What's the biggest mistake artists make when they're just getting started?

The number one mistake is not understanding the realistic timeline—specifically, not giving yourself permission to let the business take three to five years to really grow and generate serious income. Most artists fail because they expect quick results and don’t understand this is a long-term commitment. The second major mistake is not running sales on the major holidays and not doing the pre-marketing work required to make those sales successful. The third is being 100% married to one subject matter instead of giving yourself permission to experiment with different subjects and iterate based on what actually sells. These three mistakes—unrealistic timeline expectations, not leveraging holidays, and rigid attachment to one subject—are the top pitfalls that derail artists before they ever gain traction.

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Asked by a theme park designer starting an art business · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2022-03-04