Why do artists tend to take lack of sales personally instead of considering it might be their niche selection?

Most artists and photographers pick a subject material not based on any criteria whatsoever other than the fact that it’s what they like, where they’re geographically located, or what they feel creatively passionate about. When that product isn’t met with worldwide praise, they instantaneously take it as criticism and start second-guessing themselves—thinking their art’s not good enough, they don’t have enough talent, or their technique is flawed. Then they start looking for people to blame: the market, the economy, social media, or their tools. They never take into consideration that it might not be about their talent at all—it could simply be about their product selection and the subject material they’re choosing. That’s a profound realization many artists need to learn.

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Asked by general teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2021-01-15