Why My Art Is Not Selling

i mentioned it in JC's thread already, and since you changed the avatar you read it. i'll repost it anyway.

you only have 40 images. which is a tiny amount in the world. try to upload another 500. your bio is too personal. keep it to just what you sell, and what people are going to see when they see your things. i can honestly tell you - not many people will care about your history not being rude, it's just the truth).


this is a snap shot of a statue, not done in any special way. plus its someone else's artwork, unless you have permission to sell images of it, i wouldn't sell it.


this is really dark, calling it a beautiful photo can put off some people. tell us where it was and why you took it. but more so, you want to have an image that people would hang themselves. the barn is practically black, leaving only the sky and the sky isn't all that interesting.


most of your photos look like snap shots, they have no theme no direction. this one isn't bad, i can see it selling, but there are really no keywords on this, and stop saying the words - beautiful photo.


this one isn't that bad either, though its a bit crooked and angled. again, more keywords - add plurals, other ways to call bikes, it's a window, an art gallery, maybe even a location. be wordy by accurate.


the sky is nice, but the horizon is badly tilted, the boat is too dark in this and that motor jutting from the water isn't that pleasant as it breaks up the lines. again - beautiful photo of a...


most of this is washed out. a hand holding the glass, doesn't help the shot, the horizon is crooked. and the light doesn't really catch the cubes that well.
at the end of the day, what was this image for? and who was it for? you have to keep things like that in mind, otherwise you'll have no direction when selling these.


i don't know who this is for, i suppose its abstract, but not for me.

in the end how many of these would you buy for yourself and what room would it go into? thats the main question everyone has to ask. selling isn't easy. you have to market like crazy, upload only your best. in your case, your all over the place. many are crooked, under or over exposed. or the subject isn't really all that clear. descriptions are kind of lack luster and the keywords need updating. i saw a few the - ones above that i can see selling, though could use a tweak here and there. after that you need lots of images of the same rough scene. like if you have one barn at sunset, try another few. but try to get detail in there or get a more interesting sky. or if you have a glass of ice tea, make sure there is a para glider or a sailboat in the background to tell a story.

otherwise the images will just blend into the background.

after all that you have to find an audience, get followers, and upload more, and advertise more.


---Mike Savad

Made me re-think some of the (if not most) of the things I have up on muy site as I never sell anything.
Mike, is there anything you have not sold and wonder why?

This thread is not about Mike's work. Please speak about the TS's images





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vincent if you set up your own thread like this i'll take a look.

though some of it has to do with using a cell phone

---Mike Savad

I agree with Mike regarding your Bio. Very few people want to know that you're just starting again. And they really don't need to know that. Many folks don't want to think that they just bought art from the ex-bus driver mother. Nothing wrong with explaining that "after" you have begun to string along a following.

Try to get more involved with blogging, twitter, facebook, groups, commenting, and socializing in general. Better to do that with prospective buyers... but don't forget that networking means getting involved with those in your art groups too. They can help spread the word too if they like your work... and like you. Finding someone you trust to give you an honest critique "behind the scenes" could prove to be a most valuable tool.

Double and triple check your images before you post. This is really hard to do because of momentary excitement that you feel. It hazes your view of the image and little details get shoved over to the side. Set yourself a three day period of going back to it and re-examination. I wish I had done this from the very beginning.

Don't feel as though you have to post everything that you worked on. Even painters scrub a piece from time to time and start all over.

Your work goes all over the board. You have only one gallery set up. Might want to start organizing galleries and have them be on your profile page instead of all the individual pieces.



God Bless ~

Glenn McCarthy Art and Photography

the fish isn't bad, though it is dark, and does need fill flash. the background is a bit white, but mostly that park bench thing in the bowl is very distracting. shoot this on white paper, or a nice blue day, almost anything. all that distorted stuff like trees and things won't help the shot any. plus there is too much effect. it glows.


first off - this is not a freeze photo. if it was, everything would be sharp. second - why and who is this for? let alone that it's water falling everywhere, why not a cherry? or an ice cube, why in the world a superball? because that makes no marketable sense.


this is the only painting i think i see in here - is it yours? or is it someone else's? it's not in focus either way and won't print. it has motion blur.


