1. Decide what you want to do as an artist.
Choose your medium, topic, or theme, and find your voice. Some artists spend their lifetime waiting for it, but you can start at the idea where you stand now. Your thoughts will change with the years, prepare yourself for this. Define your values, that which you stand for—they might be the most permanent components of your personality and your art. Build everything around them and you is going to be set for an extended time.
2. Define your target audience and future patrons.
Who are the people sharing the exact same values and passion as you? Marine artists should look at ship or boat owners and coastal dwellers. Wildlife artists should think of individuals with wildlife in their hearts—Greenpeace fans, safari lovers, hunters, landlords of large wild properties. If you love kids, look at their parents; if you adore landscape, consider property owners and farmers. There is no secret—just 2% to 5% of society buys fine art: that part who has enough money and who values art. That doesn't just select visual art—music, dance, and the performing arts work the exact same way.
3. Build your portfolio.
Bearing in mind your topic and your potential patrons, build your portfolio. If your topic is closely related to some particular interest, approach your potential patrons and look for non-monetary support in portfolio building. This is use of a house or help through being a model. Oftentimes, it will bring about your first sales. This is also the start of building your network. You are able to choose and manage your network with a extent. People attract like-minded people. Defining what kind of people you need in your network can help you to locate them. It might sound as promised, but that is a natural way for you really to select people to communicate with about your art.
4. Gain recognition.
This could be a show, a competition, or several other kind of recognition. Take care to inform the press, your existing patrons and other admirers about this. Most people like to have art piece with a recognized artist. Even if they got it prior to the recognition came, it will please them. Maybe even more, they could take credit in discovering you and your talent before others. Provide them with this small treat!
5. Fine tune your brand.
Since the moment you made a decision to be an artist and began following steps 1 to 4, you have been building your brand. It is rooted in your values, your beliefs, and your view. It sparkles in your art, yourself and everything around you. Take the core message (as in step 1) and make an effort to incorporate it in most single step you make. Your web page, your opinions, your organization card—even the manner in which you dress—might be an integral part of your brand. You're the brand! Be careful the method that you get it done, though—be yourself and ensure that you don't trap yourself with your own brand.
6. Revise your pricing strategy.
It's no secret that recognized artists sell their benefit higher prices. So, as a guideline, higher prices indicate that the artist is recognized. Don't forget to reflect your level of recognition in your prices. Pricing authors is extremely sensitive thing—you have to find the appropriate spot. Underpricing can lead to fewer sales and less interest in your art. People love emerging artists, but you've to provide them the message you are emerging not merely starting. Among the hidden messages is your price. On another hand, beware of overpricing. If costs are excessive, people will start deeper investigation and will quickly discover unreasonably high prices. Regardless, you should calculate material poet costs and set a cost that covers at least your material costs.
7. Think about sales and information channels.
How do people find your art? Do you have an on the web portfolio? Do you have a website? Is the art exhibited somewhere? What is that place? Can it be a gallery or a coffee house in a disreputable street? Be cautious when choosing a route and place for your art. The context also sends an invisible message. You wont find the job of a premier artist in a tiny corner café unless it is under their studio or belongs to him or her!
After step 7, shop around: most probably you're already an artist who has their very own admirers, network and sales. Set a target for whenever you will quit your day job. Could it be an amount earned per month? Or amount of art pieces sold? Or quantity of blog visitors? Revise your strategy, sales, channels, target market, branding and your projects until you reach the goal.
Read more about Transcendent Artist James Martinez