On Art, Business and Online Presence

Inspired by many recent discussions by other creatives about IG and running a creative business online

Disclaimer: I’m writing this article as someone who has an outsider view - my career has always been full-time in academia and art has been a side thing for me. I’m interested in this topic as I’m in a period of change in my art and also trying to navigate my way into building an online art business as a fine artist.

Recently I’ve seen a lot of conversations on the Internet regarding social media frustration, its effect on mental health and the struggles of creatives to run a sustainable business. Well, of course, there is no one way to build a business, but nowadays we have to have an online presence in some form.

Problems may arise for those like me - a very “old Internet” person, who doesn’t feel like joining the race of content creation.  Which, by the way, doesn’t mean that I think Instagram or other social media platforms as inherently bad, not at all. I believe Internet is a place, where people can connect and social media made connection easer than ever. I understand that at a certain moment it potentially would be wise to have sort of a portfolio page on IG with links to other places, still I mostly research into ways of running a business without social media.

But running a business online is not only about being online. Any business is based on creating revenue streams, defining your product (service), audience, channels, cost structure, etc., and all that make up your business model. Business models differ widely across and within industries - and art is not an exception.

For the purposes of this post I am going to simplify quite a bit and use the most basic formula: Price x Quantity = Revenue.

You can manipulate price and quantity in order to increase your revenue. Usually, artists use a mix of approaches, but for the sake of simplicity I will describe two strategies - sell more with low to moderate prices or sell less with higher prices.

Strategy 1 - Focus on increasing quantity

This approach is usually focused on selling more but having lower to moderate prices.

Important: it’s not about selling original artwork cheap. Original artwork is valuable and unique and should be priced accordingly. It’s more about the business model and how an artist chooses to finance their business. There is only so much artwork one can create, so there is no possibility to manipulate quantity at a large scale from original artwork only.

Many artists enjoy increased revenue streams by providing their customers with art prints made from their original work. You can sell lots of prints, production costs are relatively low, prices are usually low to moderate (depending on the size and quality of the print). Laurie Anne sells amazing prints and also teaches how to make them from original artwork. Licensing, stationery design, surface pattern design, wholesale lines, etc. - any way of reproducing artwork at scale all fall into this category.

Another example is introducing a membership or subscription. Usually, there is a promise of a community, accountability and regular educational materials at a reasonable price. Louise Fletcher, Marisa Cummings, Alice Sheridan, Roben Marie Smith and many more have wonderful memberships.

Small online classes are evergreen and once created can be sold multiple times. The Jeanne Oliver Network is a good example - they have a large library of affordable courses to choose from. Laura Horn is another example of an artist whose business is centred around selling online classes.

Among the important perks is that this strategy allows artists to take their time for creating original artwork, e.g. larger or experimental pieces, and not be pressured about selling several collections throughout the year. Louise Fletcher said multiple times on Art Juice that she tends to have major creative blocks, so having a membership, online course and a YouTube channel help her to run a viable business. She creates collections of original work wherever she’s inspired and ready to do so.

Strategy 2 - Focus on higher prices

The second approach is setting higher prices for the artwork. It implies that it is possible for the artist to be relatively prolific and create enough artwork, it’s just not comparable in terms of the quantities mentioned in the first strategy.

The obvious problem here is that an artist can only create a limited number of artwork. Size of the artwork, used materials (e.g. oils dry longer than acrylics), process (working in layers or alla prima) - all will affect the amount of artwork that can be produced by an artist. Pricing can be tricky too. Being able to manipulate prices is related to an artists’ experience, status and reputation.

Still it is a viable strategy. It requires building a loyal audience and reaching out to potential customers through various channels. Usually, it implies building relationships not only directly with customers, but with a wider array of players, such as art galleries, designers, museums, universities, etc. It’s arguably about reaching less people, but having a more engaged relationship with them.

It isn’t easy to earn enough money only from the artwork, but possible. Augusta Wilson sells original work on canvas and paper, does commissions and has a trade programme for designers. Julie Battisti sells large and elaborate artwork through galleries and exhibitions and she also does commissions.