---Mike Savad

OK but you should know that the beach thing is the ONLY cell phone shot. I know it's a no no. Also low resolution scans from 35mm photos. I'm gong to work on it for a while and then I'd like to have your views. I love your detailed and conscience arrangement of images and it shows you are working hard to get the right images out and make it available to the public in the best possible way you can!

Vince

Another tip is to offer images of your local attractions sometimes buyers live near where you live. They might been looking for local images which they can't find in local stores or galleries.
(I just sold a images of Toronto streetcar in the snowstorm to someone live near Toronto).

Danielle, Sean put your pictures on the first few pages. And then they sell themselves, Mike can tell you definitely that. Many of his pictures can be found on the first pages. regards Franziskus.

Here's a group that may interest you also Danielle

http://fineartamerica.com/groups/tough-love.html?tab=overview

Glenn McCarthy Art and Photography

This moon shot is heavily pixellated and will not print. You have to watch your clarity and never increase the size of an image:


Please know that titles do not matter in the search function, so include your titles in your keywords. Having mentioned that, this one should be titled more specifically than it is. It could also benefit from some warming up.


In the same vein, know what your subject is and say that in the title and keywords. This is a Monarch on a Coneflower:

RE:......"not many people will care about your history not being rude, it's just the truth)."

Now, I know that I'm not in any position to judge "Printablity"

But, creating and selling in the real world for about 40 years now, I do know one thing:

People DO CARE about your history and who you are....

They are not buying a "Thing" they are buying a part of You.

Regarding artist bios, I LIKE the ones that don't read like generic Art 101 Term papers. I like knowing things about the artist. As long as it's well written, artists can say anything they want. It tells the viewer/buyer what they think is important, not what they think people want to hear.

This is your life, Danielle, tell people what you want them to know. There are plenty of other times and places you have to toe the line and blend in. This isn't one of them. Your art is about you, your life, your vision, your hopes and your dreams. You get to decide what's important.

Bios should be as colorful and personal as the art.

Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

the bio is for google - pretty much that's it. i don't ever recall any one time where i asked the salesman, the girl behind the counter, the person i bought a banana from, the guy at the garage sale, the guy who works at the garage etc - anything about their personal lives. in fact when they go on about it, i leave, i simply say a huh and leave. don't want hear about it.

people are interested in the art. partly knowing this person is a beginner, won't help the sale much. knowing they have kids, and dreams - well this stuff is better for the memoirs more than anything else. the bio should simply state what they sell - so google can see it. if the buyer is really interested in that person, they have no problems emailing. to date - only one person asked this and it was for a school report.


---Mike Savad

Roger, I agree with that in the "real world" but do you think the same holds true in the .com world?

They might care, but they also are not going to be keen on buying art from a bus driver who just started taking photography classes.
I would leave the bus driving out and say something more generalized as: "I took time out to raise my family and now have the passion and time to go back to school and refine my art."
It's factual, but not overly so.

if your a people person then knowing about it might be ok. but i think it doesn't look professional. it's like they are answering a question that was never asked. and still doesn't tell me why they made it the way they did.

in this case she hasn't made a sale - maybe this is a part of the problem.

dan your bio is cut and dry, very little about your personal life in there.


---Mike Savad

i think people in the online world, have very short attention spans. and people in the real world are the same, but are often forced to listen to the ramble that is peoples lives. they are stuck in the pattern of exchanging meaningless patter because it's polite or something. it's become such a bad habit that people often run out of things to say and start talking about gross medical conditions.


---Mike Savad

Hi danielle, check each pic with the green box for hi res...if it isn't crystal clear, then adjust the sizes you offer it at AND turn it off!!

Great comments.. Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts.. I will re-evaluate my page. :)

I don't agree with Roger and Dan totally. People do buy the artist... but usually by the statement they make with their art. Art has this funny prestigious pull to it. A good biography is worth it's weight in gold... and there is a time and a place to reveal certain things about yourself.

