<< Back to Table of Contents: “From Creating Art to Creating Income Too (2) - Marketing Tips for the Visual Artist”
Chapter: Preface
“How did you get started selling your artwork?” This is the question that inspired me to write my first book, From Creating Art to Creating Income. It is a question I have been asked many times over the years. Whether self-schooled or traditionally taught, most emerging artists have been taught little about how to generate income from their work. They realize that the creative aspect of the endeavor is handled. It is the marketing of the work which is challenging!
Since my first book was published, there have been many changes on the marketing scene. There have also arisen many new opportunities. This book contains all of the information (updated as necessary) presented in my earlier book, along plenty of new material and references, and clarifications on previous material.
The goal of this book is to help you find your own successful niche and vehicle(s) for selling your artwork. There is a bit of life philosophy interwoven here, as I haven’t met an artist yet who would be satisfied with a straight “bean-counter” approach to selling his/her creations. How we see the world determines the world that we see. Many people today still think that what happens to them dictates how they feel. The process actually works in reverse–how you feel creates situations and events that correspond to that feeling. I think many artists sense this intuitively. Having realized the effects of intention and my state of mind upon my own experience of reality, I seek to share this perspective along with a quantity of other helpful information.
As an art student, I was told many times over about the starving artist stereotype. A university Professor of Art flatly told our class that fewer than 10% of us would actually work in our chosen field, that the remainder of the class had better be prepared for a sales job or some other career. I listened raptly to the critiques–my artwork was too much this, or too little that. The negative, self-defeating attitudes that this created for me were carried within me for quite some time, and I endured the predictable fears, depression and anxiety that accompanied that world view.
Many years into my career, I became a interested in metaphysics and consciousness studies. As I have gone through this process, not only has income improved, but more importantly my quality of life has improved as well. I have discovered how refreshing and powerful it is to come from a place of confidence and faith instead of fear. Creative ideas now flow in daily; the inspiration and confidence to create comes more readily.
Call it New Thought, Metaphysics, Quantum Physics, Law of Attraction, Faith in a Higher Power, or use whatever label you like. The bottom line is this: What you focus on expands, and what you resist persists. As the yogis say, where attention goes, energy flows. Therefore, if your image of an artist is “one who is starving,” or “one who struggles against a cold/cruel and critical world,” then be prepared to experience that reality, as that is exactly what you will attract. However, if you choose to believe in yourself, believe in your work, and have faith in unlimited possibilities, then the world is your palette. You will not only create in ways you never imagined, you will also enjoy the quality of every moment.