I was recently asked by one of social media followers whether she should focus on creating art that sells or art that she loves.
This really got me thinking, and I know there will be differing opinions on this but I just wanted to share my take, based on my own experience as a professional artist.
The short answer is, it depends!
If you are trying to start a business as an artist, then my answer would be to focus on both and I will explain why in a moment.
If you just want to create for the love of creating, then of course, create what you love. So let's drive a bit deeper into creating art with the goal of selling or building a business as an artist.
There is a fine line when it comes to selling your art and there is an element of creating based on what sells. Quite honestly it is hard for there not to be, its natural for a business owner to gravitate towards that which is bringing in the income, it's just logical right?
This is why so many people, including myself, go down the commission route, especially pet portraits; they sell! You can make a very good income doing pet portraits!
But, on the other side of this, if you get no enjoyment from doing commission work then you are compromising your love of creativity for money and you will burn out or lose that spark or passion. I have been there!
So, this is where I go back to my short answer of “both.” And why I say it’s a very fine balance. Because we aren't just talking about a material product to which we have little connection, art is so personal and its an extension of the artist, something we pour so much love into, so to be monetizing it, can create a bit of an internal battle.
Also, I want to be very clear here and say that you are still an artist if you choose not to sell your work! Many people want to create simply for the love of it and don't want to bring the pressure of selling their work into the mix, that is absolutely ok and does not in any way, diminish from your value as an artist!
Fortunately, I love creating pet portraits, but I do reach a point where I start to lose that spark, however, over time, I have recognized where that point is and I make sure I stop there, to either take a break or work on something just for me.
You always want to ensure you have that time set aside to work on art purely for yourself. For me, it’s the wildlife pieces. Having those pieces you work on purely for the love of it, without the pressure of deadlines or getting the drawing exact for your customer, can be so freeing and really help to maintain that creative flow and passion.
This is going to be very personal to each artist, but I definitely think you do need to look at what kind of art sells or at least what your audience seems to be drawn to the most in terms of what you create, and go down that route if you are looking to build a business. This is exactly how I got into doing pet portraits. It wasn’t my original plan, I just started being asked so I went that route. We could go into a really long discussion here and I may do follow up blogs/videos going deeper into this but for now, let’s just leave it here!
A final point I want to touch on, and I say this because I always want to be transparent and honest about all aspects of my art. If you are wanting to building a business, it is going to be hard work. It’s not going to happen overnight and you will encounter a lot of challenges along the way. But this is also why it’s so important to take time to create just for you and to really be sure of whether you want to go down this route.
I hope this helps and I would love to hear your feedback!
Rachel x