A group of artist friends had a discussion last night about the slow or non-existent art sales in our area. Our general conclusion was that unless you are one of the few artists whose work is considered an “investment”, then a slow economy typically means slow art sales. And an ongoing fight for us against getting discouraged. But is not being an artist even an option? I think it is something you can not escape, once you have discovered your need to create.
It can be very frustrating to continue to work at something you love, even though it is not bringing you a financial reward. And while you may get words of praise or encouragement, you generally must make money at this endeavor – for food, shelter, or just more art supplies.
But you can view the need to continue with your art as a way to build up your inventory for future sales, and a way to keep improving as an artist. And even if your backlog of work just keeps on growing, I think for every piece of art, there is someone who will love that particular piece. And once they have it found it, that work of art will make their life happier or more reflective. And that’s one of the good reasons to keep doing what we do.
4 responses so far ↓
1 sally fraser // Apr 18, 2010 at 10:27 am
We could all stroll up and down Congress!
2 Regina // Apr 18, 2010 at 10:37 am
I’m ready – let’s pick a day! We could get posters made of all our current work, and make sandwich boards out of them.
3 Jo // Apr 19, 2010 at 8:43 am
I’ve been told that this is the time to really put in the time to improve our work when sales are slow. I am planning on doing that .. starting today. Right?
4 Regina // Apr 19, 2010 at 11:13 am
Jo – That was my goal for this year, but I seem to have a “cold front” hanging over me – it’s at least my third cold of the year… I intend to get better and have more time for painting!
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