Secrets of Powerselling Artists Guide is BACK!

The #1 popular eguide for artists selling on ebay is back. This was written by me over 4 years ago, and I am working on other books that will be out soon. You have all been asking about this book for years now, so I have revised it’s appearance for readability and clarity. The book, Secrets of Powerselling Artists is available for immediate download on Lulu, HERE.

Artist Brains

Sounds like a zombie movie that goes straight to video, about artist with serious issues. According to many statistics, artists tend to have.. issues. lol. But really, what human doesn’t?

This past year has been harrowing for me. Another move, new financial responsibilities, overwhelming demand for my art, the boys going to school, 10 year anniversary of a best friend passing away, and so on. I guess, in a way, this is a new chapter in my life. I’m now only four years from hitting the 3 - 0 and I still feel like I’m still a tiny kid. Age 10, and all of these responsibilities and new experiences!

What is a kid to do!?!

And I go from being the compulsive over worker, waking at 6-7 am each day, working till’ midnight or later, answering emails with lightning speed, to this rediculous slacker. Waking up at 10 am or later, sluggishly rummaging through emails and orders, barely getting one little thing done. What a putz, ey? I lost my appetite, can barely get dressed in the morning, and I’m talking to myself. No, I’m definitely not crazy. I’m not depressed, because mentally, I’m as chipper as ever. I think perhaps I’ve let my new challenges and the lack of space I have to cause claustrophobia of sorts. I’m in like this clusterf**k and don’t know how to pull myself out.

Sometimes, you just have to master the art of organization and distraction. Click here to read more.

It’s Not About Success

Sometimes dreams get the best of us, or moreso, ideas…get the best of us. Sometimes for us artists, designers, and illustrationdrawingjunkiewhatjamacallits start to fall for the “BIG DREAM” and then ...WOOSH! That almost touchable dream floats further away. Or it’s either a constant let down, one after another as we crawl and climb up the neverending hills. We work really hard trying to reach our goals and then something just takes the reigns away from you and it’s almost like you have absolutely zero control over it.

I’ve been there. Done that. Wrote the articles. Well, writing one now actually. ;P

A well lived life can be done if you remain:

- balanced/grounded

- focused on a variety of life goals

- keep your priorities straight

GET THE GAME. KNOW THE STRATEGY - Click here to read more

Artist Guide: Fabulous Creating

This sounds alittle corny perhaps. Natasha, you’ve lost your mind now. I want to discuss the art of making art. Have you as an artist given yourself the ambience and atmosphere that inspires, strengthens, and enlightens your work? Plein Air artists get the beauty and ambience of the outdoors. What about us indoor folks? ;P

Creating art while in a state of stress, clutter, or chaos can be constructive for a few, but for the rest of us, this is a killer of creativity.

Some ways to help you produce excellent work: Read more about it HERE.

How To Sell Art Part-Time

Yeah, I totally said that correctly.

How to go … PART time selling your art? You say, are you crazy woman? What the heck is she talking about?!

In the beginning, many artists focus on being able to create our art full time by:

- quitting our day job.

- make an income that’s good enough to live off of, and maybe more.

- expand our art’s exposure and therefore…opportunities.

Little do we realize all the work, sweat, blood, and tears we must experience to get to that place. For some this is grand! For others, this is a nightmare.

To be a successful artist, this is not magic. It’s really really hard work. And on top of that HARD WORK, you also have to do all these other jobs as I’ve listed before:

1- photographer

2- designer/ad creator

3- identity design

4- marketer and PR

5- customer service

6- packaging and shipping

7- networking

8- market research

9- product testing

10- upkeep of all web presence (websites, auctions, sites, etc)

11- sales rep

We have more than one job.

For many artists, the dream is definitely the opposite of working full-time.

