1. Decide what you want to do as an artist.
Choose your medium, topic, or theme, and find your voice. Some artists spend their lifetime waiting for it, but you can start at the point where you are now. Your thoughts will change with the years, get ready for this. Define your values, everything you stand for—they could be the absolute most permanent elements of your personality and your art. Build everything around them and you will soon be set for a long time.
2. Define your target audience and future patrons.
Who are individuals sharing the exact same values and passion as you? Marine artists should look at ship or boat owners and coastal dwellers. Wildlife artists should consider individuals with wildlife in their hearts—Greenpeace fans, safari lovers, hunters, landlords of large wild properties. If you love kids, look at their parents; if you adore landscape, think of property owners and farmers. There's no secret—just 2% to 5% of society buys art work: that part who has enough money and who values art. That doesn't just go for visual art—music, dance, and the performing arts work the same way.
3. Build your portfolio.
Remember your topic and your potential patrons, build your portfolio. If your topic is closely related for some particular interest, approach your potential patrons and require non-monetary support in portfolio building. This can be access to home or help through being truly a model. Oftentimes, it may lead to your first sales. This is also the start of building your network. You are able to choose and manage your network with a extent. People attract like-minded people. Defining what kind of people you need in your network can help you to locate them. It may sound like magic, but that is really a natural way for you yourself to select individuals to speak with about your art.
4. Gain recognition.
This can be a show, an opposition, or several other type of recognition. Take care to inform the press, your existing patrons and other admirers about this. Most people like to have art piece with a recognized artist. Even when they bought it before the recognition came, it'll please them. Possibly even more, they can take credit in discovering you and your talent before others. Give them this small treat!
5. Fine tune your brand.
Since the minute you chose to be an artist and began following steps 1 to 4, you have been building your brand. It's rooted in your values, your beliefs, and your view. It sparkles in your art, yourself and everything around you. Take the core message (as in step 1) and make an effort to incorporate it in most single step you make. Your web page, your opinions, your business card—even how you dress—could be part of your brand. You are the brand! Be mindful the way you get it done, though—be yourself and ensure you don't trap yourself with your own personal brand.
6. Revise your pricing strategy.
It's no secret that recognized artists sell their benefit higher prices. So, as a guideline, higher prices indicate that the artist is recognized. Don't forget to reflect your level of recognition in your prices. Pricing is quite sensitive thing—you've to find the right spot. Underpricing can lead to fewer sales and less fascination with your art. People love emerging ministers artists, but you have to give them the message you're emerging not only starting. One of many hidden messages is the price. On the other hand, avoid overpricing. If costs are too high, people will become deeper investigation and will quickly discover unreasonably high prices. In any case, you must calculate material costs and set a cost that covers at least your material costs.
7. Think about sales and information channels.
How do people see your art? Do you have an online portfolio? Are you experiencing a web Christians site? Is your art exhibited somewhere? What's that place? Could it be a gallery or a coffee house in a disreputable street? Be cautious when choosing a station and area for your art. The context also sends a hidden message. You wont find the task of a high artist in a small corner café unless it's under their studio or belongs to him or her!
After step 7, browse around: most probably you're already an artist who has their own admirers, network and sales. Set a target for whenever you will quit every day job. Could it be an amount earned per month? Or amount of art pieces sold? Or quantity of blog visitors? Revise your strategy, sales, channels, target audience, branding and your projects until you reach the goal.
Read more about Transcendent Artist James Martinez