In the Art Marketing Minute Podcast, you’ll learn how to sell your art, how to market your paintings, and everything else you need to know in order to have a successful art career. Each episode answers questions from artists by host Eric Rhoads, author of “Make More Money Selling Your Art,” publisher of several art magazines and newsletters, and author of ArtMarketing.com.

In this Art Marketing Minute, Eric Rhoads explains the benefits of joining an art society, and if you should ever give away your art.

Listen to the Art Marketing Minute Podcast: Episode 9 >>>

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What questions do you have about selling your art? Email Eric today at [email protected] (include your name and where you’re from) to hear your question answered on an upcoming Art Marketing Minute Podcast.

FULL TRANSCRIPT of the Art Marketing Minute:
DISCLAIMER: The following is the output of a transcription from an audio recording of the Art Marketing Minute. Although the transcription is mostly correct, in some cases it is slightly inaccurate due to the recording and/or software transcription.

Announcer 0:02
This is the Art Marketing Minute with Eric Rhoads, author of the Amazon best selling book, “Make More Money Selling Your Art.” In the marketing minute we answer your questions to help your art career brought to you by artmarketing.com, the place to go to learn more about marketing. Now, here’s your host, arts magazine publisher, Eric Rhoads.

Eric Rhoads 0:23
Thank you Jim Kipping. And thank you for joining us today. My goal is to eliminate the idea of starving artists. So let’s get right to today’s questions. Here’s a question from Brianna More don’t know where she’s from Brianna says when starting an art business, is it beneficial to belong to or join art societies? Why or why not?

Well, Brianna, thank you so much. I think the answer is absolutely you should join anytime you can collaborate with others. Be around others learn from others, you’re going to gain knowledge make contacts Learn about things you otherwise might not know about. And you can usually get some experience participating in shows or exhibits. And it’s a great way to find new opportunities. Plus, life’s more fun with new friends. So I’m a member of many art organizations. I’m a member of the California art club. I’m a member of the National Arts club in New York, the Selma Gundy club in New York and of course, the planner painters of Austin, Texas. And, and probably a lot of other things I should join. I’m a member of the oil painters of America. And so there’s a lot of stuff like that and and so it’s nice to be part of national organizations, where you can be in the shows and also local organizations, you can learn what’s going on. I think you’re going to get a lot out of it. I highly recommend it.

Next question is from I guess this is an email because it’s not a full name. It’s Sarah 2000. Sarah 2000 says, should I ever give my art away?

Well, Sarah, it’s a controversial issue and Firstly, I’d like to encourage you to listen to the podcast that we did with Barbara Tapp. She talks about giving it away and the benefits she receives from it. So I think that’s, that’s something that’s worth doing. I think also, if you’re selling your work, then giving it away seems a little counterintuitive. But think about how giving something away might give you some leverage. For instance, giving something away to a charity auction provides a world of publicity and a lot of list building opportunities. If you give it away based on the terms that they give you certain amounts of publicity, or they mentioned your name, or they do certain things for you, they share their list, whatever. I have a whole section about this in my art marketing in a box program. And we also have I do some training about this and the art marketing bootcamp videos. I’ve talked a lot of depth about it there and not so much here. Of course, you can also do it out of the goodness of your heart, but you can also do it to create more leverage in other ways. So let’s say that you’re you In a community gallery and your work is hanging in the gallery and, and in walks Steven Spielberg and he falls in love with your painting, but for whatever reason, he doesn’t buy it, he walks out. So you grab him and you say, Stephen, Stephen, Stephen, listen, I’d love to give you my painting. Now this happened with a friend of mine. She was I can’t tell you who because it’s a confidential story. But she was in her community gallery and in walked a bunch of Secret Service agents and then a former president of the United States, and he fell in love with her artwork while she gave him the painting. And now he could have afforded it and he may have bought it, but she gave it to him. Why? Well, she wanted to make sure he had it. She wanted to thank him for his service, but also, you could use this with a Steven Spielberg or whoever it was. Former President you could use this as leverage because then you could say, you know, my painting is in the collection of former president XYZ my painting is in the collection of Steven Spielberg. Of course you want to get their permission. And to say that but I think that’s something you could do. You could say, I’ll give this to you. But by the way, would it be okay with you, if I happen to mention it? Sometimes they’ll say yes, sometimes they’ll say no, but it helps invest in your marketing story. And I think that’s a good thing. You also, let’s say you wanted a gallery to carry your work, and they just were not flat out not interested. What have you said to him? Hey, listen, I’ll send you one painting. You see if it sells, and if it sells, I’m gonna let you keep 100% of the first one that sells and then if it sells bring me into the gallery, and then we’ll have a future together that might get their attention might not but it might be worth trying. And unless the painting doesn’t fit the gallery, or it’s a piece of garbage, which probably wouldn’t be that I think that makes a lot of sense. And there are a lot of other ways you can get leverage to so for instance, paint something for the CEO of a big local Corporation, send a note as a gift or asked to meet them and, and then say, Hey, you know, I’d love to do commissions for you in the future. A friend of mine did this. And what he does now is that company has him paint a landscape painting and they give them as retirement gifts. So he’s getting a few thousand dollars for landscape painting that they’re giving a nice retirement gift and that way that painting is there in front of those people in their home. And it’s a memory of the company that is appreciating them, so there’s cool things you can do to leverage. Anyway, I hope that’s helpful. Well, this has been the art marketing minute with me, Eric Rhoads. My goal in life is to eliminate the idea of the starving artist and to help your dreams actually come true. Thanks for listening.

Remember to Submit Your Question: What questions do you have about selling your art? Email Eric today at [email protected] (include your name and where you’re from) to hear your question answered on an upcoming Art Marketing Minute Podcast.