Being in the business of selling art requires you to make many decisions.
Where should you sell your work, how to print it, who can you trust, how much should you charge?
Even after a ton of research and a few years of being a working artist, still, you will always be faced with new decisions that require new information and research.
Some of these decisions can stop you from moving forward. The fear is, if you make a mistake, it may be fatal to your career! And this scares many artists away from earning a living with their art.
For example: Some artists fear that if they allow their fine art to be printed on goods (as in licensing), it could be fatal to their career as a fine artist. Or, if they choose to collaborate with the wrong person or company, it could harm their reputation forever.
First, I want to assure you that YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES.
But don’t worry, because most mistakes you make will not ruin your career. If anything, it will teach you lessons that make you better at the business of art.
Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, instead, make thoughtful decisions. Give your choices great thought, research it, and then MAKE A DECISION based on your research! (And make your decisions quickly, before the opportunity passes you by.)
If you allow decision making to stop you in your tracks, you could miss out on opportunities that will propel your career forward.
NOW, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU: What is one decision that you were faced with that scared you so much, that you nearly let an opportunity pass you by?
SHARE IT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
And if I have any suggestions that might be helpful for you, I’ll help you avoid the agony of it next time by addressing it in the comments or my next blog post.
Thanks – Maria xxoo
PS: I want to invite you to go to my YOUTUBE CHANNEL, where I post new videos from time to time. While you’re there, HIT SUBSCRIBE to my Channel so you never miss a new video!
I haven’t found anything that scares me yet but I’ll keep looking. I have found things I’d love to do that seem unavailable at this moment though. Sooner or later, I’ll figure out how to get it done anyway 🙂
This may be the opposite that actually leads into your question. Several years ago, while I exhibited at the Licensing Show when it was in NYC, I developed a relationship with a lawyer, whose “influence” allowed me to 1) blow up what could have been in hindsight a great relationship with an agent in China, and then 2) allowed her Pie in The Sky promises of developing work for her, and put my work aside for the majority of 6 months to a year. Needless to say, all that work went nowhere. Bringing me back to your question.. I am very leery of creating other work for most people in most instances now. Creating logos etc is fine, but as far as investing time and energy into other peoples projects… I try to avoid that.
Hey Marty, great to hear from you! I have a suggestion for you – don’t let this one bad experience affect you. If you would have required payment up front for you time, it would have gone differently. We get so many new business owners wanting Drew to create art for them. However, since 50% of most new ventures fail, we don’t allow ourselves to get caught up in it UNLESS they are paying for our time. We never do work without money up front for any project. And that weeds out the people who aren’t serious or invested in their own idea. The next time this type of “opportunity” comes to you, require $$$ up front, before doing any work. That way, if their project fails or doesn’t go to market, it doesn’t matter, because at least you got paid for it!
I agree 100%… it’s something I practice now, but was too inexperienced back then. The demands of a day job, and trying to transition to my own work being a a full time job, really limits the time I can afford to give to other peoples “projects with potential”
I’ve licensed my work for a few years now, and at one of the breakout sessions at Surtex, they specifically said to make sure your contract specifies WHEN your product will go to market, should a licensor pick it up. That ‘6 month’ thing is a practice I’ve heard of before, and you don’t want your art on a legal shelf for that long (and I’ve heard of people holding it up for two years!)
That said, I do create art in my off time for my agent, and although it is not billable up front, I do get licenses from it. I also make art for myself (things I just want to paint) and he ends up putting those on the site, and they get licenses. Also, with licensing, you can use your own art as long as it’s not in the same market that the license is in (for instance, creating and selling journals if a stationary client has licensed that same image). I am also able to reuse my art in shows, sell the originals and multiply it in other ways. As Maria said, please don’t be scared away from licensing. I would research it in Maria’s posts, and even ask other licensed artists about how they do things. It’s nice to get a quarterly check from your art! Best wishes!
I was asked to paint live at an outdoor wedding and during the reception. The thought of that was terrifying but I accepted because I could see the potential.
The experience (and the painting) turned out amazing. Had I said “no”, it would have been a missed opportunity of creating a new and unique revenue source. I’ve taken deposits on 3 weddings for this summer.
Paula, congrats on breaking into a new market! So glad to hear this. Weddings are a huge business and having a live painter is such a treat for the bride and groom.
How exciting, what a great idea! What do you paint at the reception? Thank you! @lynellenromero
I just completed the largest mural I’ve ever done to date. When the client first came to me with her vision I was petrified! I couldn’t see myself doing a project bigger than 1000 square feet. That was the limit of my imagination. I was just beginning to read your blog at the time and found the courage to go for it one step (one bite) at a time. My client is thrilled with it…AND…I’m now working on sketches for another project that is more than twice that size.
This post just made me realize how much of my life is lived in fear. Fear of failure. Fear of success. I am weird. I was a working musician for almost 35 years. Didn’t even need the dreaded day job. Then I started having health problems that made playing impossible. So I decided to try and teach myself to be a better visual artist. It has always been a hobby. Now I am 57, self taught and I feel like I am never going to catch up. See? Fear again. WTH is my problem?
Wendy, you asked “what the hell is my problem?” My answer: You might be living in the past and the future, and not in the present. What I mean is, you spend too much time thinking about where you are going, rather than where you are, right now. If you can focus more on TODAY, and learn to enjoy what you are doing right now, the rest will work itself out. It’s a little difficult to do, but you can train yourself to be mindful. With practice, you’ll get better and better at it.
