3 mistakes that young artists in particular often make

The art world is diverse and can be overwhelming, especially for beginners. There's a lot to pay attention to, and mistakes (often unconscious) can happen quickly.

Since I work as an artist mentor alongside my own artistic practice – and therefore regularly come into contact with young artists – I keep noticing the same mistakes artists make , which I'd like to share with you today. My goal is to help you avoid them!

01 Too much “professionalism”

In their early stages, young artists in particular usually have no gallery representation and often no established client base. Initially, they look heavily to supposedly successful colleagues for guidance, both in their communication and their pricing.

Why is this considered one of the artist's mistakes?

To put it simply: High prices arise from exclusivity, and exclusivity arises from excess demand. To create this demand, you need many points of contact with as many art enthusiasts as possible. However, you won't be able to establish these contacts if you shield yourself behind a false sense of exclusivity.

A common example of this is when young artists refer to themselves as "artist name + gallery." Believing that the term "gallery" lends them a certain prestige, these artists' marketing channels often visually resemble a museum focused on Minimal Art . This makes it difficult for new art enthusiasts to connect with the art and, more importantly, with the artist.

(Apart from the fact that the profession of art dealer is completely different from that of an artist, not only from a tax perspective)

In my opinion, you can play to your "emerging artist" status and use it to your advantage. People love discovering new, great art, especially before everyone else! We often see this effect in the music industry! If you're open and honest about your status as an emerging artist, potential customers will become supporters on your path to success, not only buying your artbut also potentially helping you promote it or supporting you in other ways.

Because unfiltered, authentic enthusiasm is more contagious than anything else!

02 Too many choices

In the early stages of their art, young artists often lack a clear profile and a clear idea of ​​the direction of their art (and art sales strategy!) and experiment a great deal with their external communication.

A common mistake is overloading marketing and sales channels with ideas and options. Just because you experiment a lot artistically doesn't mean that every experiment has to be sold, and that every sales model has to be offered!

The reality of the art market repeatedly demonstrates that most people are primarily one thing: indecisive. Those who make thousands of decisions every day in their professional and personal lives usually lack the inclination to do so when acquiring works of art!

As I mentioned previously regarding this topic in relation to tips for artists and the Christmas business , those interested in and potential buyers of your art should really only have to make ONE decision:

Do I want to buy the artwork, or not?

In practice, I often see additional options for framing on websites (especially those of young artists), such as frame color, different sizes, and, particularly for reproductions and prints, even different material choices, e.g., printed on canvas, on fine art paper, or as aluminum Dibond…

The result: The decision-making process for the customer becomes increasingly complex, requiring them to expend more and more effort to research and weigh the various options. This not only leads to confusion and frustration, but also, measurably, often to the abandonment of the order process simply due to time constraints.

Decision paralysis is real – therefore, decide for yourself (and thus for your customer) on one option, and limit the steps, tasks and especially distractions in the sales process for them.

The simpler, the better.

03 Too little continuity

Building on point 1, the (lack of) process of building connections with those interested in your art is another typical artist mistake that can hinder your growth. This connection doesn't happen overnight. Like any relationship or friendship, connections develop through frequent, and especially regular, contact.

If you only present yourself irregularly on your social media and perhaps send out newsletters irregularly once or twice a year, you will quickly be forgotten and definitely won't build any interest and therefore no demand for your art.

But if you want to make a living from your art, you have to treat 'art business' as such and be regularly present – ​​just like any other business!

Conclusion

Especially in the beginning, an artist's career path be challenging. However, if you're highly motivated, willing to work on yourself regularly, optimize the discovery and purchasing process for your art enthusiasts, and are open and authentic about your status as an emerging artist, then you're on the right track! I wish you every success! And feel free to leave your questions in the comments!

Max Rübensal

Max Rübensal is a contemporary artist and art writer from Berlin who reflects in his works and texts on symbolism, identity, pop culture and the ever-increasing digitalization of our everyday lives.

maxruebensal.com/de/