Lessons Learned Selling My Photography at Art Festivals

Soon after a 10 years of selling my do the job at artwork festivals, I have learned that beyond the dollars that I have gained, I have also gotten some useful classes both for my career and for my life.

This report is primarily supposed for any individual interested in pursuing exhibiting their get the job done at festivals. I hope my activities and insights will establish handy.

Recognize That It’s a Business

I don’t forget staying in an art pageant in Aspen, Colorado a handful of many years ago. As I was location up my booth and receiving ready for the weekend, a gentleman walked up to me and started out inquiring some thoughts, points like how substantially income I anticipated to make and how prolonged the pageant went on. I afterwards wished I had spent time answering far more fully simply because I experienced the distinctive sensation that the resource of his inquiries was the illusion that artists at art festivals are there to make a killing and this was uncomplicated dollars. Of system, nothing could be further from the fact. And whilst I’ve experienced some really profitable artwork festivals, I’ve also experienced my share of duds, which this particular pageant, regrettably, proved to be. But being amid environment up my pageant booth in the warm July sun, I did not hassle to fill him in on the actuality — that at the close of the working day, or the weekend, this endeavor is a whole large amount additional than just placing a tent up in a park and observing what transpires.

For instance, I might have started by allowing him know that prior to I built any earnings, there were being, of study course, some expenses to be paid. Very first among the these is the booth rate for leasing that 10-by-10 patch of turf in the park, which, in this situation, was $500.

On top of that, this was an out-of-town show for me in a much more affluent portion of the condition, so my food stuff and lodging charges were quite a little bit increased than typical. Then, there were the charges of gasoline and routine maintenance for my SUV I use to haul my utility trailer entire of prints and a exhibit booth around a mountain go to this site.

With all of this additional up, I couldn’t depend on even beginning to be in the black right until immediately after the initial $1,000 experienced been created. And not a dime of that $1,000 is assured. In actuality, at this specific pageant, I did badly and did not make back again all my money, so the entire experience finished up staying a considerably highly-priced hardworking vacation in a single of the nicer regions of the state.

Oh, yeah, and that show booth and partitions I was location up? Around $2,000 invested in all of that.

Doing artwork festivals has aided me recognize that promoting my art in any meaningful way is a organization. Just before accomplishing my very first just one, I developed my company as an LLC, bought insurance plan, and then started having to pay profits taxes. Just before that point, I had just been someone messing about with it and sometimes selling some work at a coffee shop or compact gallery exhibit, but now, I was an LLC.

Get To Know Who Your Shopper Is

This a single has been pretty important for my business. Standing at my booth at an art festival for two or a few times good and chatting with folks has been a fantastic way to uncover out which visuals resonate the most and why. Acquiring this 1st-hand practical experience has served me narrow down what to provide, and it can be served me hone my promoting efforts for the reason that I know a minimal little bit about who my most effective clients have a tendency to be, these types of as what age group they are in, what some other interests might be, wherever they dwell, and so forth. You can hardly ever know with certainty who’s going to obtain your do the job and who is not, but it truly is terrific to have a starting up place.

Create an E mail List

This is yet another upside on the company marketing and advertising close of matters. About time, I have developed up a record of individuals who get pleasure from my perform and enjoy viewing new photographs and listening to about travels that I’ve taken or what festivals I may possibly be coming to subsequent. Owning a good e mail listing is the backbone of any art organization, and performing festivals is anything that served to get it off the floor for me.

Another advantage to making an e mail listing is at times, if the print product sales just usually are not there, I can at least walk away understanding that I have included a number of men and women to my e mail listing and my admirer foundation. That is a person of all those matters that can pay back dividends in the foreseeable future.

Not All Shows Are Produced Equivalent

Like I explained in advance of, this distinct pageant was a dud for me, this means a modest quantity of income that ended up not approximately ample to offset bills. But the next one was a great deal much better. I’ve discovered by means of the several years that it’s a balancing act. I try to discover shows where by artwork patrons are prepared and in a position to shell out some dollars, and still, I don’t have to expend an arm and a leg just to be there.

