Q: I have trouble selling my art. I don't show at galleries; I do all my own marketing. People like my work, but hardly anyone wants to pay my prices. I put plenty of time and effort into my art and if I can't get what I want, I won't sell. How can I convince people that my art is worth what I'm asking?

A: As I read this, I'm thinking pretty much the opposite. How can I convince you to drop this line of reasoning and lower your prices?

To begin with, people are telling you the same thing over and over again. You're not hearing a variety of comments-- some saying your art is low priced, some saying it's fairly priced and others saying it's overpriced. They're all saying it's overpriced. At this point, you have to ask yourself: "Am I right and is everybody else wrong or could it be the other way around?" The greater the number of people who make similar statements about your art, the more seriously you should consider what they say.

Another point to keep in mind is that unless you get your art out into public spaces like galleries and group shows, you're not going to get anywhere fast. Few people outside of your immediate surroundings will ever know who you are and you'll eventually drown in a sea of your own art. The public has to see what you do in order to increase your name recognition, sell art, and eventually increase your prices. While that's in process, you have to keep your prices low enough to attract new collectors and make them feel comfortable taking a chance on you.

The good news is that you don't have to compromise your integrity by lowering prices. For example, take a lesson from big business and do what they do in order to expand the client base. Create and market the art equivalent of what they call a "loss leader"-- a product that's sold at a minimal profit over expenses in order to get things going. If that idea doesn't appeal to you, offer collectors several reasonably priced alternatives that don't take a great deal of time, effort, and materials to create. Most buyers like to start slowly so do what you can to satisfy that criterion and lay the groundwork for repeat purchases in the future.

Remember that plenty of people get started in other fields of employment by working at low level positions or as interns for modest pay just to get that foot in the door and gain experience. You'll be doing the same by lowering your prices and starting out at a level where collectors view purchasing your work as a viable option. You'll gain valuable art business experience and hopefully build a collector base along the way.