There are all kinds of courses about how to sell more art. Back when I was confused, I spent a lot of time looking at them and wondering if I could justify the cost. But luckily, I met an artist whose honesty and generosity saved me a fortune in course fees. His advice was incredibly simple and blindingly obvious … “if you want to sell more art, you need to make stronger and more personal art.”

It made so. much. sense. And I couldn't believe no-one else was saying it.

Here’s how it works

We all love to have experiences that wake us up, that make us feel a little bit more alive. That happens when we’re driving in the car singing to our favourite pop song, or when we take a walk right after it's snowed and the whole world looks different. Or when we go on holiday to somewhere new. Or when we do something exciting for the first time.

Each of these things – and a thousand other wonderful experiences – jolt us out of the everyday routine and make us feel alive.

They do that because they are different to our normal experiences. And the same happens when we see a painting that is unlike anyone else’s painting.

So art buyers are looking for something that they haven’t seen before.

And galleries are looking for something that they haven’t seen before.

And they will both respond to work that is strong in terms of design and value contrast and colour.The simple truth is this:

• Paintings that are both unique AND well-constructed will sell.

• Paintings that are derivative or that use colour in an ineffective way, or that are not well-designed, won’t sell as well.

The lightbulb went off for me!

I was putting all my efforts into my paintings, but I couldn’t honestly say they were unique – I was hugely influenced by other artists and spent way too much time scrolling Instagram. That’s why they didn’t feel like a personal expression ... they weren’t!

Start looking inwards – you have the answers

If you were drawn to read this post, I suspect you might be doing the same. You might have tried different styles but not settled on one. Or you might have dabbled in abstract painting but been disappointed with the results. Or maybe you flit from subject to subject, never settling on one thing.

You do all this because you are an artist. You have a drive to express yourself through your art and so you are searching. But – like me – you are looking in the wrong places. You are looking outside yourself when everything you need is inside you.

In order to make unique, personal art, you need to spend some time with yourself, working out what it important to you, what inspires you, what drives you, what are your most deeply held values? And you need to spend a lot of time analysing the art you love to identify specifically what is appealing to you. Because what you love in someone else’s work is a clue as to your own interests. So instead of looking and mimicking, you need to start looking and analysing.

I dug much deeper into my love of landscape and realised that it wasn’t the landscape I loved, it was the feeling of being out in wide open, wild spaces. Once I got that, my focus shifted from realistic landscapes to abstract paintings that attempt to convey those feelings.

You can see the shift in my Instagram feed ...Here's before ...

 And here's a more current screenshot.... 

The key skills and knowledge you need

But as well as finding your unique perspective on the world, you need to also understand how to use paint to express it. If you went to art school, you may already have this knowledge. I had to find it for myself. But as I developed my understanding of colour and tonal contrasts and composition, I found it easier to express myself.

I discovered that I love strong contrasts between light and dark areas. I discovered that I love reds and crimson and scarlets and plums and oranges, but that I can make those colours look so much better if I set them against subtle creams and greys. I discovered the power of putting a warm saturated colour next to a cool desaturated colour and I learned that I loved to layer paint to create visual texture.

Once I combined these things with my interest in the feeling of being in the landscape, my work began to shift. And as it shifted, the sales began to come.

I’m not against business courses for artists

Let’s face it, most of us are not great at pushing ourselves forward and we could all use some help understanding how to attract buyers – but I think too many artists gets suckered into taking courses before their art is where it needs to be. I think making powerful unique and personal art HAS to come first.

If we do that, selling becomes so much easier.The artist who shared this secret with me was Nicholas Wilton. Every year he teaches a free online workshop designed to help you strengthen your art. It only happens once a year and it starts on February 14th  2020, so don't miss out! The lessons are delivered by email so you can watch from anywhere in the world. Sign up HERE.