How should artists respond to pandemic resurgences and ongoing lockdowns affecting their business?

The pandemic has made it clear that relying on third parties for art sales is a risky business strategy. The pandemic isn’t going away soon, and artists need to recognize that if they were hurt by lockdowns, they had the wrong strategy. The solution is to adopt a direct sales approach: sell directly to customers through your own channels, market directly without intermediaries, and don’t rely on galleries, art shows, or third-party platforms. This is how you achieve consistent income and build a valuable business that you control. The indirect strategy—selling through galleries, festivals, or online marketplaces—always results in the rug being pulled out eventually. Use the pandemic as a wake-up call to change your strategy permanently.

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Asked by artists affected by pandemic lockdowns · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2020-06-27