The Sage Creative

Hey there, Today, I want to tackle a topic that's on many artists' minds: does selling art on platforms like Etsy, social media, or a personal website affect one's art career advancement in the eyes of "industry approved" galleries? It's a question that's sparked a lot of discussion, and I think it's worth diving into. First, I want to disclaim here that I am not an expert in this topic. I am an artist, but I don’t have any work in galleries. This is what I’ve learned from my research talking with others. Jason Horejs, Xanadu gallery owner in Arizona, says that "it depends." Horejs believes that while some gallery owners might worry about artists selling merchandise alongside their fine art, in practice, it's often not as big of a deal as we might think. He points out that serious art collectors are usually more interested in original pieces and aren't deterred by the availability of prints or other merchandise. In fact, branching out...

Many artists, maybe even you, grapple with the question "Is selling my art online worth it?"  After opening my online shop last November, someone asked me this very question. At the time, I didn't yet have the words to describe my feelings and what was driving me to sell my art online. I knew in my gut that it was worth it for me, but I didn't know how to answer her question. To be honest, I was too deep in the process, too overwhelmed by other doubting questions in my head like "What are you doing? Is this going to work? Will anyone even buy anything? Is my art even good enough?" to stop and think about the bigger picture and whether or not my efforts were worth it. Three months later and little more perspective between my then-overwhelmed self and today, I can honestly say "it" was worth it for me.  So what is "it"? "It" is your time, money, and peace. You will have to spend time, money, and frankly, forego some peace in the b...

I have always loved to create art, and like many artists, maybe even you, I've long been interested in selling my work. However, art is not my full-time career path and being a part-time artist on top of working a full time job and juggling the rest of life's demands is nearly impossible for most people. Sound familiar to you?  In fact, 10 years ago, I tried selling my art online. I worked three jobs all summer to pay for an art and imaging center to take very expensive digital images of my largest pieces; I paid $3,000 (no joke) at the time for a web designer to setup a website for me to display and sell art prints with cart checkout functionality (because sites like Shopify and Squarespace didn't exist back then); and I bought hundreds of dollars worth of prints to hold an inventory.  After opening up shop, I made a handful of sales, made a few annoying trips to the post office to mail one-off packages, and then I let the business dissolve, never to be profitable. Why? Be...

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...