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What if I've been creating art for years but have never sold anything—should I just give up?

If you haven’t sold anything, the issue is not that you’re a bad artist—it’s that you don’t yet have a product the market wants. This is a common problem that requires a pivot, not quitting. Change your subject matter, style, or niche to something that has demonstrated market demand. Look for audiences that already buy art in a particular category and create for them. Many successful artists were on the verge of quitting before they pivoted to a new niche and immediately saw sales take off. The key is to validate each new direction quickly and keep iterating.


Asked by a photographer who hasn’t sold in 15 years · Answered by Patrick Shanahan and Nick · art-marketing-podcast · 2020-09-24