Advice on being successful as an artist is everywhere. Most of it focuses on seeking more sales, success, and recognition. And a lot of it is about how to make $100,000 annually. I agree that it’s a pretty good goal to have; it’s an impressive and thrilling threshold. It was for me when I broke through in my magazine publishing days.
But let’s be real. Is breaking into six figures the key to success? Somewhere along the way, a six-figure art business has become a goal you're supposed to find appealing. I get it. Who doesn't want $100,000? I'd certainly take it in a heartbeat. That is, until you tell me what it costs me to get it. Then I might give it a second thought.
That's where the rub comes in for many other artists and me. Money is not free. Success and recognition come at a price to achieve and sustain. I use "secretly" in the title of this post because many of us are still trying to live up to others' expectations. Sometimes, we don’t even know whose expectations they are, but we still feel like we must meet some standard that is often implied by things that, when you think about them, don’t have a bearing on your life at all. It’s inherited headspace you don’t need, and that probably messes with you in ways that aren’t beneficial to you or your business.
So you might be one of those people who secretly doesn't want to earn $100,000 a year, not because you can't do it, but because you realize the price to pay to get it is higher than you're willing or able to pay. At the same time, you don’t want others to think less of you because your goals are different and you're not pushing yourself to succeed at the highest level. I don't call this a lack of ambition; I call it pragmatic ambition. There's a big difference. When you choose goals within your reach, or within your reach plus a reasonable stretch, that’s pragmatic ambition.
I didn’t coin this phrase, but I use it often: “It’s okay to be okay.” That’s not making excuses for anyone; it’s being realistic about our individual lives and the struggles we face, which differ for everyone. Some of it has to do with where you are in your life and career. I mentioned breaking through to the six-figure club in my career. At that point, I was as competitive and highly motivated as anyone I knew. I had worked my way into a place where opportunity was abundant, and I was there to fully capitalize on it, and I did.
Are You an Older Artist?
I write weekly essays about creativity and growing older for you.
But today, that’s no longer my jam. As I like to say, “These days, I’m built for comfort, not for speed.” And it’s not just about age. What success means to you—and how much of the opportunity around you you choose to pursue—is your jam. It’s all shaped by what’s happening in your life and business right now. And your jam is uniquely yours.
I've been part of the art world since 1988, and over the years, I've known talented artists who hoped to build much bigger careers. I've also known artists who could have pursued more but chose a different path. Everyone wants something different from being an artist, and those hopes can shift as life changes.
For one artist, $100,000 in annual sales might be an important milestone. Another might prefer $25,000 and plenty of studio time. Someone else may be pleased to sell enough to cover the cost of making art. Of course, sales aren’t take-home income; what really matters is how much you keep. It’s why I developed the Artist Income Calculator and Forecaster to give artists a tool to see how underlying costs affect their take-home income.
Some ambitions don’t fit neatly into a revenue goal. I’ve come to believe the long-term relationships you build can become as important and valuable as anything you do as an artist. A circle of friends, fans, buyers, and benefactors can uplift and sustain an artist well beyond manipulating advertising algorithms that constantly morph under frequently changing rules.
It’s healthy to find a few collectors who return for more of your work, to connect with people who are happy to introduce you to others, or to nurture relationships that open doors to opportunities you may not have discovered on your own. It’s reasonable to believe some of these connections will become meaningful influences in your life and career for years to come.
That’s why I’m nearly ready to announce a new How to Find Art Buyers program. I’ve been developing it for months to replace the long-retired 2016 version. I’ve shifted the focus from asking artists to become direct marketers, which conflicts with the nature of many artists, to helping you recognize opportunities already around you, build meaningful connections, and turn natural conversations into relationships that can lead to sales, referrals, and opportunities.
I’ll be announcing it to AMN subscribers soon, so please stay tuned.
Building meaningful connections makes selling art more rewarding and gives your efforts direction. With people to talk to, reasons to follow up, and a clearer sense of who welcomes your work, you can market authentically and build sustainably.
Thinking this way isn’t meant to let you off the hook. You need the courage to be honest with yourself about your ambition. That’s because thinking, “Maybe I don’t really want it,” might be a way to avoid rejection, success, discomfort, or trying something new. It’s important to recognize that when discomfort is involved, it doesn’t necessarily mean the goal is wrong.
All ambition comes with a price; even when it’s a goal that fits you, it will require doing things you’d rather not do. The point is to decide whether what you’re buying is worth the price to you, whether you can stick with it, and whether it fits who you are as a human and an artist.
I’ve given up on convincing every artist to think bigger, try harder, and grow to their fullest capacity. A few of you may want that, and I am here for you if you do. This blog is loaded with useful information to help you. But I also don’t believe running a smaller business makes anyone lesser. Choosing modest goals doesn’t make anyone less serious about their art.
I’ve reached a point in my life and career where I measure myself more by what I give than what I get. It’s a nice byproduct of decades of ambitious pursuits. Today, what matters most to me is helping artists understand the kind of career they want and giving them the knowledge, tools, and opportunities to pursue it.
Before asking yourself, “How can I sell more art?” it may be helpful to consider another question: “How much art business do I actually want?” Then take a moment to reflect on what you’re willing to do to make it happen.
See you next week.
— Barney