Linda's Web Page

Today I’m getting ready for a nice tea party with collectors. It made me think about artists who want to give up, feeling despair at poor sales. These collectors had dropped off my radar a few years ago for some odd reason. Artists meet thousands of people every year and collectors come and go. One of these ladies happened to come to my last party in October. I had not seen her in about 6 years. She is so nice, I’m glad she came. She wanted to come back in November with her sisters and so they will arrive for a nice tea party today.

I think some artists think negatively during slow times. They don’t realize that this is part of the cycle of being an artist or being in any business for that matter. They don’t have faith in themselves or their work. They end up in a downward spiral which is hard to get out of, once you have that mind set. I have had up and down times like every other artist in my long career, but I never let it cripple me. When times are slow, I spend more time in front of the easel, to expand my skills. I must learn new technique and improve my work if I want to sell in this highly competitive market. I spend more time connecting with my collectors. I spend more time marketing so that when the good sales arrive, I am ready. Each night before I drift off to sleep, I say to myself “I will sell a painting tomorrow”.

One problem I see for emerging artists, is that they try to get into the business too soon. This is a real problem in many ways. They do not have the business acumen to succeed. Their paintings are not really good enough yet to have wide appeal. Their friends and relatives tell them to sell before they have earned that ability. Many baby boomers have jumped into the art business as a hobbyist before they are ready.

Most artists, especially women, don’t really have to sell their work. They are retired from a steady job, they are married to a successful spouse, they have an inheritance to live on. There are few like me, who can actually live on art sales alone. It can be a hard road with many disappointments, but if one is positive and has faith, ability, and a solid work ethic, it is possible and loads of fun.

Artists have a wonderful life……