Make your Art business profitable.

I think one of the things that saddens me the most about the Art business is the attitude of some Artists have that they deserve to earn a living from their Art.

Now if you take the word Art away from Art business you have business and that is what you are in and your competitors are all the other Artists and hobby Artists all out there in a very crowded market place selling Art at very conceivable price point.

Now if you went along to your local chamber of commerce they would be able to tell you about how long most new businesses last in your area and this will apply to you as well.

If this business is your means of earning a living then you better learn about how to run a small business really quickly. It is not enough to be a talented Artist, it takes more, because the bottom line is you need to sell your Art. Having hundreds of beautiful paintings is one thing but if you cannot sell them it means very little.

You are in a real business, you buy raw materials, you produce a product and you then have to sell it at a profit to make it all work, that is what an Artist does, plain and simple.

So it would certainly seem practical to me to learn new skills so you can have a better business.

Most Art businesses do not fail because they cannot produce good paintings, but because of mismanagement.

A failure occurs somewhere in the process from raw materials to the consumer and usually it is in sales.

Because no sales, no money, no Art business, no life.

Now if you are not selling your work and paint purely for the love of Art then this does not apply to you, but if Art is you means of earning your living then I encourage you to consider working on these skills.

Learn to handle money and keep good records.

…...How often have I heard, “I don't know where all the money went?”

Learn to story tell your Art, people love a story.

…...Now I get that Artists say they are Artists not writers, but I am not asking you to write a book, just talk to us about your Art. Write it down just like you talk.

Learn to be a public speaker.

…...When you learn and get confident in speaking you will be able to walk up to strangers and have a conversation with them about your Art, most of all selling is about being friendly and talking about your Art to strangers.

Your Art Business is a business so please make the decision to be an Artist and a business person, learn all you can to make your Art business profitable.

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