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Innovative Ways to Increase Art Sales

Any artist will tell you that one of the most difficult challenges they have to face is making a living. The conventional way to achieve financial independence is through long term gallery representations, but many artists don't have that and of those who do, few have it on a consistent basis. Artists are innovative people, though, and have come up with a variety of other methods to bulk up their bottom lines.

One of the easiest ways to make more money is to increase your name recognition. The best known artists sell plenty of art because they constantly make it visible and accessible to collectors. They know that the more people who see their art, the better their chances of selling it. They also know that people don't buy art they can't see, they don't buy art if they don't know it exists, and they don't buy art if they don't know the artist exists.

You have to look at your art is your business card, your promotional brochure, your best form of advertising. Get it out of your studio where it's not doing anyone any good and display it wherever possible, particularly in places frequented by people who like art and have the means to buy it. Restaurants, hotels, retail shops, boutiques, coffee shops, waiting rooms, interior decorating businesses, designer furniture showrooms, and lobbies of office buildings are all good possibilities. In any such circumstance, be sure to put your contact information in an obvious place or better yet, alongside each piece.

Hold a fundraiser for yourself. Perhaps you need a new kiln or are financing an advanced course of study. In your invitation, state your specific goal, offer donation options, and tell donors what they'll receive in return. Donations can be worth face value plus a certain percentage-- perhaps every hundred dollars can be exchanged for $125 worth of art-- either now or at any point in the future. In addition to art, they might also be exchanged for services like framing or art instruction. You might even give donors first choice of new work. An additional enticement might be to raffle off one or two of your artworks at the fundraiser itself with each $10 donation equaling one chance to win.

Those of you who enjoy travel, know how to teach and are good with people can organize and conduct art trips. Enterprising artists use this method to finance everything from ocean cruises to African safaris and some even end up with extra cash for living expenses when all's said and done. A lucky few turn this income generator into a livelihood. Artist trips work because people who love art also welcome opportunities to see, learn, and experience life through artists' eyes in faraway places.

Itineraries can include holding art classes in beautiful or exotic locations. If you know the great art and the great museums, offer guided tours. If you know unique destinations from an art standpoint, note that you'll be sharing that knowledge with others along the way. Other possibilities include organizing visits to small or obscure museums, exploring local or regional art scenes, and maybe even visiting interesting artists or personalities who your fellow travelers could never meet otherwise. The price of a trip might even include a piece of your art specially created to commemorate the event.

First time tour guides should start small, not wander too far from home, and decide whether they're comfortable leading others. Testing the waters with good friends or your best collectors is advisable. Above all, know your territory, be organized, and provide interesting experiences and observations.

Another good way to introduce new collectors to your art and keep current with old ones is to hold invitation-only salons or shows at homes or offices of your best clients. They enjoy holding events like this for a variety of reasons including philanthropy, support of the arts, ego gratification, and wanting to be around artists. They also love having their environments transformed by art, sometimes even to the point where their furnishings are totally rearranged. Presenting each host with a complimentary work of art in exchange for the time and space is always a good idea.

Have your host or hosts invite friends and associates from their email and mailing lists. Add select guests from your own circle of friends and collectors as well. Don't invite too many personal friends and other non-buyers, though, because that may change the tone from a salon into a party. If you want to go first class, you might consider sending out special engraved invitations without graphics in order to present the event as an exclusive gathering rather than just another art opening.

During any salon, always make yourself accessible to the crowd, welcome introductions, chat people up, and even seat yourself in a quiet room for a portion of the evening so that guests can ask questions in a one-on-one setting. Show primarily new work as opposed to older pieces that have already been seen. You want your best collectors to be impressed to the point where they'll excite new buyers. Keep refreshments or entertainment basic so that the focus stays on your art.

Salons and private shows might not be advisable if you're just starting out or are not that well-known. Your nucleus of supporters should be substantial and dedicated enough to attract a good crowd and to educate and excite the newcomers.

A surprising number of artists either augment or make the majority of their livings by playing to niche markets. They advertise on trade websites or publications or exhibit at trade shows that are not necessarily related to art. For example, a watercolorist who specializes in painting railroad subjects advertises on websites and in publications for train enthusiasts and exhibits at train collector or memorabilia shows.

Artists successfully market their work to sports collectors, science fiction buffs, pet owners, animal breeders, restaurant owners, hunters, fishermen, lawyers, doctors and car collectors, just to name a few. You can find trade shows, websites and publications for almost hobby, pastime or pursuit under the sun, so if your art appeals to a certain segment of the population, seek them out in groups. If your work is traditional or representational, for example, focus more on specific categories of designers, decorators, architects, antique dealers and collectors, or retailers of home furnishings and decorations that match to one extent or another with the art.

The two great advantages to targeting specialized non-art markets by doing networking, advertising and shows are that you have little competition from other artists, and that thousands of potential buyers see your work all at once. Chances are good that you can make significant sales if you identify, select and present your art to such niche markets wisely.

If you're swimming in excess art, have a studio sale. Cut prices in half and invite everyone you can possibly get your hands on. Hold back your best pieces, but at the same time provide a reasonably good quality selection. Leading candidates for the price ax should be pieces you've been unable to sell for quite some time, ones you have multiples or near look-alikes of, and those that no longer fit into how you see yourself progressing as an artist. Don't slash prices too many times because you'll saturate your market and encourage your best customers to wait for sales rather than pay full price. Instead, advertise it as a one-time opportunity for your collectors to save some serious money.

And always keep the barter option open. Whenever you can trade art for something that you would otherwise pay for, do so. Be less inclined to barter if someone wants to trade you something you don't really need in the first place, but then again, consider the opportunity before nixing it because going along with the trade means that one more piece of your art will hang in one more collection where new people will likely be seeing it.

Food, shelter, and clothing are always high on the survival list so consider barter with coffee shops, bakeries, grocery stores, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, hotels, your landlord, and retail or vintage clothing stores. Staying healthy, solvent, and out of trouble are always nice too, so don't forget doctors, dentists, accountants and attorneys-- all people who've been known to barter their services for art. If you're relatively well-known or your art has a broad range of appeal, consider signing on with a barter club. That way, you can trade art for just about anything.