The Sage Creative

Are you thinking about opening your own online art shop, or are already online and not sure if you're on the right platform anymore?  I did a lot of research about which online platform would be best for selling art before opening my online shop in late 2023. I want to share with you the most important take-aways from my hours and hours of time down the rabbit hole so you don't have to recreate this wheel.  Let's start from the beginning.  At first, I looked at all possible options for selling art online. They can be categorized into 3 groups:  Sell on an online art marketplace (like Redbubble, Society6, or Etsy); Manage your own website; or  Use a 3rd party to design and manage your shop for you (like ArtStoreFronts).  The third option was cost prohibitive for most people, including me (thousands of dollars), so I looked closer at an online marketplace vs. my own website. Quickly, it became apparent that Etsy was the top marketplace competitor. We don't ha...

In the realm of art, the focus is often on creative expression. However, artists often overlook one of the most critical components to successfully selling their art - building relationships with buyers. This is what sets the "starving artists" apart from financially successful artists. Successful artists know how to market their art and maintain relationships with customers, eventually turning them into collectors. The most important element of maintaining this close relationship is the email list. Direct Communication Channel Unlike social media, where posts may go unnoticed, emails offer a direct line of communication with your audience. On social media, only 2-3% of your followers actually see your content. In email, you can have upwards of 50-90% open rates. When someone subscribes to your email list, it's a commitment to receive your updates. This direct channel ensures that your announcements and messages reach your audience without getting lost in the noise of oth...

So you've decided that this is the year you want to start monetizing your art, but you aren't sure where to start. You've spoken with people who've sold some of their stuff online, in local shops, and/or galleries, but you're not sure which is the right way for you. Also, all the different options can be overwhelming.  If this sounds familiar, don't worry. These questions and concerns are very common and are some of the ones I struggled with at first, too. Keep in mind that I am no expert and will always be learning new things about the art world, but it helped for me to think about all the ways I could sell my art, research them, and then choose the easiest one first. Once I got that one down, I have expanded, and this helped me avoid overwhelm. Below I break down the 6 primary ways to make money with your art. I put them in order of what I think is easiest to most difficult, and highlight the simple pros and cons of each and make some recommendations so that y...

Hey there, fellow creator! You've been creating art for a while, you get lots of compliments from friends and family on our art, and you've seen other artists making good money from their creations. You're starting to ask yourself if it's time to start selling your art this year? Maybe you want a side hustle to earn a little extra cash on the side, you're a stay at home parent looking for something new to learn and engage your brain in a different way, you're retired from a career and want to explore something new, or you're thinking of making art a full-time career. If any of these sound like you, then you might be standing at the crossroads of turning your passion for art into a thriving business.  There has never been a better time in history to become an artist. You have access to a global market online and printing and shipping art has never been easier. As someone who's been on this journey, let's dive into five questions to discover if this is...

A lot of people don't like to celebrate their birthday. They don't like acknowledging the new gray hairs on their head...or lack of hair, the spots and wrinkles that grow on their cheeks, the continuation of the mundane, the passage of time.  I love my birthday because it means I've made it another year. I've made another successful celestial orbit around the sun.  This week I am finishing my 33rd orbit and I am grateful every single day I made it this far. Not everyone I know has. Maybe you feel the same? As I reflect on my 33 years, there is nothing I would change. Everything I have done got me to the amazing place I am today. I have zero regrets. I think this is because I live my life to the fullest and always have. When I moved to Africa at 20, I told my parents not to worry, that if anything happened, I had lived a full and happy 20 years. No regrets. At 24, when I moved to Alaska, it was the same story. I accomplished everything I wanted by 24, I'd be ok if a ...

Hey there goal-getter! As we step into a brand-new year, it's the perfect time to set our sights on the horizon and get intentional about our aspirations. I don't know about you, but there's something undeniably exciting about a fresh start, a blank canvas waiting to be filled with our dreams and ambitions. Now, let's talk about goals. Those big, audacious dreams that light a fire in our hearts and make us feel unstoppable. Whether it's traveling more, launching that passion project, hitting revenue milestones, cultivating healthier habits, or nurturing relationships, our goals and intentions are the compass guiding us toward the life we envision. Setting goals and intentions is just the first step on this exhilarating journey. Achieving them—well, that's where the real magic happens. Here's how to make 2024 your year of turning aspirations into accomplishments: 1. Clarity is Key: Get crystal clear about what you want to achieve. Define your goals in vivid ...