Comments on: Are you Selling or are you Making a Contribution? It’s all in your head.

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:40:32 +0000

Excellent article and a great way to inspire and motivate artists to share their work with others.

By: Eight Things You Must Do When you Sell An Artwork | Art Marketing - Maria Brophy

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:34:22 +0000

[...] There are a few steps to take when you’ve made a sale of your artwork. The most important is to make a meaningful connection with your new collector. After all, the collectors are your supporters who enable you to live a creative life. And living a creative life enables you to make important contributions to the world. [...]

By: Daina Scarola

Daina Scarola — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:19:01 +0000

Wow, I needed that Maria, thank you. This is exactly how I need to see things, in a new perspective. Being someone who is naturally shy, the few times I’ve put myself out there and gone for what I wanted I got it. But sometimes the rejections, years of rejections, can really batter the spirit. I’m going in a good direction though now, with big goals and determined to work toward them. Who knows, maybe I will be the next big ‘surf artist’!!

By: Sue Allemand

Sue Allemand — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:38:27 +0000

LOVE this post Maria! You put it so wonderfully! I was having one of those — just get it done days, where you don’t really feel like working, but you know you need to make some progress, but you just wanna lay out in the sun and sleep? (blah! is the word! hehe) – and you picked up my attitude! You are DEFINITELY making a CONTRIBUTION to all of us! Thank you for being our cheerleader and motivational speaker! You keep me inspired – and that’s not easy for us work alone artists! Please keep it up!

By: Jesse

Jesse — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:16:24 +0000

I am not an artist, but have successfully sold art for 18 years – mostly in fine art galleries. There are a few artists, who for whatever reason, would be the wrong person to present their art to a gallery. But if it is just fear that stops you – fear is fun after you take the ride! Be aware however – selling is a skill set, just like painting. As far as getting into galleries goes – walking into a gallery on a busy weekend with your art under your arm and talking to a salesperson is the wrong way to do it. First, find out via phone or Internet who you need to be talking to – the decision maker – and approach them professionally. Make an appointment. Otherwise you will very likely hear “oh, we aren’t taking any new artists right now”. The sales staff is there to make a living – they usually take turns talking to people, and you just took their turn away from them. Frankly, they see you as a nuisance. They do not want to see your art, a hundred artists may have interrupted them this month. It is rare to succeed in anything by sheer luck. Read Maria’s extraordinary blog, buy a book about selling art, do your homework. Then you will avoid much of the rejection that hurts your belief in yourself as an artist. Wanna be a pro artist? Be a pro salesperson or find one to help you. Otherwise, you will join the long trail of artists who have gone forth expectantly only to return home discouraged for no good reason. Bless you for your talent and creativity – the world is hungry for beauty and inspiration. Go for it!

By: MADART

MADART — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:47:37 +0000

You hit the nail on the head with this one Maria!!

My husband and I were JUST talking about this the other day. I have some very talented artists/writers/photographers in my family, a genetic gift And most of them never do anything with it, and it’s so sad A lot of it because they are afraid of “selling out”. But as you so perfectly said it’s not selling out it’s contributing to society and if you have a gift, it’s your obligation to share it with other’s!!

LOVE this article!!

By: Archan Mehta

Archan Mehta — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:06:33 +0000

Maria:

Yes, we need a paradigm shift.

You are correct in pointing this out, to be sure.

Especially this is true where art is concerned,and artists need to keep that in mind.

Artist want to create a masterpiece, but are not good at marketing. So, they suffer because they believe that selling is distasteful.

Selling is the ugly duckling of the family. Avoidable, unpopular.

By creating art, however, we are making a contribution.

We are “adding value” to the lives of people, not just to customers/clients.

Great art is directed toward common weal–toward human welfare–and it then becomes a public good for the commons.

So many people stand to benefit from it.

I think, therefore, that artists need to have a more positive attitude; more energy to create art.

And more avenues to market that art, so everybody benefits.

Even today, Pablo Neruda’s poems, I have heard, are celebrated in the cathedrals of South America, especially in Chile.

Neruda’s poetry was so inspirational that it was converted into a movie, El Postino (The Postman).

Please check it out, if you get the chance. It moved me.

Artists like Neruda are so good, and quite rare, that you can immediately relate to and identify with what they are writing about.

Your post reminded me of that fact: it had a humanizing influence.

Thanks for that and keep on contributing. Cheers to you!

By: Roberta

Roberta — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:36:24 +0000

I am trying to make contributions to the walls and beautification of people’s homes around the world, but I need to find more people that need their walls adorned and homes beautified!