5 Tips for Starting an Art Business
Use a professional photographer
Unless you’re already a professional studio photographer (in that case, ignore this advice), I cannot stress enough how helpful it is, in the long run, to hire a professional to take photos of your art for you. Not only will it showcase your art in the best light possible, but it will also make it look exponentially better if you decide to sell your art in different sizes and on various materials. I started out by scanning my paintings (which is totally fine for sticker jpg’s), but quickly realized that it didn’t look good when I tried to print cards—or anything really— because of the crappy resolution of a scanner. I found a local photographer who specialized in art photography (Park Photo in Livingston— Rob’s the best) and regret nothing. It’s the best investment you’ll make, even if it seems like a lot of money upfront.
2. Price things realistically— enough to make a profit
Ah, the mistakes I’ve made in pricing my artwork. I strongly recommend not ever giving your art away for free. Not only are you doing yourself a disservice in terms of profit, but it also gives off the vibe “my creativity isn’t valuable to anyone.” That’s not true. I have nothing against starting lower and then increasing prices as you build repertoire, but be realistic with how long things take you: don’t make my mistake and charge $300 for a commission that took you 50+ hours to complete.
3. Advocate for yourself in collaborations
It’s a dream come true to see your artwork— something YOU created— on another brand’s product. In my case, it was a series of my landscape paintings on insulated Klean Kanteen mugs that were sold at a local coffee shop. Don’t forget that it’s your creative property, though. Make sure you’re getting paid enough for lending your art out— do some research and figure this out on your own beforehand. Write an agreement that states that they will not use your art for their profit in the future without your permission. Advocating for yourself and owning your artwork trumps giving in to collaborations that hand you the short end of the stick.
4. If you take commissions, don’t feel pressured to take on projects that don’t fit into your niche
I wish someone had told me that there is absolutely no shame in turning down requests for projects that don’t make me excited to create. Specialize in flower studies? Maybe don’t take on a commission of a pet portrait. It might seem like a good idea for the challenge and extra income, but from my experience, it just adds extra stress and an uncomfortable feeling when you force yourself to do something that you don’t want to do. There are always going to be other artists out there who will better fit the client’s commission request if it doesn't fit in with your niche of creativity.
5. Document—and organize— EVERYTHING
It may seem excessive to keep track of stickers you periodically stock at the coffee shop down the street or a print you gave away to a friend as a gift, but it will be extremely helpful in the long run, ESPECIALLY if you’re selling in stores and online like me. You can keep it real simple—I count inventory using a spreadsheet in Evernote and write how many items I dropped off where, how many I have in stock currently, when I should probably order more, etc. As for financial tracking, do yourself a favor, no matter how small your operation is, and track every freaking thing that you use in your art business. This may seem obvious, but when tax season rolls around, your life will be much easier and your tax return likely bigger if you did the work well. If you use TurboTax, I’d recommend paying for the “Self Employed”—it’s super helpful, thorough, and QuickBooks is included for a year.
Hope these tips are helpful for anyone else trying to figure out how to run an art business!