Art has always been associated with the artist, his background, the history, the material...etc. But for new comers, how should you “market“ your art piece?
I have recently met a few artists who are earning more than just a living, and created a raising reputation. One is a very good story teller, one used to be in marketing industry, and one has a mentor from the art gallery. This is not serious statistic, but it sounds reasonable to say these people owe their success to their talent, and most importantly, their way of marketing their art idea.
BASICS
The same art piece placed in a student’s art studio, by the street side, in an art gallery, an art exhibition, or an auction house would truly alter people‘s perception on its value. This is the basics and most people knows it has a lot to do with the atmosphere. The venue, decoration, lighting, the carpet, the music, the refreshment, air-conditioning, etc; and the biggest factor is the crowd. The quality and behavior of the crowd impact your clients decision. Most transaction in creative industry is impulsive buying, so choose your atmosphere. It is not just the place, it is also the people.
TWIST
So the question is, did you place your work in the right place? Some smart people really know where to find their potential clients, experienced buyer or not. For example, jewelers might sell jewellery better in art shows; art drawings might sell better in fine wine fair or hotels; and clocks in furniture show. May be one day, artist will sell art piece in hackathons, indirectly competing with tech start up for the funds. So be creative on the location.
YANG thinks, artist should ask yourself:
Who am I? - can you double as a marketer or should find a marketing brain?
Who are my clients? - even for those who are lost, you can roughly weed out the audience through your art piece size and value.
Where do my clients hang out? - try to make yourself, brand, or art piece visible to your clients.
What atmosphere make them think your art piece worth more than the price?
Which artist is exhibiting beside you?
What mood is your audience (the crowd) in? - is it suitable to make sales? Or just good for brand buIdling?
How would you impress them? - do you have some brochures to hand out? Do you have a good story to tell?
Feel free to get started with these few questions and develop your unique atmosphere for your clients.