Category: Direct Sales

Art Business & the Coronavirus Pandemic Recession

16/6/2020

Catch up on my recent articles about the Pandemic Recession on my main blog (posted there because a lot of artists follow it and it gets lots of readers!).

You can catch up here:

READ: It's time to talk recession - and what next!

The Covid-19 Pandemic to date has made economic survival very difficult for a number of artists. However the coming Global Recession is going to make life difficult for a lot more artists - all around the world.

It's time to take stock and think about what this means - in the short term and the next 2-3 years.

READ: The Pandemic Recession: Likely Impact on Art Sales and Artists

In this post I'm beginning to set out an overview of what I think are key issues for artists during The Pandemic Recession. It includes some background reading and covers
- the biggest drop in economic growth since records began
- the impact on art sales and artists
- lessons for artists from the 2008 recession

The biggest drop in GDP in the UK since records began

PLUS recent initiatives to support artists

READ: The Artist Support Pledge

PLEASE DO NOT post art if you're NOT a career artist whose livelihood is currently in jeopardy due to Coronavirus. There's way too much amateur art being posted by people who cannot possibly be paying their household and business bills through the sale of their art. That, to my mind, is just plain selfish and attention-seeking given the intention of this project is to support those self-employed professional artists who have lost their ability to earn their normal income e.g. from sales of exhibited paintings in art galleries and art fairs, teaching art to students and the normal sort of work which many professional artists engage in.

PLUS in relation to Teaching Art - I wrote on my botanical art news blog about the implications for teaching art. Planning considerations are essentially generic whichever type of art you teach.

READ Botanical Art Education: planning considerations re. coronavirus

The one thing that is certain is that the virus is not going away any time soon. All that is happening right now is that the reproduction rate is being cut - but a very small percentage of the community has been infected and the virus is still in the community.

I'm going to be continuing to write about the implications of the Pandemic Recession on changing business practices and art business models

on Making A Mark - in the coming months,
with catchup posts on this Art Business Info News Blog

READ about the Key Points for Artists, Art Teachers and Art Galleries to date below

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How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond?

7/1/2018

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I read a post by Barney Davey on Facebook yesterday which I thought highlighted some really key issues about selling art that would:

resonate with quite a few artists who working hard at trying to sell their art.
provide a great briefing for those starting out in terms of "need to know" factors.

So I asked Barney whether I could reproduce it on this blog and he said 'Yes' (for which many thanks) - so here is it. Except I added in some bold which you can't do on Facebook to make it a slightly easier read!

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond
by Barney Davey

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond? Use galleries or sell directly to patrons? Here are my thoughts.

Galleries come and go. They don't share buyer info. Nothing comes between the relationship of patrons who buy directly from the artist. It might be easier at first to market to galleries, But, doing the work to build direct patronage is the best long-term solution. Own as much of your distribution as possible. Then you are in the cat bird's seat in choosing who and where you let your art get sold by third parties, including galleries. There were never enough galleries to go around in the best of times for galleries. Now, there are fewer with less clout than ever. I don't see a future without galleries. I see a future where smart marketing artists and galleries collaborate. An artist with a list and social media tribe of their own is a much hotter prospect for forward-thinking galleries than one with no following.

Just 50-100 patrons who buy directly from the artist might purchase up to 250 - 500 originals over the course of a career. A devoted direct buying collector base is the most valuable business asset an artist can possess. Those relationships can't be taken away on a whim with no remorse or recourse like deals with a gallery, licensor, publisher, or agent can. When artists market one-to-one with direct mail or email, they have no competition as with a gallery, publisher or licensor for their work. They own the relationship and the pipeline.

A visit to Henry Hudson's studio - you can entertain prospects and show your work outside a gallery

Consumer interest in buying directly from the source is only going to increase. Take advantage of the movements to support local businesses and indie artists to build a pool of patrons in the warm market around you. Then leverage those sales to expand your reach and add secondary channels like galleries as a way to help sell all the art you make.

There is room to sell direct and through galleries. Be respectful, honest and transparent in your dealings with third-parties. Trust but verify and don't dally when you see red flags. Having your own customers makes it easier to negotiate and to just say no when dealing with third-parties. I hear that building list of direct buyers in a warm market is hard. I reply it's much easier than trying to convert strangers into buyers or to put together a string of galleries that you must monitor and support to keep your sales going.

Selling art is like all sales. It's a numbers game. If you get enough qualified eyeballs on your work, you hit your sales quotas. So, the question comes down to who controls the process of getting the traffic and who controls the relationships that ensue from them. Not so long ago, actions like these would be career suicide.

Smart, ethical galleries today are willing to work with artists who also sell direct. If everyone plays fair in such relationships, everyone wins.

REFERENCE:

You can find Barney Davey and his books and courses on Art Marketing News and on his Facebook Page
Read about my take on art galleries on A Guide to Art Dealers and Art Galleries
This is my guide to Open Studios
This is the website of Henry Hudson who makes paintings out of plasticine (see above image) - hence why my studio visit was so informative! Interestingly this was an event for collectors organised with the help of a magazine that helps promote art to collectors.

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Art Business Info: NEWS

Art Business & the Coronavirus Pandemic Recession

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond?

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond
by Barney Davey

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Art Business & the Coronavirus Pandemic Recession

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How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond by Barney Davey​

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How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond
by Barney Davey