 In my last blog post I talked about an artist’s vision: what your art is all about, why it matters, how it lives out in the world.
If you intend to market and sell your art, this is your first step. You start with your personal vision, as this painter did: “I paint to celebrate daily life, to illuminate the ordinary, to shape the day.” In order to create a business, you first need to think about your customers. Entrepreneurs, who are the artists of the business world, develop what is called a “customer profile.” A profile defines the demographic characteristics of the people who might buy your art (their age, gender, income level, etc.). Your customers are the audience for your art, your fans and followers, your people. You may not have a lot of detailed information about them, but take a look at what you do know. Who has recently bought your work (or would buy it if they could)? Do they tend to be older, younger, rural, urban? What do they have in common? This information will help you figure out the next step: your marketing strategy. How will your work become visible to your audience? Where will they find it? How will they learn about you? The more you know about your potential customers, the easier it is to figure out how and where they buy art. Then you’ll need to set up some simple measurements. Your art career is like a road trip, where measurements are signposts to keep you on track. This is especially important when you are stuck. A good measurement system puts you in motion again. Follow these first steps in order to create a business plan. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards Please note: I recently published a longer version of this article, “An Artist Should Think Like an Entrepreneur,” in www.callforentries.com. This well-curated site lists open calls for artists and photographers. Take a look, you can join for free! |