Most artists start out just wanting to create. Then, time goes by and they realize that they want more; they want a career.
The only problem is, most want-to-be pros don’t realize how much time, determination and spunk it takes to make it in the business. Oh, and not to mention connections. Selling art is all about networking.
Networking
Surely this word used by high powered executives has nothing to do with artists, right?
Wrong.
Networking has everything to do with anyone wanting to make money off of a product. Your art is your product.
You’ve heard the term, but what does it mean really?
Dictonary.com’s definition:
–noun
1.a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest: Working mothers in the community use networking to help themselves manage successfully.
Networking is meeting others in the hopes of making connections with others that will bring you profit later. So, how do the pros network and still have time to create?
The answer rests in the use of some pretty common business tools and how they use them.
Cataloging Your Art
The very first thing you should do is catalog your art. What I mean by this, is, art needs to be recorded by photograph and these images should be put into a form that can be accessed by people that may want to buy your art.
Photographing your art is very easy to do. For the basics, the article Photographing Your Artwork by Cecilia H. Lee is a good place to learn how. When getting your film developed, make sure to pay the extra few buck to get the images put on a CD. These digital images will come in handy, as you will see.
It is also possible to scan smaller works to get good, high-quality digital images of your work.
Now that you have your images, you need to do something with them.
A traditional portfolio is always good place to display your work to potential clients. This doesn’t need to be anything fancy. A simple, black, hardbound three ring binder with plastic sleeves will work just fine. Line all of the sleeves with a sheet of plain, white paper and center one photo on each page. You may want to include a small card at the bottom of the page listing the name of the work and the price.
Another good thing to do with your images is to make an online portfolio. You can send potential buyers from all over the world to an online portfolio. There are some very nice websites out there that will host your art for free. Here are some of the better ones:
This article is continued here: More Ways to Promote Your Art
Alina Bradford - Alina Bradford is an artist with around 20 years of experience and 12 years experience as a professional writer.
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