Do You Want to be Seduced?

This isn't where I imagined starting this blog on getting into the art business, but this topic is one of the first things artists will encounter once they start putting their work out there on the internet. At least it was for me.

People will start contacting you to praise your work, and to try to get your money. It can be on Instagram- pages that will offer to show your work for a $22 fee. It can be pay-to-play galleries or websites where the artist pays a fee and the gallery gets paid if they do their job and sell work or not. Companies want your money, and they will play to your ego and love of art to get it- with little of no benefit to the artist.

This just happened to me again, and I was almost seduced. I want to share this experience while it is still fresh.

I was just contacted by someone at "World of Interiors" magazine to participate in an advertorial campaign that they will run for three months. I would pay to be featured alongside other artists to be seen by their "134,000 affluent readers". Wow. She contacted me! I could be in a fancy interior magazine read by affluent people! Yes, I want more information!

Now this magazine in based in London, and I'm in the USA. So that set up a roadblock right there. I want to begin by selling to US citizens so I don't need to worry about extra shipping costs and custom fees. Ooooh, but magazines are shiny and pretty with affluent readers. Luckily I didn't reply right away to pay a minimum of $1261.01 for the advertorial campaign. I had a cup of tea and got my head screwed on straight.

I was sent a sample page from past years, so I contacted three artists that had participated to ask if the experience was worth it. And two of them responded immediately! (Aren't artists wonderful?) No, they said, it was not worth it for them, but I might find differently. Hm, I don't think so. I'll keep my $1261.01.

It isn't fun, but DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Don't get seduced into dropping lots of money on something shiny that feeds your ego. Maybe you have had a different experience, and if so I would LOVE to hear about it. But in general, if it sounds to good to be true...

I want to do this, I want have an art business, but I want to do it right. Now I need to read some of my books, and do the real work of deciding just what success as an artist means to me. And I have to go out there and make it happen. It won't arrive in an email.

Thanks for reading,

Liese

#artbusiness