's priced too cheaply, no matter how skilfully crafted it is. Many want pieces that they can show off to their friends, colleagues and clients and impress them with a hefty price tag.
Your audience might not be that and making work at a lower price point marketed towards a much larger audience might work great for you.
The questions you need to keep asking yourself though are;
Is my work unique to me and the best it can be?
Have I built up a reputation through showcasing my work?
Is it priced according to my desired audience?
Have I promoted my exhibitions directly to my chosen audience?
So that completes my short selection of things you can do to improve as an artist.
They have all helped me develop my own work over the years and hopefully, there are one or two that might help develop your own.
Arthur
If you found this helpful here are some questions for you to ask yourself and think about. Feel free to drop some answers in the comments, we love to share ideas with our community!
Questions
What useful creative or mental techniques do you pursue as an artist to get better at your craft?
What advice would you give your younger self starting out in a creative career?
What subjects do you want us to talk about in the future?
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