Starting out not long ago as a visual artist, I found it to be very rewarding from a creative standpoint. There were many artistic discoveries that helped me find my true self and when it came to my network, some people were supportive and others didn’t feel comfortable acknowledging it. A friend once told me that because art evokes feelings and a deep imagination, it can affect those who are not ready to be expressive. So be prepared to accept criticism and rejection as part of the process.

You may feel alone in your career as an artist with so much competition in the market and a product that is undervalued. But these are some of the challenges we face on a regular basis and even for the professional who may be much more established these are common problems.

1. My art is not good enough

Do you feel like you’re not “creative or good enough”? think deeply what is your definition of creative for you. Do you think that your art is not creative or cool enough since it doesn’t look as special as some other piece of art that you must have compared it to? Or is it because you haven’t made art in a long time? Whatever it is, you shouldn’t feel like your art isn’t creative or good enough, as your art will continually evolve and improve as time goes on. The real remedy for this problem is simply to put your art on the market and market it, even if you don’t feel like it’s good or creative enough to sell it.

This provides a good learning experience and will help you accept the reality that art is not designed to be perfect. Although you may look at your main artwork and feel like it sucks, well, that happens to most, so just accept it and embrace it. If you really believe that your art requires some work, then you should keep practicing and participate in more courses that can help you develop further.

2. Nobody is buying my artwork

When you feel like no one is buying your artwork, ask yourself if you have a plan to achieve the required sales. What channels do you sell from and what are you doing to make sure those places generate some revenue? Are you regularly updating your online store? Are you selling your artwork to the right target audience? Are you promoting through social media and are you doing it efficiently? Let’s consider each of the following queries further and talk about them individually: In order for you to come up with an ideal solution for this problem, you must be willing to find where your problems lie and resolve them as quickly as possible.

Personally, I don’t freely sell my art to anyone because there must be value and respect for my creations, so finding the right buyer is a constant challenge. You don’t want to sell your art to someone for change and find out that your masterpiece has been left in the basement and is gathering dust. If you are marketing your collections at a more affordable price, invest in selling fine art reproductions/prints.

3. I don’t have a plan for my sales

To get more sales, you must have a plan on how to achieve them. Having plans/blueprints keeps you focused on your mission and helps you reach your goals faster because you have a better vision of where you will go depending on your plan. If you don’t have a plan; then this could be the reason why you are not selling enough artwork.

Another good option would be to look at other artists and how they market their artwork. It doesn’t always require you to sell in galleries or markets. These days you can upload your art to many platforms that can help you sell.

4. Not knowing how to take advantage

If you’re marketing your artwork on a freelance basis, you need to make sure you have multiple outlets to do so. This guarantees that you have more opportunities to get money as well as that your projects are better seen. In case you only trade at the same time, either offline or online, you have to work on some other channel/stream of income. This could range from marketing your art in various places online or offline, receiving commissions, and licensing your art. It’s exactly like that popular phrase: don’t put all your eggs in one basket!

5. Wrong target audience

You need to have a concrete idea of ​​the type of people who are likely to buy your work. We refer to this as your “Target Audience or Market” and it is used to categorize who your actual buyers are. If you haven’t thought about who your target audience/market is, start asking your friends and family for feedback first. Once you can identify the type of people who prefer your style of painting, drawing, or sculpture, they will become your target audience. You will need to market your products to the same age group, gender, demographics, and lifestyle preference as your initial research. Simply put, if your painting style is pop art, it will more likely suit millennials than baby boomers. So you need to start creating and marketing specifically for this group.

6. Not enough online/social media presence

Whether you market online or offline, you may be missing out on a lot of prospects if you’re not promoting your art on various social networks. Let’s assume you are, even though you’re not getting enough engagement or results from it. If so, you must ask yourself if you are doing it correctly, that is, are you posting at the right time? And are you publishing the right content or projects? Are you aware of how often you should post on a social media platform? It may seem like a lot; However, once you acquire all this data on social media, it will be easier for you and it will be the best investment of your time as you will get incredible results.

7. Nobody supports my artistic career

Many artists and creatives have family, loved ones, or friends who are not supportive of their artistic career. Such reason could be because they don’t see it as a promising career, and don’t realize how you would advance or support yourself from such an undertaking, and to be direct, they just don’t get the whole picture/scene. We can even assume that they are worried about you, since it is an area that is totally unknown to them. The best way to get them on your side would be to tell them your plan. Discuss with them how you intend to earn money and let them know what you will do for a living. If you have a plan, then it would be great to reveal it to them and point them to other existing artists who make a living from their art. Through this, they will have a better vision and understand that this is a viable career prospect.

Your art business can be rewarding in many ways, however it comes with many risks and sacrifices. If you’re willing to stick with your plans and invest your time and energy in development and problem solving, it can be quite a rewarding career. Remember to ask for help from those who are willing to offer you guidance and knowledge.