This strategy is not only about selling original artwork at higher prices, but also about providing more expensive and in-depth educational programmes, one-on-one coaching or in-person workshops.

Bibby Gignilliat is a prolific collage artists and her main source of revenue is selling artwork. But she also teaches - both offline and online - in order to have a sustainable source of income and be able to pay rent for her studio. Nicholas Wilton creates large paintings and sells them at higher prices, he also has a whole business called Art2Life, where he sells a big online program and hosts in-person workshops all over the world.

Is there a right way?

Important: I am not saying that the second strategy is about ignoring IG, most of the artists I mentioned in this article have a considerable following on the platform and I am sure its instrumental in running their businesses. Also important - neither am I arguing that the first strategy is all about having a large following - there are ways to license your work or create a wholesale line through an agent, or create online classes hosted by someone else (Jeanne Oliver hosts and markets classes created by other artists), etc.

If we go back again to the formula Price x Quantity = Revenue, it is possible for artists to create comparable revenue streams no matter the chosen strategy. In very simple words it’s possible to sell 1 piece for 10000$ or 10000 pieces for 1$. There is no inherently right or wrong way to run an art business, there is only a way that is right for you. And this can change throughout your career. Most artists combine the approaches by creating multiple streams of revenue and diversifying their offerings to their customers.

Growing a large following on social media platforms can help artists to reach as many people as possible in order to market their products - no matter the strategy they choose. But there are multiple ways of building an art business and reaching an audience, and IG doesn’t have to be the core of your business, especially if it can have potential harmful effects. It’s possible to use IG as a portfolio, but not playing by the rules go the algorithm. It’s also possible to grow and run your IG account in a healthier way. It’s possible not to use IG at all.

Exploring other avenues and building in-person relationships, investing into a network of connections within the art community along with being present across multiple platforms helps to build a more resilient and sustainable business.

“To be, or not to be”

Many people praise Instagram as their businesses wouldn’t exist without it, which is true for many creatives. There are also many people who have valid concerns about Instagram and other social media platforms, because of constantly having to feed the machine with content in order to grow and reach your audience (take a look at this great post by

Marloes De Vries

from

Making It (with Marloes De Vries)

). It can be (and is) a dehumanising and frustrating experience. Still there are people who manage to navigate this landscape in a healthy manner.

Nishant Jain

cleverly uses his large following on Instagram as a source to direct people to his other platforms, such as his podcast and his newsletter

The SneakyArt Post

here on Substack.

The truth is I am not happy how social media works and I am not ready to invest into it. Many people enjoy using the platform, but I am myself not someone who enjoys scrolling the feed and watching short videos, so I won’t be able to generate engaging content for someone who does. I understand that it means that I have to reach audiences in other ways and that it might be a slower path. I like the approach that Leana Fischer voiced in an interview with Laura Horn. Her most valuable asset is her mailing list with her most loyal collectors and supporters and not her IG account. I also like how

Astrid Bracke

promotes marketing without social media on

Female Owned: Small business without the hustle

here on Substack. She left Instagram in 2021 and is actively promoting marketing using other platforms and creating an ecosystem instead of relying on one thing. I love how she talks about

“a slower, gentler and more profitable way of marketing”.

It is hard to build a large following, but it is equally hard to establish oneself in other places. You have to reach your customers anyways. You need to have an online presence, but running an art business is not only about it, it is also about choosing your strategy in creating revenue streams. You need to get your work out there and you need to have a system that works for you and your business. You have to choose what is more in line with you, your values, your possibilities and your personality. If relying on IG can potentially be more harmful than useful, it is probably wise to find alternatives.

There are multiple ways to market you work and run your online business apart from having a large Instagram (or whatever platform) presence, but big tech companies want to make us believe that there is no other way other than playing by their rules.

I chose connection as my word of the year. All of the artists from whom I learn I found outside of social media - through Pinterest, podcasts, YouTube and various interviews. I love to have a closer look and a have deeper understanding of a person and their artwork. I love getting in touch with people whose message resonate with me. Connection creates all the little ripples that turn into waves.

Thank you for reading! I’d be happy to hear from you in the comments!

Lisa