Large scale commissions. I’m tackling a triptych that is larger than normal for me. But if I don’t do it then I’ll never grow or get better as an artist. Fingers crossed they like it.
Jane, that is so scary, taking on a project much larger than you are used to. But you are right, you have to do it if you want to grow. Go for it, I believe in you!
Hi Wendy, I do graphic designs that would look great on surfboards, snowboards and skateboards. Actually, the designs would look great on anything…I do have a copy write on the designs.
My question is, do I bring my portfolio to the manufacturers and pitch my ideas? And, how much would I charge?
This is a huge sum.
New new balance Store https://newbalance.stefanzeulner.com
I havent gotten my art out of the basement yet. My house is filled with it. I’m still afraid people wont like it so it’s just for my famjam right now 😥
Sometimes the work that I think is the worst crap I’ve ever produced ends up being the most popular item, and the work I think is my most brilliant gets cricket noises. lol Regardless of how you feel, you never really know what others are going to think. If you like it, and your family likes it, chances are others will like it, too. So at least give people the opportunity to have an opinion on it. By letting fear rule and hiding your art, you’re projecting your insecurity onto strangers. That’s not fair to them…or you. If you’re looking for encouragement or validation, it’s scary to be vulnerable like that and maybe you should wait until you’re more confident about your abilities so your heart isn’t crushed by criticism.
But if you’re looking to make money, be brave and get some feedback so you’ll have a better understanding of how to create works that sell. When it comes to business, it’s about giving the customer what they want, and they often don’t know what they want until they see it. So I encourage you to find out if what you’ve made is for them. And if it isn’t, it’s not the end of the world…it’s the beginning of a new exploration in your creative pursuits. You can do it. 🙂
was presented with my first major license opportunity last year. It felt like a great fit for me on many levels and I had a lot of good vibes going in based on the correspondence I had with the people there. However, I almost let my fear of taking the leap, ruin the opportunity. I spent 2 weeks pouring over the license deal, asking too many questions, and procrastinating out of fear; Would I miss something Would I sign a bad deal Would I forget to ask a question or make a mistake Would this be good or bad for my art career Can someone tell me what to do I was rife with stress and so many unknowns that it stopped me in my tracks. (Funny how exciting opportunities can also be just as stressful!) This could be huge or it could be the biggest mistake ever. I didn’t know! And that’s the scary part – is that you don’t know and there’s no person or crystal ball that will tell you. So I did my best to know everything I could going in. Then when I had that info, I checked in and listened to that gut instinct. What was I feeling about it How did I feel about the people I was dealing with Why am I fearful If I was able to pinpoint it on something tangible, then that would help me decide my next course of action. If I couldn’t, and I was just scared, then I would do what I could to ease that by drawing some boundaries to protect myself and to feel a little more comfortable going into something new. That’s tricky too though. Draw too many and you could end up suffocating the opportunity. It’s a delicate balance. So in this case, instead of a 5 year deal out of the gate, I requested a 2 year deal which I had no friction when I asked and that eased my fears on a number of levels. (I’m always a little weary of people who aren’t willing to work with younegotiate – especially at the beginning.) If this opportunity was a success, I hope they would keep me on and I could maybe sign a longer deal next time. It would be a win-win for everyone. If it wasn’t working, we could both go our separate ways after a short trial, without a huge commitment. In the end, I realized I had done ALL I could do to be clear on the deal I was signing; I did my research. I re-read Maria’s book. I consulted another licensing book. I asked questions. I made adjustments to feel comfortable. I asked another artist. It was time I finally make the decision and base it on knowledge, not fear of the unknowns I couldn’t possibly predict. Sure, that fear was still there but it wasn’t driving my decisions anymore, it was just a by-product of doing something new and going beyond our comfort zone. So I finally signed on the dotted line and am truly thankful I did. I’ve been hearing some buzz that a big store picked up my line which could mean a pretty decent commission cheque – but, only time will tell what comes of it ) Of course, that wasn’t my last fearful decision – and as long as I’m living this life, I will continue to be faced with them. But all we can do, is do our best and let our knowledge and instinct guide us.
One decision that “scared” me so much that I nearly let an opportunity pass me by occurred about 7 years ago. I had just joined the American Legion Riders (Motorcycle Riders Group) here in Tucson, AZ, Cocio-Estrada Post#59. This was big step for me then (joining) and the Legion Riders patch on my back represents many brave men in my family who served our nation in past conflicts and wars, in particular my dad Ray Sr. who served in Vietnam. Almost immediately after I joined, my fellow Legion Riders “assigned me” to ride up with them to Sacaton, AZ one early Saturday morning (6 am -sharp!) The purpose of the ride (which I continue to attend each year) honors Ira Hayes, whose iconic visage helping to raise the US flag at Iwo Jima remains a most powerful and ironic symbol of Akimel O’ odham (Pima Indian) and Native American and Military pride.
Fate would have it that I would miss my group’s departure from the post! (I had arrived a few minutes late) and in the early morning February darkness I sheepishly thought of riding back home; but a thought occurred to me-why not catch up with the brothers? So off I went racing in the cold winter wind!
In short, as a result of my honoring my commitment to honor Ira Hayes and my Legion Rider family, I was given a Native Indian rider name-Stjuk-Shu-Dak (Blackwater). I was given this amazing and profound honor by a Pima Indian elder who also served in Vietnam, and was also a veteran biker. I carry always this special thought and memory as a reminder to honor my commitments. A’ -ho! (all my relations)