13 Mistakes When Trying to Sell Art Online: Tips to Start Your Art Business Fast
Welcome back, Beautiful Souls!
To know what you need to start an art business, first you need to understand what you can eliminate.
Get ready to take a weight off your shoulders today!
We have 13 Things You Don’t Need To Start Your Art Business Today
I work with over 750+ artists and these are the most common misconceptions and time gobblers delaying what you really want: ART SALES!
I’ll let you in on a big secret. The key to feeling like a legit business is thinking like a business owner and treating your art like a business!
As we review the 13 things today, you’ll notice most of the items come from fears of the unknown and overanalyzing.
As Marie Forelo Says… The key to success is to start before you are ready.
I am on a mission to help artists exactly like you transform your mindset and income so you can live a happier life!
There’s never (ever) enough time in the day.
But because of my daily struggle with chronic migraines, I have even less time to accomplish what I need to before I’m completely zapped for the day.
When I set out to change the lives and income of artists everywhere, I knew I wanted to empower anyone fighting an invisible battle like me.
I became freaking OBSESSED with collapsing time and only doing exactly what you need to do to succeed, and skipping the rest!
I wanted to help artists start selling their artwork and thriving in their daily lives as quickly and efficiently as possible.
When you know what your art business plan must have in order to make money and thrive, you stop doing all the things that are wasting your precious time.
Hint: it's not having your art perfect or all the tech figured out to begin.
Hint: It's not figuring out your art style or art niche. And wait until you hear #6! Yikes!
13 Mistakes Emerging Artists Make and How to Avoid them so You can Launch Your Art Business ASAP!
If you want to eliminate overwhelm and finally launch your business - snag my Ultimate Art Biz Checklist for Free.
Inside you will get :
5 non-negotiables you NEED to launch a successful art business today.
PLUS today’s complete round-up of the 13 things you need to stop wasting time on in your art business so you can focus and thrive.
Click here to download your copy now!
Here are 13 things you DON’T need to start your art business today:
Permission.
1. Are you subconsciously waiting for someone's approval or external validation to chase your dreams?
I sure shocked my parents when I went rogue to become a full-time artist after 10 years in corporate. As many older generations think, my parents believed the starving artist myth so it took years to gain their approval as a professional artist. With today’s digital environment, there has never been a greater opportunity for artists to create profit!
So what about you? Have you bought into the belief that art has to be sold in a gallery or you need a special exhibition or award to say you’re good enough? Our ego also perceives this as permission, but it’s total bull. The landscape is changing and galleries are not what they used to be. Stats actually show that MORE art than ever before is now being sold online. And the way people buy art is changing.
You are the only person who needs to deem your goals worthy. And decide they are valuable enough to go for in your one walk of life.
Oprah has talked to every successful person on the planet.
Her answer to the 1 common denominator of what gets people to where they want to go is profound:
“A lot of people are being driven by what they think they should do, what other people say they should do, what they have carried in their mind for a long time about what they should do. But the most important question you could ever ask yourself is what do I really want?
Once you can establish for yourself what the answer to that is… and have everything you do, every choice you make, move you in the direction of what you say your vision is. And when you do that, the forces of life rise up to meet you.
The reason why most people have chaotic lives is because they’re living in chaos in their head. And once you get clear. It clears up.” - Oprah Winfrey
A Business License.
2. In the US you can get started immediately as a sole-proprietor because no paperwork is required. When you file your taxes at the end of the year you will do so under your SSN.
You do not need to set up an LLC. As a 1099 you are taxed the exact same way as an LLC. An LLC involves cost and paperwork to get started. This is something I personally did not do for a couple years into business.
If a customer offers you $500 on the spot for your artwork, would you shrug and say “oh. sorry. no. I gotta ask the government to tell me it’s OK for me to be a business first”. Of course you wouldn’t.
Getting Everything Perfect Before Showing Up or Starting.
To improve your craft first.
3. It’s so easy to be hypercritical of our creations. We’re the only ones who know that our work didn’t quite come out as we imagined. But your art buyers don’t see those “flaws,” they see a piece of art they’re dying to have. Your clients are not artists. They do not have your GIFT! That’s why they pay you, because they cannot create art themselves. Your style, technique, or skill may change as you gain more experience, but you won’t make a single sale if you’re always waiting to improve.
To finish a collection of artwork first.
4. You need ONE piece of artwork to begin. That’s it.
To define your art style first.
5. Needing an art niche is the biggest MYTH ever! There is so much power in being a multi-passionate artist. Learning how to notice the common themes in your work and marketing them is a skill I love to teach my Artpreneur Academy students! Any skill you learn is a muscle that will grow stronger for you over time. Working in several subjects or mediums is a wonderful way to collect data in your business. A data-driven business can lead to more sales. Best part? No one puts you into a box and you have the power to pivot anytime when you learn this skill. This will make you more successful and more fulfilled. Create all the art and post away!
An art website.
6. You can make sales from social media and in person immediately. I teach you how to close art sales via social media in my Free Masterclass. So that's a great place to focus today rather than fiddling with your art website.
An art website is the #1 time drain for artists. It’s important to have a website AFTER you have implemented key strategies in your business.
A domain.
7. For the same reasons as the “website” above.
A business name.
8. Deciding on an Instagram handle? Go with your name + art. Done. Now customers can easily find you online because you are the brand.
A fancy logo.
9. This literally does not matter! Your IG picture should be you + your art, not a logo. You can make a logo for free on Canva.com in minutes. Don't fret or spend too much time on this because you can update your logo at any moment.
Professional photos of your artwork.
10. You don’t need an expensive camera, photographer, or light kit. Your smartphone and natural light are all you need to capture your artwork, your creative process, and photos of yourself to share on social media.
Knowledge.
11. You don’t have to be a marketing genius.
You don't have to be a technology whizz.
12. You don’t even have to know the first thing! Everyone starts somewhere.
Starting your art business and learning on the go is an excellent opportunity to become more "internet fluent" without being bogged down by super complex concepts.
Every successful business owner starts with “I don't know how but I’ll figure it out the next step, then the next.”
Plans to solve problems that don’t exist.
13. Are you inventing hypothetical problems about when you make an art sale? This may be fear of success knocking at your door.
For example, are you working on a plan for art shipping, but you don't have any out-of-town customers yet? Your time may be better spent elsewhere. Like closing the sales from your social media comments.
When you make your first sale to an out-of-town customer, you’ll figure it out! If the problem is not at your door, it does not exist. It’s just anxiety. The best way to leap out of anxiety is to focus on the present moment. You will have to trust yourself as the smart, resourceful, badass you are. When a challenge arises you will handle it then because you are 100% capable of doing so.
Having an unshakeable Artpreneur mindset is the #1 key way to be able to sell your art full time and live the life you’ve always dreamed of and is only available through the Artpreneur Challenge.
Great news! I have re-opened the Artpreneur Challenge since recording this episode!
Get it for FREE ($800 value) for a limited time only!
To start the challenge today click here!
Love and Positive Vibes,
Jenna
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