How do I build confidence talking about my art with potential buyers?

Practice having dialogues with people in real spaces where they’re already coming to see art. Be okay with being told ‘I don’t like this piece’ and respond with curiosity: ‘That’s fair. Tell me what about it.’ These conversations teach you how people function with your art and who your clientele is. You learn from both positive and negative feedback. The more you talk about your work face-to-face, the more comfortable you become. Eventually, you’ll find your people—the ones who connect with your work on a deep level through this universal language of expression. The confidence comes from repetition and genuine curiosity about how people experience your art.

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Asked by an artist nervous about discussing their work · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-02-28