Sometimes There Are Struggles…
This week I am writing about another aspect of being an artist that I experience quite often. After last week’s flurry of art exhibit openings, I fell into a little down swing. This is a normal cycle for me, it occurs after I’ve had a weekend art or craft show as well. I’m so busy leading up to any kind of event, the week after it’s over feels like a let-down.
I fall into the trap of being unsatisfied with my work and having a head full of new designs that I want to try out. The problem is that I have this reaction before I’ve sufficiently tried to market what I already have. What I really need is proof that someone likes what I do enough to buy it. However, without marketing very few people even get to see it. This is where I get stuck in the process. If you search online for marketing advice, you see a lot that doesn’t really work for art. The ones that are focused on selling art don’t agree on how to do it. Artists have historically struggled to sell their work, and the internet is supposed to make it easier since you basically have the whole world to talk to. You also have millions of other artists who are doing the same thing, not to mention the proliferation of AI and all the problems for artists that causes.
I’ve had two different marketing coaches whose strategies I’ve tried to employ. The problem with them is they are most effective for people who are selling handmade products. Art is not sold in the same way, and though both coaches have assured me that their system works for art, I’ve yet to have that experience. Perhaps I don’t think outside the box enough to be able to adapt their systems to my needs, but with the amount of money I’ve paid, I kind of feel like I shouldn’t have to. Also, most of their efforts seem to be focused on selling their “hands on mentoring” systems, which I can in no way afford. I have learned some things I can use, so I’ll just focus on that and see what happens.
I usually use Sunday as an experiment day. This week I tried out some of the ideas that were rattling around in my brain. If I don’t get them out of my head, they poke me and cause me to feel restless. Unfortunately, I did not get the satisfaction I needed because the experiments did not go well, and the attempts got ripped up. I actually need to go through this process more, because I have the expectation that anything I’m trying out may be worth finishing, and when it’s not I feel disappointed. This is not a healthy way of doing things, and I need to try and fail - to make me practice so I can progress. Have I mentioned before that I’m a work in progress?
This week and next I have scheduled to work on art. After that I’m going to visit one of my children for a few days, and when I come back, I need to get all my wood blanks out and finish them for a show I have in June. It will be the last time I try to sell my pyrography work in person (it’s available on my website,) so I’m going to have it all available for that one weekend. In the midst of all that, of course, I need to work on figuring out the marketing thing as well. I’ll be using Pinterest mostly. I’m still on the fence about Instagram, the current feeling for artists is that it takes up a lot of time and doesn’t really help with sales unless you have a ton of followers.
Torn up picture attempts
So, this week’s blog is rather depressing, I’m afraid. No victories or highs to report, this would be the struggle part. However, the struggle is part of the journey, and I would be remiss not to comment on that part as well as the good bits. I’m sure any artist reading this has felt the same way and perhaps continues to do so. I don’t have any comforting words at the moment, only that this phase will pass, as it always does.
Time to pull out my mantra: best possible experience. For all things at all times. I don’t know what that will be and am open to the possibilities. All I can do is keep trying and keep moving forward. Even if I’m crawling, it’s still progress.