This is the number one question I get at my workshops and online questions. If you are just starting out in your art journey , probably not. You can utilize social media (facebook, instagram, pinterest) to make your sales. You will have to figure out a payment plan there. However, if you plan to get serious about your art-business, the answer is probably yes . You will need to develop one. Especially if you associate with a gallery and give one woman shows, or demos out in public . Your art collectors will want to follow you and find you in the future. Remembering all Galleries are a business. They also have over head just like you do. So they do take a chunk of your money. Hopefully, they earn it by; supporting you, advertising for you, putting your shows in the paper, spreading your new art over social media or on their social page without hounding them, let you know when your business cards are out, etc.. In the past they made these great calling cards or brochures with examples of your art and your information on it. Now I do my own cards. Some galleries do nothing and want it all. Finally they do not share your client list. Even if you want to send a thank you card to a collector. Honestly, once , I sent a secret shopper to see if the Gallery Director even showed my work. They specifically asked for abstract art work. Sorry to say they flunked that test! They had a tendency to show the same people on line as in person? So this is where you need to re-evaluate your art mission. Don’t forget they take anywhere from (40 to 60 %) of your sale. I know many artist’s today that don’t even go with galleries due to this. We are one industry that is willing give up our fair share financial reward and money to a gallery. Because after all, they are a business also.

Which web sites are the best? Well I’ve tried a few; (Go-daddy) (artbytammi) for me was the easiest, a little costly if you are starting out. At the time I did not like there shopping cart, it was very generic. But I am sure it has improved by now. Loading photos were a pain at times. I did like the live support and they have great customer service. Squarespace - a little more complicated to set up than Go-daddy. I had to hire someone for help. I created it but had trouble getting it noticed. This is where a programmer helped me fix the problem. It was well worth the money. Be ready though - there is no live support. This lack of options will eventually decide my future, unfortunately you don’t find this out until you have a problem. It’s all done by text and email. Some times it takes days to get an answer. The shopping cart is very easy to navigate. Wix - sorry it’s free and I didn’t like it much. However, I recently had an copy right concern and they had great customer service and gave me a number to call. But for me Wix was very time consuming and difficult to update. I used Fine Art America once and well I felt lost in my Art - tribe. So I bailed out when I gave it several months. Really easy to set up but you have a lot of competition. Did I say a-lot? I did Saatchi Art. com/artbytsh - again, you will get lost in the art-tribe-crowd. Loading art and making a page was super easy be sure to add a great bio. They ship everything regarding prints. If you load Art - you are the shipper. They have fees also. The Art Business at times has been really hard to gauge during Covid- 19 with the flailing economy. Even now I think people are still worried about the economy. Another one I am testing out is https://www.pixels.com/art/artbytsh for home decor and accessories. Their suggested retail price is very… low! They also have fees and it takes a chunk of your profit. However, they manufacture the products. I’ve yet to see if the products are quality or not. The reviews I read said yes. Again, it was easy to navigate, set up and load photos. Finally, lets talk about Etsy. I sell smaller artwork on my site https://www.artstudio222tsh.etsy.com/shop and sample art work. (daily warmups) . My thought was to price my art very reasonable. In addition to one of a kind objects (ornaments) at the holidays. They did really well. But they are changing a lot. So many people think art is not in their life budget. But they will buy coffee daily and could save up for art. I do offer a lay away plan on my web site. The sales on Etsy for me seem seasonal so don’t expect to get rich , quickly here. Unless you are a large manufacturer or give away your art work. It is however, very, very economical, easy to load, easy to update and find help. They changed shipping and you can really lose $ if you don’t work that out in your marketing plan. The community boards are helpful. Therefore, each site I have mentioned had somethings I liked and other things I did not like. Free isn’t always free and comes with complications. For example www.instagram.com/artbytsh . There are so many talented artists which increases daily. You may get lost here also. I prefer one on one interactions with many artists. I do enjoy looking at others work and those who are starting out who eventually improve. I can spot a newbie artist a mile away. They do offer shopping (shopify) at a real cost. Not really affordable for a new artist. It requires a lot of babysitting. As for social media it can take over your life. You can feel burdened at times to post daily or twice daily. My goal is to paint/create and do just a bit of social media. You decide which on-line commerce company you want to use. Do your research. Give them a trial run. Read those reviews. So I am evaluating my next leap of faith in the ever changing Art World. What ever you choose to do to market your self, be prepared to spend a lot of time updating it, posting and engaging with collectors and future clients. Advertising on Facebook and Instagram is not cheap and it does not always increase your sales but perhaps visibility. You decide. Finally, I will keep painting and typing away!

All the creative best,

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