5 Pro Tips for Artists from Serial Entrepreneur Jodie King

Painter Jodie King has figured out how to turn her art into a thriving and profitable business.

A serial entrepreneur and creator of the “Art Biz for Rebels” program, King mentors artists about the business of art. After starting an Instagram Live series during COVID, King started to realize that the bulk of questions she was getting was not about creating art — but how to run the career aspects of it.

She kept getting the same questions in each session.

“How do I price my art?”

“How do I get my art out there?”

"How do I maximize social media?”

“How do I pack and ship my art?”

After 17 years in the art business and a previous career in entrepreneurship, King knew she could help. She launched a business master class that filled up in less than 48 hours, so she did it a few more times and realized how needed the information was and started “Art Biz for Rebels.”

We had to chance to ask Jodie King to share some of the tips that helped her build a multi-six-figure art business.

PRO TIP #1: PAINT IN VARIOUS SIZES

Size matters for lots of reasons, but mostly because we need to meet the demands of our collectors.

Here’s why:

Wall space: Different collectors are looking for different sizes, based on wall space and location.
Various sizes have various price tags. Many collectors may love your art but are looking for a more approachable price point. Smaller pieces give them an option to be able to collect your original art when they otherwise wouldn't be able to.
Customer retention: We want our collectors to be fans for a long time. They may choose a smaller piece at first but it may likely grow into a bigger piece down the road. Or maybe they have a larger piece of yours but want to give a smaller one as a gift.

PRO TIP #2: MAKE A CONCRETE PLAN

When it comes to running any business, relying on “hope” alone is not a strategy. While we may dream of selling more art: a dream without a plan is nothing more than a wish. There’s not an industry out there that releases something new without having a plan to execute it.

To make a plan for your art business:

Choose a date a few months ahead of time.
Using a calendar, work backward from that date.
Add in the dates you will need for creating the art, buying any shipping/packing, and photography to promote the art.
Begin letting your collectors know at least six weeks in advance and continue to promote up until the date.
Talk about it until you’re sick of yourself a week before.
Release and have fun!

By doing so, you will generate excitement and create FOMO – two key factors determining a successful campaign.

PRO TIP #3: VISUALIZATION!

You’ve probably heard of visualization but here’s why it's been so important to the success of countless artists:

It programs your brain to reset to a positive mindset and open up to new possibilities.
It can help you cultivate a positive sense of self which will help your self-confidence.
It will motivate you because "thoughts turn to things!"

It’s an easy business and life hack: It only takes a few minutes a day to get powerful results.

PRO TIP #4: MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS

Diversifying our revenue streams has many advantages. It offers products at various price points and it can create passive income, while at the same time keeping things interesting. We are creatives! Why do only one thing? Each revenue stream can enhance the other.

Here are some different revenue streams artists can have that can be highly profitable:

Selling prints (they’re easy to outsource)!
Teaching (you know more than you think)!
Licensing (great passive income)!
Collaborating with other businesses or brands (who do you know with a business? Could your art help?)

PRO-TIP #5: CAST YOUR NET WIDE!

What usually happens is that artists choose one method to sell art, say, social media or our website, and then if nothing happens, we make it mean something bad about us or our art. Nope! Artists just need to expand beyond that one thing!

A few suggestions are:

Email List: It’s easy to create an email list! If you’ve got a Christmas card list, you can certainly create an email list from those people alone. Plus, those people already love you! Once you have a list, you can speak directly to the people and stay top of mind.
Interior Designers: There are four times as many interior designers as galleries and interior designers also place art in collectors' homes! Look for decorators in your area and make those connections!
Art Fairs and Exhibitions: Sales of art have skyrocketed during the pandemic as more people are in their homes. This is a great way to expose your art to more people.

Jodie King recently launched the Freedom Collective, keeping with her trend of creating a collection for the holidays to celebrate and reflect on the culmination of another year. This year’s collection features 21 unique pieces of sharp, graphic abstract art, each the perfect size for a holiday purchase at 12”x12”. In addition, for the first time ever Jodie King is offering the option of purchasing an NFT version of her pieces for buyers of the corresponding painting.

Following the launch of the collection, over ⅔ of the pieces sold within the first hour. If you’re interested in learning more about the Freedom Collection’s original painting or corresponding NFTs, you can learn more here.