Selling Fine Art on Etsy. What I've learned the last two years!

It was two years ago today that I had my first sale on Etsy, this beautiful original drawing to a client in New York.

I was SO thrilled! My shop had been open for just about a month.  In that first month, I spent a lot of time in the Etsy Forums, reading advice and meeting fellow sellers.  At that point, the only way I was promoting my shop was thru the forums and renewing. 

I also followed the excellent advice of several veteran sellers and built up my feedback.   I did this a couple of different ways.  My favorite way was buying some awesome products from other Etsy sellers and trading with a couple of sellers as well.  If you are interested in trading, check out the list of Etsy Teams for those focused on Trading.  Buying and trading helped me in so many ways beyond feedback as well.

I traded prints with a fellow artist in Canada.  That was a very valuable lesson in shipping to Canada.  First of all, I used UPS, which was a HUGE mistake.  They wanted over $20 in fees on an $18 print (that they didn't tell me about) that they were going to charge the recipient upon delivery.  She refused the shipment, sent me a very kind note explaining why, and I retrieved the package from UPS.  Then I went to the US Post Office and learned about International shipping and filling out customs forms.  (There is also a great thread in the forums that covers international shipping)  I re-sent the package and our trade was a success!  I was so glad that I had that experience with an understanding and experienced fellow seller.

I also traded with some artists here in the states.  At this point, I was shipping my 8 1/2" x 11"  prints matted to 11" x 14".  One artist let me know that even though I had stamped the package "DO NOT BEND", her print arrived folded in half.  *sigh* VERY frustrating!  But that experience led me to seek out a better way of safely shipping my prints.  I ordered no bend mailers from Uline and stopped shipping with matting  - just the print and extra cardboard inside a clear envelope, tucked safely inside the mailer.   So far...no prints have been damaged!

I also joined several Etsy teams that focused on Visual Art.  This was a wonderful way to network with fellow artists, get my Art included in team treasuries, and learn the ins-and-outs of selling Art on-line. 

As I continued to sell, I followed the advice in the forums and started a blog, a Twitter account, and a Facebook page.  Twitter had kind of a "golden age" right before it got HUGE (I blame Ashton and Oprah!) where I really got to know several Clients and Etsy sellers.  I had several Original Art sales the first 6 months I was on Twitter.  I still think Twitter is great for my business.  I have connected with Interior Designers, fellow artists, local media, etc.  It does seem, like most social media platforms these days, that you need to post 4 times as much as you did just a year ago in order to be seen, while still remaining SOCIAL and not spammy.  As with anything - you will only get out of it what you put into it!  So decide what's the best network for your work, and your time!

One of the greatest boosts for my business came from my participation in the Storque.  Writing articles about my success on Twitter and my life as an Artist led so many new friends and clients to my work.   I know your next question...but how do you GET in the storque?!?! My best advice - write about what interests you on your blog or another platform, or start an interesting topic in Etsy's forum.  Etsy's administration and blog content team is watching.  They will connect with you if your story and advice is beneficial to the Etsy community.

So that's what's worked for me so far as I sell my Fine Art on Etsy!  A few things that I've learned that don't work for me..

1.  Creating what I think people "want", not what I feel compelled to create.  These pieces don't sell!  If I put my heart into my work, that's what sells.

2.  So far, expensive Blog advertising hasn't worked for me.  I have found that renewing and listing new work is the best way to make sales and remain "seen" on Etsy.  For more on blog advertising, check out this thread in Etsy's forum.  With any endeavor, there will be some trial and error.  Be prepared to try new things and see what works for you! 

3.  Thinking that you can sit back and relax when you are "on a roll".  Sometimes there are several great weeks, or even months, in a row of steady sales, and I'll sit back and think "I'm on a roll! I can relax a little bit."  You may be able to scale back your renewing budget a bit or spend more time in your studio than on your computer, but make an effort to promote a little bit every day.  You want that roll to keep going! Not come to a halt :)

4.  Trying every new venue for selling that pops up.  It seems that there is a new venue for selling on-line almost every week.  I've tried a couple of these, and for me, it just doesn't work.  Selling one Original Drawing on three different venues just doesn't make sense!  Etsy has more traffic and viewers than any other venue.  If you have a product that you can make tenfold, then perhaps, yes, having your work in several places is beneficial (soap, jewelry, make-up, etc.)  But as an Artist who sells a lot of one-of-a-kind pieces, I have discovered one thing that helps me sell more work - Create New Work!  And the more sites/shops I have to maintain, the less time I have in my studio.  So I found the best use of my time is one great shop on Etsy, and then CREATE new work the rest of the time!

