One of the most commonly search phrases when you look at Google or Pinterest is:

• How To Sell Art
• How, How To Sell Art work
• How To Sell Art on Etsy
• How to sell Art on Instagram?
• How to sell art online online
• How to sell art on Pinterest
• How to sell art at craft fairs…

and the list goes on. And look, this is a legitimate problem artists face, both those with degrees and those that are self-taught, because the business of marketing and selling your Art is ignored in most schools. 

But running a business, which is what you do when you sell your art, is a skill. This requires A ton of time and commitment. Most Artist businesses require you to spend 50% of your time (or more) on the administrative side and 50% on your art.

In a cultural society that asks you to monetize your hobbies it’s hard not to see the sale of your art as a measure of your skill/success/worth as an artist.

But I’m curious: is it what you actually want?

Hey there! 👋 I’m Carrie. Here on Artist Strong, I help self-taught artists go from unsure to unstoppable, so they can create their first real series of artwork and start building a portfolio they’re proud of. 

If you’re ready to stop the DIY learning and get the support and structure to finally draw and paint whatever you want, I’m here to help. To date, thousands have joined the community.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 If you feel like gaps in your learning hold you back from making your best art, sign up and watch my workshop, “How to Create Art from Your Imagination.” It’s completely free, and the link is in the description below.

Today I want to talk about how and why you don’t have to sell your art to call yourself an artist.

Let’s look at the work of our worlds. First evidence of artists.

People are surprised when I tell them prehistoric artist some of my favorite work.

Here’s the thing: prehistoric art is a concrete reminder that to create is to be human.

Perhaps you’ve heard of Maslow‘s hierarchy of needs:

In this psychological model, Maslow outlines are priorities as human beings. At a core level, we need to feel safety and security. And as we reach higher stages within the hierarchy, we start to seek more intangible goals, like finding purpose and ultimately self actualization.

But think about this: our ancestors, while they were a nomadic people without a consistent place to live or without a consistent food source, made time for their art. Before we invented language or money, we made art.

Perhaps some of our ancestors bartered small portable works, but they spent time making art places they would have to leave it, too.

For me, this is a poignant and powerful reminder that making time for our creativity as a human act. We don’t have any need to justify making time for our art, we’re putting resources into our art.

In my 20s, I had a very specific limiting parameter on what qualified me to call myself an artist. I had to be one of the most skillful people in the room (I wasn’t). and a Gallery or Museum must want my work (they didn’t).

For whatever reason, we often seek outside validation for our art, and selling our art is a very concrete example of someone else saying, “I like your work enough to give you money.”

It also feels good to share our art and enjoy a positive reaction to the work. I believe making art is another form of communication, so opportunities to show or share our opportunities to connect with others.

Perhaps this is why when no one says anything, or it doesn’t sell, it can really hurt; it feels personal because it is a bid for connection.

If/when we feel rejected, it can feel harder and harder to show up, because of how personal they can feel. And this is heightened when we sell our art for validation and affirmation.

While it’s in human nature, as a social creature, to see connection, it’s important we reflect on our desire to sell and ask ourselves: does this truly align with the life I want to live?

An indicator that outside validation is taking priority is when we adjust our schedule/how we make Art/you name it now because we want not because we want to, but because we think it will get more attention.

This is different than trying to present your work coherently to demonstrate professionalism and consistency, or creating more art in a series that sold well: this is about making changes that are out of integrity with who you are to get the positive reinforcement.

Ask yourself: what do you actually need to do to feel an inner confidence in your work?

To be more skillful? To try out that new idea? Ask yourself, pull out a journal and sit in the quiet of that question. See what comes up.

Sell your art, but only if you want to. 

I don’t care if you want to sell your Art, I care that it may be an arbitrary measure of success that distracts you from the joy and connection you experience making your art Van Gogh spent most of his life feeling misunderstood and sold only one piece of art in his lifetime. If selling art is what makes you an artist, he failed. Miserably.

It’s time to sit down and actively define, what it means to be an artist.

We made art before we had consistent food and shelter. Before we invented language, or money. Making art because you want to is all the justification you need. 

For me, an artist is someone who makes art. The label comes from doing.

Because again, for me, the less I show up to create, the less I feel whole. It’s part of me, and whether or not I sell another piece of art I will still create.

You?