I hope Danielle will consider carefully what she wants to tell people about herself. She seems to be very open about things... but sometimes that works against you. Especially on the net. I would rather she talked about her art and vision for her art and photography.

That's my opinion after having sold other people's art for many years...

Glenn McCarthy Art and Photography

I would go with Louise's suggestion on the bio.

Ok I have changed my bio.. Let me know what you think?

I like that direction Danielle...

Sign your name!

the bio needs spacing for one. it's also still very wordy, we know what a camera does. i'd leave out the journey, because the images presented doesn't suggest a journey. and trying to paint that image won't help convince people of that.

i would concentrate on the images you have, the quality, story telling, and variety of your work first, before deciding on a final draft of the bio. the store can't look scattered and random there has to be some consistency in there.

---Mike Savad

"I am an artist living in Shelby, Michigan who has a passion for Illustration, advertising and photography . My shop has a variety of photos, acrylic paintings and typography.I attempt, through my paintings and the cameras eye to capture the colors, the shadows, the soft and the subtle . If only we could capture the sound and smells as well. I hope to evoke those memories as I take you on a journey with my paintings and through the lens of my camera and into the eye of my soul."

Many visual artists can't really write so it's no big deal. Don't capitalize things unless they are proper names. Control the use of commas. It'd be ok to say if you have any degrees from college, too. If you've won awards, list them. What you've written is more an artist's statement, not a bio, but I made minor changes so that it flows and the visitor doesn't get confused.

Always be mindful of correct grammar and punctuation and avoid sentences that say too much or nothing at all. Maybe something like this will work better:

I am an artist with a passion for Illustration, advertising, and photography living in Shelby Township, Michigan. My galleries are a blend of photos, acrylic paintings, and typography. With my paint and the camera's eye, I hope to capture colors and shadows; the soft and subtle, the bold and beautiful. If only I could capture the sounds and smells as well!

I hope to evoke pleasant memories as I take you on a journey with my paintings and through the lens of my camera, and into the eye of my soul.

Hi Danielle .
Be careful what you wish for ......

Lol. Now that you asked, you'll have your hands full. That's ok - a little tweaking here & there ... & by the next season you can have a fresh new Gallery.

Nice new Bio - one small suggestion: " sights & smells " , change that to aromas. No one should think of "what smells ? ", but aromas sounds delightful - like coffee.

And use sunscreen.

Danielle, My question is: Why do you do the work you do? Do you do it because that is the work you personally enjoy doing? I hope it is. If you are looking more for sales, then you might have to do work that is different....at least some work. Most artists on here don't sell much, as there are SO MANY WORKS to choose from. It all comes down to WHY you do what you do. I have never had anyone tell me I need to change my BIO. Good grief...like others here are selling a truck load of work every day because they have their act so together? Most people adapt their bio as they go/grow....so when is it ever so right? Who is NOT going to NOT buy a work because of your bio? I wonder at times if anyone even reads the bio.

My advice is to do more (a lot more) of what you love to do, and trying to make the next work BETTER than the last. I believe you can do as good as most artist can do, but I wouldn't ever trade doing what "might" sell over doing what you LOVE to do. If no one wants to buy what you LOVE, then the heck with them. It's all a PROCESS and it takes years to get a good site of work together. Some of us here have been at it for many years.

Go girl.............

people read everything. often people need that one extra kick to justify a purchase, a reason to do so. and you have to give them that reason, since your not guiding the sale yourself. that's what the bio is for. bio's change all the time as you get better, and get a better idea as to what you make.

it's ok to enjoy what you do, but if you don't do things with the intention of selling, it will never sell. you'll be happy, but it usually won't. while you might find people who like what you like, you want as many people as you can liking it. i never really looked at your bio bill, but it does seem to go on a bit.

anyway, everything is important if you want to sell the art you make. many jump right in and then wonder why they don't sell. it takes a lot of work to not just get good looking art, but a theme where people can point and say, i know that work, that's mike's work. i love his work! and that's when the sales come. it may take years. heck it takes me a few months at the very least for anything i send here that's new.

