Where does bad advice about not discounting art come from?

Bad advice spreads like a virus in the art community, often from people who have never successfully sold significant amounts of art themselves. It might come from other struggling artists, bloggers without business experience, or self-proclaimed consultants who’ve never built a six-figure art business. The problem is that this advice sounds sophisticated and appeals to artists’ egos—the idea that their work is too special to discount. But it’s not based on data or real-world success. When you trace these opinions back to their source, you typically find someone without credentials or proven results. Meanwhile, every artist actually making substantial income uses strategic discounting. The bad advice persists because it confirms people’s biases and spreads through social media comments and art community discussions unchallenged.

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Asked by general business education · Answered by Patrick Shanahan and Nick · art-marketing-podcast · 2020-09-03