Although artists like to think they create art for the love of it, if you’re looking to make a living as an artist, then you need to think like a marketer. On Mark G. Mitchell’s blog, How to be a Children’s Book Illustrator, he shares an interview with Jo Ann Miller of Serbin Communication’s Directory of Illustration. Jo Ann talks about how promoting and selling art comes down to fitting in with what the market wants.
Now keep in mind, there’s a big difference between letting the market drive your art and making your art fit into the market. You can have your own unique style, technique and charm while appealing to trends and market demands. Fitting into market trends doesn’t mean you need to fit in with the top trends of the “all American Suburban family” style either. It simply means, keep tabs on what is selling and try to pin point key features buyers are looking for and integrate that into your art.
Before you can create for trends, however, you need to audience. You need to know who you are targeting your art towards, figure out the product types associated with that audience and then you can watch for trends to follow.
“The children’s publishing market can pay very well but advertising and design generally pays better.”
This is true for a variety of art related markets. Not every artist is going to be the – thousands of dollars per original – success. It’s a good goal to strive for, but be willing to branch out into other areas with your art as a way to market yourself, build your fan base and broaden your exposure.
Read the full article: Should you advertise in an illustration directory?
