How Do I Price My Art? (Part One)

June 11th, 2008 Daryle Dickens Posted in Business of Art |

For this series of posts we are going to be talking about the process of selling your art for the first time.

You have been making your art for some time now but you have never displayed it anywhere. Then one day while grabbing a latte you see art up in your local coffee shop. On a whim you ask the manager how an artist goes about getting their art displayed in the shop. To your surprise she says next month she has a need for new art and offers you the chance to hang your stuff. In a moment of excitement you say you’d love to hang your art in the coffee shop.

Then as your getting ready for your first public display of art you realize you have to come up with a price for your art. The some strange and weird feeling creeps over you as you think about pricing your work. You’ve never had to put a price on your art and the thought of it is a bit scary. Relax. Through the process of asking yourself some questions and giving yourself some honest answers it is not that hard for an artist that is just getting started to price their art.

• What is the amount of time you have spent developing your art?
• What is the amount of time you invest in a given piece?
• Where will your art be sold?
• Who is your potential buyer?
• Why are you selling your art?
• When are you selling your art?

When an artist begins to sell their art they must become an entrepreneur. And as much as most artists hate to admit it, art is business. And to be successful at business you need to always be asking the right questions.

Sit down and take some time to think about these questions. Be honest with yourself even if it is not comfortable. Then be sure to come back to Art Palaver because we will be discussing these questions and what the answers mean to you.

Until then live to create,