I hope you found my experiences helpful.  I have SO enjoyed selling my Art on-line these last two years.  I love that I have sold Original Art from coast to coast in the US, numerous clients across Canada, and almost a dozen different countries around the globe.  I receive kind e-mails and notes from people who love my work or get inspired by my blog, which is so flattering and really boosts my soul!  I feel very lucky to be doing what I love.

Twitter success story...a follow-up to the Etsy article, Part 2

Let's keep chatting, shall we?  So you've decided to focus on your strongest body of work, you've started to connect with members of the Twitter community with like-minded interests, and now you are ready to build on those relationships!

Build Relationships


Answer questions, compliment a blog post or new piece, try and take an interest in what they are talking about. Of course you cannot do this with everyone, but what’s great about Twitter is you can do this quickly with several people each time you log in. And who knows if your interest in them will lead to an interest in you, and your work?

Think about how you build relationships in the real world.  It starts with a handshake, the simple questions of "what do you do?" "where are you from?" "where did you go to school?" etc.  On Twitter, it's just that simple, too! 

I find that a lot of what I post on Twitter are those little moments that are funny...at that moment (like about 1/2 an hour ago when I cut open a bag of green onions, only to realize, upon turning the bag over, it had a zip-lock seal on the other end...sigh)  But then other tweeters respond and I can laugh at myself and move on to the next thing!

If you are following people in a field you want to break into, be sure and respond to or re-tweet their interesting posts.  For example, if there is a blogger who you would LOVE to feature your work on their blog, pay attention to their current projects and show an interest in what they write.

Not everyone will write you back, but don't fret, and don't take it personally.  Sometimes they may mark your tweet and respond to it later, or may remember your name the 2nd or 3rd or 97th time you tweet back to them (remember - there's a fine line between friend and stalker) and then take a moment to really check out who you are and what you do.

Build on Your Success


Don’t be shy! Brag about yourself a little! Did you sell a big piece? Let us know! Did you finally master a new technique? Tell me how! Get into a major juried show? Awesome! I once had a fellow artist tweet to me, “You are always so positive about your art. I can’t do that with my own work!” To which I replied, ”Well if I don’t like it, who will?”

I am a firm believer in "Shameless Self-Promotion".  Well, maybe shameless is the wrong word...dilligent? aggressive? Maybe...but seriously! - we need to be our own best advocate for our work!  If you are a memebr of a gallery - awesome! Great! Your work should be there.  But the gallery owner will not ALWAYS push your work over another artist to a buyer. 

I spent a lot of time selling my art directly to buyers IN PERSON - at gallery shows and outdoor art shows as well.  I know the questions potential clients will ask, I know what questions to ask them about their needs, I know how to SELL my Art. 

Be positive about your work, show that you believe in what you are doing.

And then, when you have a great sale or story...let's hear it!  When my work was selected for a new frame collection in Restoration Hardware, I wrote about it - and got additional sales from it - because people who saw the work searched the web for "Restoration Hardware Art" and found my blog post.  Had I not said anything...I could not have built on that success.

***If you have any other questions, or some great tips on using Twitter - or a Twitter success story - I hope you share it here in the comments!***

I'd like to introduce you to another favorite Etsy artist, a great example of an Artist at Work!  Victoria Webb, also known as FuriousDreams.  We have chatted so many times, and share many of the same views on Art and Selling, and I hope you take a moment to visit her amazing shop!

Twitter Success Story...a follow-up to the Etsy Blog Article

I had the great pleasure of contributing an article to the very popular Etsy Blog about my experiences on Twitter.  The article focused on how my painting, "Guarded", ended up as the cover of Laura Mercurio Ebohon's Poetry Book, "If I look Inside".

First of all...let me say how humbled and moved I am by all of the incredibly kind comments that were left on the blog post.  I am so thrilled that people are being inspired by our story.  I love the comment from heidiburton


'I think Kristina's figure paintings are absolutely beautiful & full of expression - perfect for the cover of a poetry book.

"If you focus your efforts and always put your best work in the right light, you will see results." <--- so true.'

I was also so overwhelmed by all of the nice convos (e-mails) from fellow Etsy sellers, some who are old friends and some who are new, sharing their own stories, and also asking for some advice! So I will do my best to elaborate a bit on what I mentioned in the Etsy article, and hopefully some of these tips will work for you!

