Why is it important to be close to your customers as an artist or photographer?

Being closest to your customer is fundamental to winning in the art business. This proximity leads to better relationships, more loyal followers, a healthier collector list, and ultimately more sales. The closer you are to your customers, the more feedback you get on what they actually want you to create versus what you want to create. Many artists create in a vacuum—making what inspires them personally without any customer feedback—then struggle to sell those works and blame external circumstances. The purpose of a business is to create a customer. If you’re not doing that, you have a hobby, not a business. A great way to transition from hobby to business is to take into account what potential customers want and create it for them. Through regular video sessions with both customers and non-customers, getting direct feedback on where people actually are in their journey—rather than assuming what will help them—can lead to 50X improvement in effectiveness.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2021-07-19