I was out this weekend looking at art. I didn’t really find much. Now that’s not to say there wasn’t a lot of stuff out there, there was. And for the most part it was going to stay out there. It left me feeling like I was becoming more and more lost in a flood of mediocrity. So when I got home I sat down at my computer and began looking for art on the web.
It’s amazing how the internet has opened the world of national and international clients to creative people, truly a good thing. But it has also opened the floodgates on a growing multitude of people who for no better way to say this are creative misfits.
This is not about them!
Many creative people I know are so frustrated they’re not sure they even want to continue promoting their work. They see themselves lost in a sea of people shouting, look at me!
What you need to understand very clearly is that people who buy their art at malls, or booths at flea markets don’t understand the creative process of one of a kind art. They are not collectors. They are redesigning some space and filling up their walls. And while a bit of education might move them in the right direction, the truth is most of them will never “get” what you do. So stop looking at that stuff out there as anything other than poor design mostly made with inferior quality materials and basically nothing more than filler.
The people who will buy your work, the people you are marketing to, are smart enough to see the quality regardless of how the economy is doing. Their good taste in collecting doesn’t disappear because money is tight They don’t suddenly run out and buy some cheap crap. You know better!
Now is the time to embrace your creativity, time to work it hard. It’s also the time to promote your work to stay on top of your art marketing and to start the kind of conversations with your audiences that shows your confidence. Create quality work that fits a smaller price point if that’s what you need. Just remember the world of creativity is filled with white noise. Use this as a backdrop for a clear voice that offers a consistent quality. Collectors are still looking for the best work out there. They aren’t going to settle so don’t you.
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