ON YOUR OWN

The advantages of going solo and selling your own artwork

- Vanessa Rothe

In our tech savvy art world of today, there are hundreds of websites where you can sell your own work online, and many fine art shows and fairs where you can buy a booth to meet your new clients. There are some artists who prefer to remain at the easel or don’t want to run their own business. But for those of us that do, a fruitful career is still possible these days— without a major gallery.

The main thing will be balance between your time at the easel and time spent on the business aspects. Having interviewed many successful artists, and from my own professional knowledge, I’ve discovered that a mix of about 60 percent of time at the easel and 40 percent on the business side is a realistic and necessary approach.

The Business of Art

For the business you will need a website. You can try Weebly or any templated website company. Buy your domain name for a few years, as this will be your brand, link it to your website and maintain your presence. FASO websites (www.faso.com) are also very popular among artists.

You will also need the program Constant Contact to send email blasts out to your clients to show them new work or tell them about your shows. “Square” is the checkout system used by many small business owners. Create an account with Square, get the portable card swipe machine, and away you go. Remember they charge 2.85 percent, however the payments are secure and protected, not like a check that could bounce. Find out about taxes and district sales tax in your area and charge for any instate sales. You will need to file sales taxes quarterly as well. Many artists hire accountants or personal assistants for this aspect, as it is very important.