5 Things You Should Know About Starting an Art Business

Business Tips

Sep 8

Starting an art business and becoming self-employed can seem overwhelming but over the last three years I’ve been able to do just that!

Here are 5 things I think you should know before starting an art business.

1. Learn as you grow

While it’s tempting to put off starting your art business until you feel like you have all the needed skills and knowledge, the best way to build these skills is to just start! While research and preparation are important steps to take, you can only learn so much from reading about other people's experiences and pre-planning.

I spent most of my 20s thinking how one day I’ll have the skills needed to be a working illustrator, but I never took any purposeful action towards achieving this goal. Instead of waiting any longer, I decided to start thinking of myself as an illustrator and finally I was on my way to developing the skills I needed to build my art business. The time to start is now!

2. Excitement leads to sustainability

Building a sustainable career or business is not about a job title, it’s about what makes you excited to show up in service of your goals every day. The upside of running your own art business is that you get to design what that looks like and decide how you’re going to reach your goals. This may take some brainstorming and a little creativity but a good place to start is thinking about what excites you.

Doing something that excites you will help you stay motivated as you grow your art business.

If you enjoy engaging with people, perhaps you could run art classes or coaching; if you love telling stories, consider illustrating picture books; and if discussing art is your thing, grab that microphone and start an art podcast.

3. Be realistic and kind in your expectations

From my own experience, satisfaction and fulfilment come from having reasonable expectations for my art business because when we meet our expectations, we feel happy and accomplished.

While we all dream of becoming viral sensations, this doesn’t happen for most of us. If you have unrealistic, overly ambitious expectations of how long it will take to reach your goals, you risk being disappointed when things naturally take longer and disappointment can lead to us wanting to give up, something we want to avoid.

It’s not about lowering your expectations but being realistic and kind in your expectations. This gives you the best chance of feeling satisfied with what you achieve, keeping you motivated to continue building your sustainable art practice or business. Remember, slow and steady wins the race!

4. Look at the big picture

While there will be times of impressive growth and exciting new opportunities, inevitably you’ll encounter some speed bumps along your journey. Most success stories of entrepreneurs, artists or authors are filled with wobbles and struggles, showing us that growth isn’t linear for anybody. That’s why it’s important to look at the big picture. Reflect on where you first started and see how far you’ve come since then.

There have been plenty of times when my views are trending down, or my Patrons are lower than before and it's hard not to feel discouraged by these downward trends. Often though you’ll find these are just a natural levelling off from all the growth achieved. That’s why it’s important to maintain a long-term outlook that can help put any downward trends into perspective.

Looking at the big picture can help you stay positive and motivated because after all, it’s a long journey.

5. Difficult doesn’t mean impossible

Building an art business, even a small one is difficult and I think it’s healthy for you to start your journey with that understanding. Don’t let this stop you though because it’s important to remember that difficult doesn’t mean impossible!

There will be plenty of challenges along the way but nothing you can’t overcome. Remember, you can find free resources online to learn new skills, there are communities of people all over the world following the same path as you, and you can be whatever you want to be, you just have to start!