For me, I’ve been working full time as an artist for over 4 years, without any sabbaticals (though I’ve come close) or breaks in between. My sales are consistent. I get opportunties and my art is being exposed at a nationwide scale. But I’m working over 10 jobs, which is not as compact and simple as it may seem. I deal with all the contacts, the stress, the changes, the tax issues, etc. I remember specifically that I didn’t ask to have different jobs. I just want ONE. I want to see the world. I want to have lazy days again. I want to know what it’s like not to THINK about my business. I want a normal life. Can it be done?

What does that mean to an artist like me?

HOW TO SELL YOUR ART PART-TIME

You will need multiple streams of income become streamlined. Offer products with low expense and little time needed to create. You are living off the hardwork of many years of creating.

- Get into print sales. This is your bread and butter. Invest in large format printers and offer multiple sizes in your prints.

- Sell art cards/aceo prints of your art

- Work on paintings that only sell at full price. No more art auctions, no more deals, no more sales. You may have artwork for years until that one day they are sold. You retain your art’s worth and in turn work less.

-  Get rid of excess projects and work on what’s important and vital to your income.

- Make blog posts and newsletters automatic. You can time your blog posts and newsletters to come out at exactly when you need them. Write blog articles and posts ahead of the week and set them on that Monday to post each day for a week. Plan your newsletter’s themes for the month and have your newsletters set to email your members each week or month, depending on the frequency you choose. You never have to go and blog or post a newsletter each and every day!

-  Check emails only twice a week (make a note on your blogs and everywhere you sell that you will only check them on the certain days you choose. Have an automatic email sent to someone each time they email you, stating this.)

- Ship on only two or three days a week. Also make note of this on all major places you sell or post.

photo (c) Thinkspace Gallery

Credit Helps

I don’t know if you realize this, but I cannot purchase anything, advertise or whatever without cash. Because of past debts I’m working on, I have BAD credit.

I know that if I had the proper credit I could do more and therefore increase my income. Its all a matter of credit. Cash can’t get me far enough above my present state.

How are you promoting your business financially?

(c)photo by Yoppy

Selling Art - Who’s Your Audience

you can be a talented artist, an artist with a great collection of work. But in the end what matters is where you want to be and how good you are at getting there.

are you the outsider, where your work only appeals to the outsider, underground, the unique?

or are you the mainstream artists, where your work appeals to the masses, the mainstream, the safe group?

many artist don’t fall into either category and don’t know why they can’t sell their work.

you have to not only have talent, but you have to have a good business plan, and that means knowing who you want to sell to.

it’s that or you can’t ever sell.

(c)photo Thinkspace Gallery

Walls Are Now Doors

The Internet was once a wall:

- superficial friendships

- inconsistent internet shopping

- reality and fantasy confusion in communications

- it’s limited to the desktop

- it’s virtual

I could go on and on with that…

But with an internet integrated world, the internet has no longer been the disconnection, or the vast gap between the other side. It’s now the door:

- relevant communications can exist

- real friendships grow

- shopping on the net is easier and more accessable

- it’s become the norm for all ages

- it’s connected to everything and now wi-fi

- it’s tangible

The internet is part of every gadget we can own now. Even the fridge can have the net! It’s no longer about a computer. It’s no longer really about technology.

It’s now the forum, the church, the workplace, and it’s tangible.

What more is there to this exciting subject?

(c)photo by higetiger

Accessibility and the DIY World

The business world has to redefine their efforts in marketing and develop new products that compliment this new world…

We need products and services that are:

- automatic

- customizable

- accessable

- creative

- attractive

- affordable

No more frills, no more technological restraints or restrictions, no more high price tags. This is it.

(c)photo by Marlith

Less IS More

Spend …

- less time on web design and more time on your art

- less time on adding friends and more time getting to know the ones you have

- less time blogging about something and more time interracting with someone else’s blog

- less time creating the perfect logo and more time building your brand’s feedback

- less time changing your style and more time bettering the one you do have

- less time worrying about your money and more time securing it in more reasonable ways

(c)photo by Hamed Saber