Making a Profit Online

Art: you make it, you sell it.

It’s not a well-loved mantra in creative circles or in art school hallways, but in order to live as an artist you have to survive. At the very least, one should be able to cover expenses and yield some profit. How is this done in a competitive marketplace where gallery space is limited and visibility is key?

Increasingly, artists are using online platforms to gain visibility and even sell their work. From Etsy to Saatchi Online, these platforms offer artists a way to network, promote, sell, and gain momentum as entrepreneurs with very little overhead costs. In some cases, retailers and other interested buyers are drawn to the established package that comes from DIY online promoting: a product with a defined brand and built-in audience. If you’ve already done the work of packaging your creative product, research alternative ways to facilitate your business outside of gallery circles– it might ultimately lead you back to them.

Here is a great list of 200 places to sell your work online:

http://www.artsyshark.com/125-places-to-sell/

Visual artists should consider Saatchi Online and the unique benefits of its social media-inspired platform:

http://www.saatchionline.com/promoting