What is a collector and why are they important?

A collector is someone who purchases seven or more pieces from you over the course of a lifetime—they keep coming back and buying your art again and again. Art is fundamentally a collector-driven business. All artists who market consistently end up getting collectors, and this is one of the beautiful things about art as a business. The key is that you need to know who these collectors are, have a relationship with them, and be able to market to them directly. This is why owning your customer list and email list is so critical—without it, you can’t nurture these valuable long-term relationships.

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Asked by general teaching point · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-08-31