Sunday, May 06, 2012

Striking a Balance

I think we're probably all familiar with the expression, "Feast or Famine", which in any business, including art sales, means people are either buying a lot or they're buying nothing. I wish sales would happen at a steady pace instead of all at once but I'm truly grateful for any sales in this economy. People are thinking twice before they spend their money on non-essentials, and you really can't blame them after what has happened in this global economy for the past few years.

As a self-representing artist, I am particularly vulnerable to the ups and downs of this business climate. Last week I realized that I hadn't had a sale in over two weeks. I had been pretty steady up to this point so it was noticeable when things slowed down. At the same time, I realized I had a large inventory of paintings that I hadn't listed on eBay, Etsy or Bonanza yet. I forced myself to sit down and write listings and upload images until I had almost 50 auctions or buy it nows listed. Then I framed many of the prints I had ordered the previous week and drove them to the gallery and the doctor's office where I sell and display.

Sometimes things just pay off.... last week I sold five paintings and three prints. I have not had a week like this since I began selling on line in 2004. I was so busy dealing with clients, packaging paintings, running to the gallery to get a painting I had sold on line etc.... that I had no time to paint. "Feast or Famine" as the saying goes. What I did realize is that I am responsible for my own success. I can get lazy and bury myself in my studio during all my free time or I can take action and create a boom. I don't really understand all the logistics to selling on line. But it seems as if when you make one sale, it multiplies. In my case, two clients returned immediately and made additional purchases or bids on paintings. This tells me they were happy with my work. That gives me more incentive to paint. Which is where I am headed now.

I'm hoping the blog won't be such an empty looking place this week.

No comments: