Comments on: Artists afraid of selling their work http://www.artisticfailure.com/2008/02/15/artists-afraid-of-selling-their-work/ Where hope springs eternal in the eye of the artist. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:18:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: admin http://www.artisticfailure.com/2008/02/15/artists-afraid-of-selling-their-work/#comment-645 admin Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:49:43 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2008/02/15/artists-afraid-of-selling-their-work/#comment-645 Interestingly, Cory, you're not alone. According to <a href="http://www.hhh.umn.edu/projects/prie/artists_centers.html" rel="nofollow">a 2006 University of Minnesota study (conducted by arts economist Ann Markusen)</a> 39% of 1,800 artists surveyed spent more than two-thirds of their professional time working in for-profit jobs; only 19% reported doing no commercial work at all. So artists do, in general, know what business is about. The problem comes in, I think, in dealing with selling one's own art--one's own creative child--and thinking about what one makes as an artist as just another commodity or product that someone may or may not want to buy. In this <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2007/sb20071026_598416.htm" rel="nofollow">Business Week article</a> a creative product business owner says a creative business is still a business. "Once those creative ideas are down on paper," she says, "it's all about logistics." Not at all about the artistic creative soul... Interestingly, Cory, you’re not alone. According to a 2006 University of Minnesota study (conducted by arts economist Ann Markusen) 39% of 1,800 artists surveyed spent more than two-thirds of their professional time working in for-profit jobs; only 19% reported doing no commercial work at all. So artists do, in general, know what business is about.
The problem comes in, I think, in dealing with selling one’s own art–one’s own creative child–and thinking about what one makes as an artist as just another commodity or product that someone may or may not want to buy. In this Business Week article a creative product business owner says a creative business is still a business. “Once those creative ideas are down on paper,” she says, “it’s all about logistics.” Not at all about the artistic creative soul…

]]> By: cory huff http://www.artisticfailure.com/2008/02/15/artists-afraid-of-selling-their-work/#comment-644 cory huff Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:53:39 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2008/02/15/artists-afraid-of-selling-their-work/#comment-644 I seem to have the opposite problem. I spend too much time selling and not enough time perfecting my work. Of course, my day job is as a salesperson, so that could be part of it. I have definitely noticed this problem with any number of my artist friends, though. How can you put that much work into something and not simply tell everyone about it? As an artist, simply talking passionately about your project is usually going to sell more of it. That's my experience. I seem to have the opposite problem. I spend too much time selling and not enough time perfecting my work.

Of course, my day job is as a salesperson, so that could be part of it. I have definitely noticed this problem with any number of my artist friends, though. How can you put that much work into something and not simply tell everyone about it? As an artist, simply talking passionately about your project is usually going to sell more of it. That’s my experience.

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