Happy Australia Day!

Something I haven’t yet shared my (unsolicited) advice on is getting exposure for your art in the real world.
Online exposure is all well and good, but by being only online and not paying attention to the world around you, you miss a major chance to get your art ‘out there’.

The key to this aspect of marketing your art, in my experience?
Creativity and persistence.
Maybe good walking shoes…and possibly also coffee (or substance of addiction of your choice), but I think we’ll skip that part.

Local shops
Local people love local people. Don’t forget to love them back. Give small local businesses a chance to help support a local artist (such as yourself) and chances are they will.
What qualifies as local? Well, you can get creative here.
When I lived in a small coastal tourist town called Kiama (in the Illawarra region, in the state of NSW), I had my stuff in local shops just walking distance from my house as a ‘local Kiama artist’. At the same time, I had my stuff in shops 45 minutes away, as a ‘local Illawarra artist’.
I have also marketed myself as a ‘local NSW artist’, or even gone really broad as an ‘Australian artist’.

People like to see what is being created around them, from the same environment they’re in, so local businesses are a really great bet. Make sure you promote yourself as local, and if you’ve got any artwork relevant to the area (wildlife, scenery, famous icons, etc) all the better.

Let your local shop owners know that by supporting you, they’re supporting the arts in the area, and that you’ll offer support back with loyalty, promoting the store on your website, etc.

Be a person
You’re an artist, not a corporation. Yet sometimes the temptation as an artist is to head too far into a business persona.
By all means by professional, but don’t forget that it’s your individuality that makes you ‘you’ as an artist. I found that by being comfortable with this, more people seemed to respond well to me.
The way I see it, any business owner is already dealing with other businesses, probably better run and more professional than yours. Don’t try to bluff them into thinking you’re the head of some art empire (they’ll see right through it and think you’re unhinged), let them see you’re a professional individual.
Put yourself in their shoes: who would YOU rather buy art from – a professional artist with a personality, or some want to be business person who was treating their art with the same boring business mentality that could be applied to selling polystyrene?
An an artist, creativity and individuality are your strengths. Play to that.

Be selective in what you present
When locals shops carried my stuff, I didn’t just take my entire portfolio to every store.

While in Kiama, a lingerie shop specialising in bridal lingerie took pictures of mine depicting female forms. I’d visited the shop, had a look about, realised I had some artwork that might fit, and took my female nudes and fantasy characters down there to show the owner.
They took them on consignment (be prepared to be flexible in arrangements like this too, just make sure you cover yourself with a contract if need be) as it complimented, but didn’t compete with, their existing stock. Art on the walls also dressed up the shop a bit, at no cost to the owner.
Win for all.
Meanwhile, a shop only across the road that sold quirky, alternative clothing was displaying my more unsual artwork.
I’d made sure to present each shop owner with different art best suited to their clients, and was careful not to give the two shops any of the same work. This way nobody was in competition, my art complimented each store differently, I’d inserted my art into two entirely different markets, store owners had free art, and when they sold we both made money.

Get creative
Having your stuff in local shops is great, but if you get creative there are lots of other places to look at as potential galleries.
Cafes are an obvious choice, but there’s still a lot of other places that could benefit from local art, thus benefiting you as well.

For instance, a skilled artist friend of mine does spectacular bold artwork featuring a vast array of animals. She could take her pictures of native animals to, perhaps, a local bed and breakfast. They could hang artwork not only for the sake of having nice artwork, but to add even more local flavour (native animals AND a local artist) for tourists to enjoy while visiting.
A deal could be arranged with the owners that they buy the artwork, or that they hang it for free, and that you both get a share of the money should a visitor buy any art.

Similar deals can be struck up with all sorts of places, but tourist places and places looking to emphasise your town’s ‘distinct flavour’ are ideal. Look at tourist centers, libraries, locally owned hotels/motels, post offices, day spas, restaurants etc. Then tailor the art you take to these places to suit them.

Let’s say then you have a bunch of paintings of non native animals that none of these places are interested in. Where did you get the reference photos? If you take reference photos from a local zoo, contact them.
Let them know that a) you appreciate the zoo is there, and that by visiting it you’re able to take much needed reference photos and b) that these are the artworks you’ve done featuring the inhabitants. Would they be interested in purchasing any, or displaying some somewhere for the public to purchase?
This could also work for wildlife refuges and rehab places, and could be used to not only earn yourself some money on your art, but to serve as a fundraiser for these sorts of places that often run low on funds.
In cases like this, the obvious benefit of your art over other artists who may paint the same animals is that yours actually features, and then potentially gives back to, a resident.

For those not painting animals, think about what you have painted, and what places are connected to those sorts of things.
Goblins and elves and dwarfs? Your local games workshop might be interested in carrying them. Or they might even be interested in having your contact details so that their gamers can contact you to commission individual character portraits. Maybe you could even suggest a sketch day in store, so gamers can pay for sketches of their characters.
No harm in asking, and you never know, they might even say yes.

Essentially, it’s just a matter of keeping your eyes open. Anywhere you see art, ask yourself “Would my art suit this place too?” and anywhere you DON’T see art, ask yourself “Why not? Is this a place I could make mine?”.

And don’t be afraid to ask! The worst a place can do is say no.

And that’s it. Go forth and art.

Tags: art, Art and illustration, something to think about, work