How does art actually sell, versus how most artists think it sells?

Most artists think art sells like this: you create it, post it online, maybe boost the post or run a sale, and boom—it sells right away the first time someone discovers you. That happens maybe one out of a hundred times, not 99 out of 100. How it really happens: you create the art and market it. You pick up an email address here, a follower there. You keep marketing and time passes. These people get to know you and your creativity, they get bonded to you. Then you run a sale and they’re still not ready to buy wall art, but they buy a lower-priced item or non-wall art. You keep marketing. Two years after they found you, you get the big sale. It’s a much longer journey than most artists expect.

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Asked by general teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2023-10-16