I have finished displays that look on paper like they need to be wonderful, like that a person in Aspen, and have occur absent with not substantially to show for it. I have finished other individuals that had been much scaled-down and in less ritzy regions and have completed fantastic, especially calculated in opposition to the reality that I experienced decrease charges to satisfy to make a profit. For me, a little, perfectly-run demonstrate with only a several other photographers in it will pretty much often be superior than a large, well-identified clearly show with much more landscape photographers than you can shake a stick at.

Never Be Fearful of Competition

1 thing I acquired early on, especially when striving to get into the a lot more worthwhile exhibits, was that there are a whole lot of gifted photographers out there. A good deal. It was uncomplicated to see some of the other photographers at demonstrates, some of whom experienced good large double-booths with big prints and sense a little bit intimidated. Above time, I’ve just appear to take that this is just a truth of undertaking this variety of perform. I also test to learn what I can from men and women who may be more along than me and rely on that if my do the job is unique ample from theirs, I will obtain my current market.

Locating Your Design Is Critical

That qualified prospects to the future level. It is really so crucial to find your design and style. That’s what will support you uncover a market place for your images and enable you stand out from the level of competition. Just like the digital planet, the in-man or woman art clearly show globe is comprehensive of truly great work. Producing a model of your have is essential to standing out. This is one that I’m however finding out and is in all probability a lifelong lesson.

Don’t Squander Time Comparing By yourself to Many others

This ties in instantly with the past stage. It is quick when chatting with other artists to experience discouraged when they are having a great display and I am not. It’s a psychological trap I have fallen into many situations, and it is under no circumstances exciting. But when I’m in a position to get the state of mind that the only individual that I am competing with is myself, then what other men and women are doing will become far a lot less essential. And I’ve also learned that anyone, at the very least from time to time, has a present in which everything just clicks for them and it appears to be like all of their very best consumers are there. Conversely, we all have had reveals where it just would seem like practically nothing is likely appropriate and very little is marketing. “This way too shall pass” has been a great phrase to recall.

Reduce Unfavorable Self-talk

I will not know how quite a few displays I have carried out where, somewhere alongside the line, frequently on a Sunday afternoon exactly where I have not made considerably revenue to that position, I’ll hear my internal destructive dialogue startup. Matters like “what are you accomplishing this for,” “you really should just promote off every thing and quit carrying out this silly exercise,” or “other folks are so considerably far better at it than you are, and you will by no means be superior plenty of to make just about anything.” This is just a sampling of the form of issues that may run by means of my head. But I’ve learned that my fortunes can modify in an instantaneous. I won’t be able to count the number of instances that soon soon after this detrimental dialogue in my head commences up, someone walks up and buys a big piece, suddenly putting me in the black for the present. And even while this has took place a selection of moments, it really is continue to tough not to enable me get down in the dumps and commence establishing a crappy angle. But I am finding out that all it usually takes is one particular person at the appropriate time to change matters close to. So, why bother with the adverse self-talk?

Collaborate With Other individuals

This has been a actually important a single for me the two in executing art festivals and in my pictures profession in normal. I think when I started off, I was much additional likely to check out other photographers with a bit of disdain. But more than time, I have realized that they are kindred spirits in a way. Not everyone spends a bunch of their totally free time out photographing landscapes, and even fewer people then consider that do the job and established it up at art exhibits to consider to market it. You will find a selected camaraderie there by natural means, and quite a few other photographers that I have achieved doing reveals have turn into close friends. I have realized a great deal from some of them.

A further as well as facet to collaborating with other artists, irrespective of the medium is that I’ve acquired about which shows to implement for and conversely, which ones to prevent. Other artists who do festivals in a significantly additional comprehensive-time way than I do normally have beneficial insights in this regard.

So, there you have it. These are just some of the things that I have bumped up against and learned as I’ve endeavored to sell my work right to the community at artwork reveals. If you are someone just starting up or contemplating just starting off out performing this form of matter, I hope this insight is valuable or at least presents some truth check prior to you dive in.