6 Ways To Make Money As An Artist

Artists are often told that it's very difficult to make a viable career out of their creativity. More often than not, this notion ends up being true. However, there is also a startling population that is able to make a decent living with the help of art. Having said that, determining how to make money as an artist can be difficult. Whether you are looking for a full-time occupation or a side-hustle, finding a constant flow of income is imperative. If you are wondering how to make money as an artist, here are six steps that will help you figure a way out.

Also Read: 5 Common Mistakes New Artists Make & How To Avoid Them

1. Get your art into galleries

As an artist, you know that this is easier said than done. But, it is a great way to increase visibility for your art and make money as an artist. Art galleries put your art in front of a large audience and do the business for you.

But, how do you get into one? It is not enough to just send unsolicited emails and show up at galleries expecting to be noticed immediately. Find the right gallery that suits your style and experience. Once you’ve zeroed down on a gallery, the next step is to network. Follow them on social media, go to their events, understand, and appreciate their work. Engaging with them is a very critical step. Next, pay attention to the submission guidelines and submit the pieces that comply.

You can also reach out to online art galleries. It has been reported that galleries all over the world are seeing a steady rise in online art sales. Saatchi Art, Artfinder, and Degree Art are some highly reputed online galleries that can help you make money as an artist by giving you up to 67 percent of the sales price.

2. Sell directly to collectors

While approaching galleries is a great way to make money as an artist, you have the choice to skip this process. You can opt to sell directly to customers over the internet. Selling your prints digitally is a great way to make money as an artist online.

There are plenty of websites that let you sell any of your art online, in exchange for a nominal transaction fee. This is a great way to diversify your customer base and extend your reach. Many websites even print your artwork on products like phone cases and items of clothing. Thus ensuring that your work is reaching an unrestricted audience.

Etsy, eBay, and Society6 are some of the go-to sites to make money as an artist online. Apart from letting you connect with a wide range of customers, Etsy also has a bounty of resources like handbooks on marketing and brand management that let sellers develop and polish their skills.

3. Teach online classes

You may be skeptical about online classes being a good way to make money as an artist. If you’re on the fence about it because you think it is not that lucrative, think again. Several studies suggest that the e-learning industry will grow by more than 8 percent over the next 6 years.

Platforms like Skillshare allow you to get started right away for free. Are you a skilled artist with a lot of knowledge to share? Are you excellent at communicating and breaking down your process of creation? Are you passionate about teaching and looking to make money as an artist online? If your answer to these questions is yes, then you should consider teaching a class online.

But, before you start, you need to do some groundwork to ensure that your class is credible and adds maximum value to the lives of your students. There is a list of things to consider before you get started. Don’t make your class too general or stick to a narrow niche. Research about what skills are in demand currently. Sites like Answer The Public will show you the keywords that people are searching online and the search volumes for those.

Find out how you can make your class unique and helpful enough to stand out. courses in this domain. Make a plan that will boost your students’ confidence in your abilities and give you a great structure to follow. This is one of the best ways to make money as an artist.

4. Start a blog

This is one of the most common and well-known ways to make money as an artist. The easiest way to go about this is to write about tips and techniques that will help aspiring artists. Like the previous step, you will have to research to establish the topics that will draw readers to your blog.

Set the quality of your blog quite high by enriching it with images and useful information. Apply your artistic side to make it as creative and engaging as possible. The first step to making money as an artist in this way is to build a following for your blog and grow your community gradually. Having good web traffic to your blog will fetch you a large amount of money.

Ad networks like Google Adsense allow small-scale publishers to run ads on their blogs and start making money this way. There are also other ways to make money as an artist online like affiliate income, recurring income, business promotions, and events.

5. License your art

This is a great way to make money as an artist. License your art and start earning royalties from it. To get this process started, you must first research and gather more knowledge on how to protect your copyrights and negotiate deals. Once you do this, establish your brand. Fix the niche that you are going to make art in and then pitch according to that.

Strengthen your pitch with a portfolio of your best works. Make sure to follow up a couple of weeks after your proposal to show that you are serious about it. There are several sites like Zazzle, Imagekind, and Glossi that let you license your art yourself and quickly make money as an artist.

6. Post your art online and take group challenges

Group challenges have been popular for decades and are still one of the best ways to make money as an artist. They also help escape the monotony and get the wheels of creativity rolling. Find art challenges that match your work and read the rules and deadlines carefully. Once you are familiar with them, you can submit your work in the format specified. You can find several exciting art challenges on Instagram, GoSocial, and Facebook. Taking part in art challenges can boost your confidence and help you evaluate your work. This will help you grow and make money as an artist.

There are plenty of online platforms that can help you build your skills and make money as an artist. On GoSocial, you can find a list of innovative art challenges that will give you great exposure, experience, and new perspectives.

These are the six best ways to make money as an artist. There are a couple of important things to remember that apply to all of these. Before you begin pursuing these steps, do some strong research, and make a fairly solid plan. This is the best way to make sure that your efforts yield the right benefits.

Also Read: 7 Best Social Media Platforms For Artists

While there is a long list of ways you can make money as an artist, don’t get discouraged if a few of them don’t work out as you hoped. Any art that you create is meaningful and valuable. It adds to your experience and teaches you priceless lessons about yourself and your art. Eventually, you will find a few ways that work just great for you and take you to better places as an artist. Until then, keep trying, learning, and having fun with your art.