The Hard Truth About Selling Your Art (No One Tells You This)
Selling your art sounds like a dream, right? You make cool stuff, people buy it, and you live happily ever after. Except… nope. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Why isn’t my art selling?!” then you’re in the right place.
🚨 Tough love warning: This isn’t a feel-good pep talk. If you want to turn your art into a business, you need more than talent, you a need strategy. And if you’re making these common mistakes, you’re making things way harder on yourself than they need to be.
Let’s talk about the biggest mistakes artists make when trying to sell their work, and most importantly, how to fix them.
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1. Consistency Is Key (And Most Artists Ignore It)
You don’t get to just show up when you feel like it and expect people to buy your art. That’s like expecting a coffee shop to be open only when the owner wakes up in a good mood.
People need to know when they can find you.
A common mistake? Artists post randomly, than wonder why no one engages with their work. If your audience never knows when to expect you, they will forget you exist—and that’s the last thing you want.
How to fix it:
Pick a posting schedule you can realistically stick to. It doesn’t have to be daily, but it needs to be consistent.
If marketing feels overwhelming, focus on what you love most—your art. Let that be your foundation and build a system around it.
If you hate planning, get a tool (or a planner—more on that later) that helps you stay organized without sucking the joy out of creating.
2. Complaining About Platforms Won’t Fix Your Reach
“Instagram hates me.”
“The algorithm is ruining my engagement.”
“Maybe I should just start over on a new platform.”
Listen. Your content isn’t going to magically perform better just because you’re on a different platform.
One of the hardest parts of growing online is getting your first 100 followers. Why would you start over and make that process harder for yourself? Unless your account has been shadowbanned or flagged multiple times, the best thing you can do is stick with your platform and improve your content strategy.
How to fix it:
Post consistently—yes, this again! Your audience needs to see you regularly.
Engage with your community. Comment, respond to DMs, and show up for your followers.
If your reach has dropped, experiment with new formats. Short-form video is king right now—are you using it?
3. “I Only Want to Make Art” (Cool, But…)
Totally valid. If you only want to make art and never market or sell anything—go for it! But if you want to build a business, you need to accept that making art and selling art are two different skill sets.
Do you think Michelangelo woke up one day and thought, “You know what? I’m gonna spend four years painting this ceiling… just for fun.” No. That man had a contract. He got paid.
If marketing feels overwhelming, start small. You don’t have to do everything all at once, but you do have to do something.
How to fix it:
Post once a week. Write one email a month. Do something to promote yourself.
If marketing isn’t your thing, outsource it when you can afford to.
Remember: People can’t buy your art if they don’t know it exists.
4. Social Media Will Keep Changing (Get Over It)
Artists LOVE evolving their style, but the moment Instagram moves one button, it’s pure chaos.
“They changed the feed! They changed the algorithm! Everything is ruined!!”
Deep breath.
You don’t own Instagram, TikTok, or any of these platforms. They are free tools—they owe you nothing.
Complaining about social media updates is like yelling at Photoshop because they moved a toolbar. It’s annoying. But you’ll survive.
How to fix it:
Adapt or outsource. The people who succeed are the ones who learn to roll with the changes.
Stop relying on social media alone—own your audience (hint: email list!).
If you’re exhausted trying to keep up, pick ONE platform and focus your energy there.
5. Don’t Quit Your Day Job After One Viral Post
We’ve all been there. You go viral and think, “THIS IS IT! I’M QUITTING MY JOB!!!”
And then… the next day? Crickets.
Likes, shares, and comments do not equal money. A viral post is NOT a business plan.
Before you quit your job, ask yourself:
Am I making a livable, consistent income?
Can I sustain this long-term?
Do I have multiple revenue streams, or am I relying on random sales?
If you can’t confidently answer “yes” to all of these, keep your job while you build your art business on the side. Make the leap when you know you won’t fall flat on your face.
6. Build an Email List (Seriously, Do It Now)
Social media is borrowed land. You don’t own it. TikTok could disappear tomorrow. Instagram could randomly delete your account. And then what?
You know what won’t disappear? Your email list.
Even if you only have 10 subscribers, those are 10 people who actually care about your work. And the best part? You can turn those subscribers into buyers—without relying on algorithms.
If you don’t know where to start, I’ve got you. Sign up for my newsletter and get a free audio course on how to build your own passive income sales funnel through email—so you can make money while actually enjoying your art.
Ready to Actually Stay Consistent? Here’s How
The best way to build consistency? Planning.
That’s why I made The Artisan Reset Planner a workbook designed to help artists like you finally take control of their art business.
It’s a workbook with real homework assignments to help you:
Figure out what’s making you money
Create a sustainable content plan
Get organized WITHOUT getting overwhelmed
Selling art is work, but if you’re willing to show up, be consistent, and plan, so you can make it happen.
What’s been the hardest part of selling your art? Let me know in the comments! I want to hear your struggles (so we can suffer together).
