How to Actually Sell & Market Your Art
You can make incredible work.
But if nobody knows it exists, selling it becomes significantly harder.
Marketing your art doesn't mean becoming a salesperson every time you open Instagram. It's really about helping people discover your work, understand it, connect with it and know how they can support you.
Show more than the finished artwork
People love seeing how things are made.
Show the sketch.
The chaotic studio.
The first layer.
The mistake.
The palette.
The pile of failed attempts sitting in the corner.
The finished artwork might be what someone eventually purchases, but the process helps them become invested in it.
Tell the story
Instead of:
“New painting available now. 60 x 60cm.”
Tell people why you made it.
What inspired it?
What does the flower, colour, material or subject mean?
Was there a ridiculous story behind making it?
What were you experimenting with?
People connect with stories far more easily than product descriptions.
Make it easy to buy from you
Someone shouldn't need to send six DMs and solve a small mystery to work out whether an artwork is available.
Where possible, clearly communicate:
Price
Dimensions
Materials
Availability
Shipping or collection
How to purchase
If you have a website, keep it updated.
If something sells, mark it as sold.
Reduce as much friction as possible.
Don't rely entirely on Instagram
Social media is useful.
But you don't own your Instagram audience.
Build an email list.
Even if it starts with twenty people.
Your mailing list can become one of the most valuable ways to communicate directly with people who genuinely care about your work.
Use it to share new collections, exhibitions, commissions, studio updates and occasional behind-the-scenes content.
Get your work into the real world
Markets, exhibitions, open studios, group shows, pop-ups and collaborations all give people an opportunity to experience your work physically.
They also help you meet people.
And those relationships matter.
Someone might discover you at a market, follow you for two years, attend an exhibition and eventually commission something.
Not every interaction needs to result in an immediate sale.
Collaborate
Work with other artists.
Photographers.
Designers.
Local businesses.
Writers.
Galleries.
Creative organisations.
Collaboration introduces your work to people who might never have found it otherwise and can lead to opportunities you couldn't have planned.
Be consistent without making yourself miserable
You do not need to post three times a day.
You do not need to make a Reel every time you pick up a paintbrush.
You do need to remind people that you exist.
Find a rhythm that you can realistically maintain.
Consistency over time is far more useful than posting constantly for three weeks and then disappearing because you're completely burnt out.
Make sure people know you're open to opportunities
If you take commissions, say so.
If you're available for murals, say so.
If you sell originals, make them easy to find.
If you're looking for exhibition opportunities, have a portfolio ready.
Don't assume people know what you're available for.
Remember that selling art takes time
Someone following your work today might become a collector three years from now.
Someone who can't afford an original might buy a print, attend your exhibition, recommend you to a friend and eventually commission you.
Marketing isn't just about converting every person into a sale.
It's about building an audience around your creative practice.
Keep making good work.
Keep sharing it.
Keep showing up in the creative community.
And make it really easy for people to support you when they're ready.
The Creative Toolkit is a growing collection of practical resources from The Rundle Collective, created to help emerging creatives navigate the business, opportunities and realities of building a creative practice.