---Mike Savad

Danielle, I can show you how to do work like Mike does. What kind of work do you want to do? The sky is the limit. I happen to do tutoring and although I don't come cheap, I am worth every cent, AND I happen to have a space open, so email me and we can get started to IMPROVED SALES.

hmmmm.... ookayyy....


---Mike Savad

If you can be patient Mike, I maybe can fit you in later this Summer.

Danielle,

OK, so you've likely read all of the above and perhaps are a bit confused and perhaps in some way feeling like throwing in the towel. Perhaps you hear "Your work will never sell." or "It's not good enough." and that can go even deeper.. been there, done that. I fell for the same trap of asking why my work had not sold after several months on here and got pretty much the same as above. I was then ready to pack up my camera and delete my account, call it quits photography.

Then, you know, I had to tell myself that I am an artist, and that's really what I do. Is that all about sales, sure, I want to sell art, it would be nice income.

I took the technical and looked at that. Sure, I had an image or two where the highlights were burned off and yes, that was not a good spot for them, so I did some touch up and reloaded them. Others, I disagreed with the viewpoint expressed and I'll wait to see what printing says when it gets to that point. In the mean time, the exact same image sold and printed on another site, no problems at all. So, take the technical, apply it where you think it needs to be and leave the rest alone.

Some artists may want every, or almost everyone of their images to look pretty much like the next one; each one the same tone as the next. Same basic colors, same basic theme to the subject, and that's pretty much it. OK, if that makes them happy and they are seeing the sales they want, more power to them. If others, like myself would rather never repeat the look and feel of one image again, preferring then to be unique. Same power to us.

In other words, create the art you want, what makes you feel like an artist and that you are expressing that. Don't let the technical get in the way of your expressing your art. Perhaps keep to some of the simple rules of good composition and exposure levels that will be to printing standards, but beyond that, it's your art.

In my opinion, a theme is something over thought, Remember how you can always tell that a song is performed by Elvis, Madonna, or Hanson, or written by Mozart or Bach, but still, they did something different somehow, something about that work that made it memorable and standing out on it's own.

Keep creating.

I also found others sites that let me sell my art in the same way as FAA.. and yes, I've had sales. Here. None. don't know why; it's the same exact art.

Welcome, Danielle.

This might be of help and interest to you...............

http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=908258

Ignore Bill on the tutoring, he just wanted to annoy Mike...

New bio reads well, do what Louise and Janine suggested. I've redone mine several times since I've been here, as others probably have too.

... among other things Melissa....

Perhaps the new Avatar had something to do with that. Tutoring has never been mentioned before.

Danielle, take a look at what sells. There is a very broad buying audience with varied artistic tastes. As you hone your skills, you will find your audience. Your bio looks good now. Keep picking the brains of these very talented artists. You will soon be looking at your work with a more critical eye.

I don't know Bill, so I can't vouch for his tutoring skills, but his gallery of work is amazing (as is Mike's). With that said, Melissa could be right. :-) But, Bill sure as heck offered you some great advice. "My advice is to do more (a lot more) of what you love to do, and trying to make the next work BETTER than the last."

I am all over the place with my photography and brought that up in a discussion. I am finding out who I am as an artist and was encouraged by those participating in that discussion. It doesn't happen overnight. I think for most of us, it emerges as we delve further into what we love to do as artists and improve our skills.

This group; http://fineartamerica.com/groups/photo-critique-one-on-one-.html?tab=overview is a good group to join. Rich offers very constructive critique and advice.

I'm with Timothy, "Keep creating".

