Why do artists struggle with marketing when they're perfectly capable of having normal conversations at in-person gallery events?

In person, at a gallery opening, artists are great at conversations. You introduce yourself, make small talk, discuss what inspired the work, where ideas came from, why this series—it’s natural and human. But online, that same conversational ability goes completely off the rails. Instead of being that same interesting, articulate person, artists run what I call the ‘Art Gatling Gun’: non-stop posts of ‘here’s my art, buy my art, more art, art art art.’ If you walked up to someone at a gallery opening and immediately started with ‘I’m an artist, buy my art, here’s my work, 40% off if you buy two,’ they’d think you were crazy. Yet that’s exactly how most artists behave on social media. The solution is simple: be online the same person you are in real life—interesting, conversational, sharing about yourself as a human being.

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Asked by general teaching to all attendees · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-08-28