What's the real reason artists should start marketing their business now rather than waiting?

Time and regret. Artists routinely reach their 80s, 90s, and beyond wishing they had started building their business 30, 40, or 50 years earlier. You never hear someone say they wish they’d waited. The years just keep going, and buyers don’t disappear—they stay with you, they become collectors, they follow your journey. It’s the consistent work over time that creates compounding results. Suffering through learning marketing when you’re younger means when you’re older, you have a business that continues to pay. Yes, learning to market is painful and you won’t enjoy it, but that’s the deal. There’s no way around it. Every successful artist and photographer has gone through this journey. The learning curve exists, but it gets easier every single day, and when things start clicking, the business transforms. Make the decision now to treat this as a business rather than a hobby. Draw that line in the sand, accept the suffering that comes with learning, and get started. Your future self will thank you.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-08-26