Danielle, I have had my art gallery on FAA for about 5 years and have been pleased with my sales results. One thing I have done that has helped a lot is having a good Social Media and Website strategy. FAA has integration with Facebook, Twitter, etc...Do you have a Facebook business page? (not a personal FB pge, but, a business page). Do you have a website? Once you get a FB page and Twitter account set up, it is easy to manage and creates a lot more exposure and activity. By the way, I should say that my gallery is where I show my dad's art. He passed away in 2002. My career has been in sales and marketing. so, my expertise is in marketing- I am not an artist. Along with keeping my dad's art alive through FAA and social media, I watched how hard he worked as an artist to support our family. I am passionate now about helping artists and small business owners grow and prosper by helping them figure out how to get involved in internet marketing. I would be happy to share my knowledge with you or anyone else on FAA. Just message me if you want to discuss further. Or you can email me at smit6367@bellsouth.net

Here is my Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/charlesroysmith

I really, really want this ,to me, fine photograph to be Printable....I love it....I love the way, the focus is on the eye of the Robin., perched in the cold snow, surrounded by friendly Robin Wantabees.............That's how I see it.:

Thank you every one .. I really appreciate all the feed back.. I will take a closer look at my art work do some retouching and make my next pieces of art work even Better.. Thank you for all the encouragement.

I for one know your work will be BETTER, and all because you are willing to learn what it takes. You are to be complimented for your DRIVE.

Just another small comment... do a search here for horses, butterflies, flower, sunset.... you have ALOT of completion on those subjects. If you love those subjects by all means continue to photograph, but try to find subjects a little off beat. As someone above mentioned... photograph things unique for the area you live in and add tags that are specific to subject of the photo. Even if you take a photo an old oak tree be sure to include the location of that oak tree, even species specific if you can. You never know if a botanist might be looking for a Northern red oak also know as Quercus rubra. And if there happens to be such a person searching for that.. you have a terrific chance of being one of a very few results.

Point of view is sometimes a help as well.... try getting down on your stomach to photograph your subject... or climb a tree for a different view. In the huge collection of images found here on FAA you have to try to stand out.. even just a little.. to get noticed.

Oh by the way .... so far I have sold only one greeting card ;O) just sayin' ;O)

bob

Danielle,
I'd highly suggest tightening up your profile pic to just your face...you have a beautiful one...that's all we need to see...besides, it'll keep the pervs at bay. ;)

EDIT: There ya go! Nice to see you, Danielle!

Marlene has a good point... :o)

edit: yeah!

I liked your "Barn Silhouette" very much. I would make the front darker and just show the Silhouette except the windows. The color of the sky is awesome. I was thinking that I would make this scene with my CG. I will show you when I make it. So... people should buy this one I think...

a ha ha ha... Danielle would have to stick a paper bag over her head, & sunglasses on top of that.

But a close- up was a very god idea. Looks good.

I think only Smud gets away with that Janine. But we're caught up with fiddling with the leaves.

Danielle...

Do you have enough to munch on yet? What happens at this point is a spiraling conversation that ends up being ping pong and lots and lots of opinions. Then you have this full basket and a head full of contrary notions.

Make sure you close this down before it gets to be too top heavy.

Glenn McCarthy Art and Photography

I made a sale last night …. wooo hooo awesome.. Greating card sale.. I'm so excited… maybe things are going to turn around for me.. Thank you so much everyone… And Thank you to whom ever bought my Robin in the trees greeting card… Was that you Roger? if so Thank you so much hope you love it :) :).. If not hope the person who bought it loves it :) :)

CONGRATS

Thank god for america





JC you were faster ;-)

Danielle,

YUP

When I truly love a piece, as I love yours, I put my money where my mouth is.

I wish I was in the position at this time, to buy a larger print.

The card will recieve an honored placement.in this tentative abode I'm now, living in


Let's consider this purchase as, "Priming the Pump"

I'm sure more sales will follow.

Thanks for your creativity.( Artistic Eye)

that robin image is indeed a nice one, i like it.

also this one, i think it is gorgeous:


but i do agree with the comment about losing the description phrase "beautiful photo"... write more descriptions that stir people's imagination.

and I want to encourage you to stay positive, to believe in your success and wonderful new ideas coming your way, Danielle.