Taking the leap from creating art as a hobby to a full time job can be scary. There are lots of unknowns and a lot of things to do behind the scenes that can get overlooked in all the excitement. Unfortunately, starting an art business isn’t just creating a lot of paintings ready for people to buy, although that is a big part of it! I’m going to talk you through a few of the other steps you need to take in order to turn your passion for art into a business. 

Set your Personal Goals:

This is something that is really important when you first start thinking about starting an art business. Having personal goals will make sure that you stay on track for what you want to achieve and will also help you keep motivated on your journey. 

Your goal could be to have your art on display at various exhibitions, or to be able to make a comfortable living from selling your artwork. Your goal could be to collaborate with retailers so your art is a feature in a number of people’s homes, or maybe you just want to create a bit of extra income. The possibilities of what you could achieve are endless, so it is important that you get what you want to get out of it. Think of the goal you want to achieve and then work towards it.

Have a Business Plan:

Like any business, you should start by creating a business plan. This doesn’t have to be really formal or detailed, as you can always add and change things later on, but it is incredibly useful to write down your plans. Include things like what you want to achieve, what the first step will be and all the sub-points on how to make that first step happen, how much budget are you going to give yourself.

Once you start writing down your ideas it should become a bit easier to bulk it out with the official steps to make those plans happen, and it gives you something to look at to keep yourself on track. 

Find your Niche:

Chances are, if you are at the stage of starting an art business, you have probably already developed your style and can identify the niche that you fit into. However, this may be something that you’ve never really given much thought to.

Everyone has a unique style and it takes a lot of creativity, but it is also about selling a product, so you have to know your niche to know what your audience likes and wants, as well as where you should be selling your art. It also allows you to find similar artists that you can network with or collaborate with.

Identify your Target Audience:

Who do you want to sell your work to? Who will your style appeal to? Who can afford your artwork? Where do they buy art from? These are the types of questions you should ask yourself when identifying your target audience. It’s okay to have great art, but if you don’t know who you should be selling it to, chances are you won’t have as much success as you could be having.

You need to know how to reach your audience and how to communicate with them in the best way. This will allow you to make sure the correct people are seeing your work. Once you have identified your target audience, you can create a marketing plan with the best way to reach them. This could include a newsletter, social media, Google Ads, or art fairs etc. 

Price for Profit:

When you sell your artwork you need to make sure that you are actually making a profit from all your hard work. It can be hard to know exactly how to price your art but some things you should make sure you cover in the pricing are material used, shipping costs, any framing or varnishing before it’s sent out, and also your time. 

To figure out how much you should get paid for your time, work out an hourly wage that you would be happy to receive and make a note of how long each artwork takes you, then add this to the other costs of the piece. 

Find your Selling Platform:

Where you sell your art is completely up to you. You should take into account your niche and target audience as you will have to use a platform that fits in with both of them. There are a lot of options out there, you could build or get someone to make you a website, open a store on Etsy or Amazon, approach galleries, go to art fairs or sell through social media. I would recommend having a website or online portfolio of some type so you can showcase your work. 

I personally have this website as my main platform for selling my original paintings, but I also have a RedBubble store for my digital designs, and put art up for sale on Facebook and Instagram. In the future I would also like to open an Etsy shop to sell smaller paintings and drawings.

Make it Legit:

Make sure before you start selling anything that your business is legal. It varies from place to place so make sure to do research before you get started. You may have to register as self-employed or a sole proprietor beforehand. I would also recommend setting up a separate business bank account so you can keep track of your finances easily. This will definitely come in handy when it is time to do your taxes!

When you choose your business name, find something that isn’t already taken. Your name with ‘Art’ or ‘Artist’ added to the end is a simple but effective solution. Something easy to remember or abbreviate is also a good option. Your website (if you have one) and social media accounts should all share the same name so customers can find you easily, so do a quick check to make sure it isn’t already taken on those platforms.

Photo by Rachael Gorjestani on Unsplash