Exposure is one thing. Marketing is another. To be a successful artist, you must master various business skills. You will be runining a small business that hopefully will show continued growth. Learning how to market your business is essential because no one else will do it for you.

If you are brand new, getting in some local shows and perhaps even some juried shows is a great way to gain exposure locally. If you have a style that is reminiscent of another successful artist, you ought to study not just the aritstic touches that artist uses, but what business and marketing practices he or she uses. There is a huge difference between knocking someone off and creative borrowing. If you see someone you admire in certain magazines or shows, or see they are getting publicity in different kinds of media, or they have a Web site, or use one of the online services, you can begin to build a book of knowledge on what you observe about what they do to be successful. For instance, you realize they advertise frequently in some publication, but not others. Figure out why and you are as smart as them with a lot less expense and grief for the learning.  

A blog is a wonderful to begin to get exposure. There are many places you can get great information about blogging. The Internet Sales Strategies section of the Art Business forum on www.wetcanvas.com is a great resource. I have a blog post with some very good links: Why Every Artist Needs a Blog.

I think the most successful artists never stop learning about art and about the business of art. Find the time to make it part of your daily routine and watch how your exposure grow.

Dear Lubaby,

I feel for you that you have had no sales in three years of exposure. There can be many reasons why this has happened. It could be your subject matter, or your pricing, or both. If you are creating art that is very much like many others, it's easy to get lost in the mix. If you are creating art that is out of the mainstream taste, you may have a hard time finding buyers in online sites that cater to traditional images. If you are putting your work on these sites and doing nothing to help drive to traffic to them, it puts great expectations on the online site to help you. If you do get any help from them in the way of special notice, it will be fleeting as these sites have too many artists to promote to be of much help to individual artists.

Here are some suggestions to help you gain attention and drive traffic to your online galleries. You can send out letters and emails to family members and friends to ask them to go to your online galleries and see your art. You can ask them to forward your emails to their family and friends to extend your reach. You can start a simple Web site and show your work but have links to the sites where it can be bought. You can get a sign up form on your Web site and offer to send a monthly or quarterly newsletter with information about you and your latest work. You can start blog using free software from www.blogger.com. (See my post above for links to learn more about blogging for artists.) You can learn how to write and submit press releases to generate interest in you and your work. You can advertise your work on www.craigslist.org. You can contact your local and regional media outlets to inquire about getting feature articles or stories about you and your art.

Unfortunately, in almost all cases, it's not enough to create the work. Either the artist or someone who believes in the artist and can help him or her with the business aspects has to beat the bushes to look for sales. There is lots of competition and those that create a little buzz about themselves using ideas like those I mention above are the ones who get the best sales results.

The parent company that owns The Artist Magazine recently bought the www.wetcanvas.com Web site. Its Art Business discussion board is full of wonderful advice for artists trying to figure out how to get their work to market. After you register, use the search feature on the top right and select forums to search. You'll find an abundance of useful information. After you read through those threads, jump in and ask specific questions. You'll be amazed at the quality of the responses you'll get.

You should also check out the treasure trove of terrific information in the form of free podcasts (downloadable mp3 audio files) from Dick Harrison. He recently retired from a 20+ year career as an art rep and has generously put together his sage advice and insights from his years of experience. They are easy to listen and so helpful that they should be a must for any artist seeking to learn about the business of art. His URL is: www.salestipsforartists.com.

Good luck to you!