Focus

I create art in a variety of media and even a variety of subject matters, but my strongest pieces are my figurative works. So I focus my blog posts and the links I post on Twitter on my latest figure drawings and paintings, figurative art techniques, and figurative artists who inspire me. The biggest success stories I have from selling online all center around my figurative art.

I think this is very important, and a subject that is brought up in Etsy's forum often - "Should I mix my jewelry and photography? Should I sell my soaps and paintings in the same shop?"  There is no problem exploring multiple medias, different techniques, and various ways of expressing yourself.  I believe, though, that when you present a unified body of work, everything looks stronger, and your expertise in that area shines thru.

Connecting

Seek out others who share your interests. Grow your sphere of influence by paying attention to who other tweeple are following. Are you a visual artist? You should follow galleries, interior designers, and other artists. Do you make luscious soaps? Follow boutique owners, spas and resorts. Design incredible jewelry? Follow fashion blogs, wedding coordinators, and style divas.

(Don’t forget to seek out tweeple in your home state and city as well!)

For Twitter, this is KEY.  When I first joined Twitter, I started out by following fellow Etsy sellers that posted their ID's in various forum threads.  As I started to read posts and respond, I followed who other Etsy sellers were chatting with and so on.  As I continued to think about "Who do I want to SEE my work?" I hunted for different phrases mentioned within tweets "art supplies", "gallery", "bought painting". etc.  I was looking for Tweeters who were talking about what I was selling!

There are other great ways to find quality people to follow.  For example, Decor8 has a very popular blog about Style and Design and a large following on Twitter - but she only follows about 10% of the people who follow her - she's following the ones SHE finds most interesting, and probably a lot of people I want to follow, too! SO I check out who she is following and add it to my list.

Start thinking about "who would want to see my work? who would be looking for the perfect custom necklace? who needs a perfect baby shower gift?" and start searching for those people. 

LOCATION, LOCATION,LOCATION

On Twitter AND on Etsy, don't forget to tell people WHERE you are.  I have met many fellow Artists in my area and had some great commission work come my way from people looking for Artists close by.  Search for people talking about your home town or a big city nearby, the college you went to, etc.

I have more to add...but feel as though I am getting long-winded...so I will continue in the next post!

I do want to add a link to one of my favorite fellow Artists Robin Pedrero. On Etsy, Twitter, and Facebook she is one of the warmest, kindest, and most talented Artists I have met.  It seems like she knows each of her followers personally.  But she also remembers to do two very important things as an artist - she is continually making new work and SHOWING her work in Galleries and shows.    I hope you follow her, too!

I will keep posting more tips and more of my favorite artists that you should be following :)

My "Guarded" painting on a poetry book cover

A few months back I told you about a chance encounter on Twitter between myself and a very talented poet in Italy.  Just recently I recieved a copy of Laura Mercurio Ebohon's book, "If I look Inside".  It was a surreal moment to hold it in my hands, to see one of my favorite paintings reproduced on the cover.

But the experience only became richer as I opened the book and started to read her words and absorb her true talent.  I admit, I never sought out poetry, I don't have a favorite poet or read poetry in my leisure.  Her poetry, however, her words and phrases are so meaningful and raw and speak to me in so many ways.  I conected with it in a way I never had with poetry before.

(I hesitate to quote any poems here, I feel that Laura should do that.)

Well I was GOING to try and post a picture of myself reading the book...but there were many flaws in that plan.  The major one being my 5 yr old who insisted on touching my camera every time I set the timer and walked away...so why fight it? I just let him be my model :) 

I think he is a better model anyway :)

If you are interested in learning more about Laura's poetry, I hope you check out her website.  If you are interested in purchasing her wonderful book, you can find it below.  The poems are written in Italian and English.

Book available at http://www.deastore.com/


www.ibs.it and all Italian Book stores distributed by Mursia

Or by email: ordini@ilfiloonline.it
 
If you are interested in a print of the cover art, "Guarded", you can find it in my Fine Art on Etsy shop.

Artists who Tweet. The new Art communtiy on Twitter.

In case you haven't noticed, Twitter has been getting a lot of attention these last few months.  Oprah.  Larry King.  Basically any celebrity, A-list, B-list, TV personality, or otherwise has a Twitter account.  They sell their CD's, they promote their shows, they spill way to much info about their personal lives. 

But their are also those of us who are finding Twitter to be a wonderful way to connect with a huge array of people with similar interests, hobbies, or other common characteristics.  One of my favorite groups to connect with is fellow artists.

Artists, like myself, are finding Twitter to be a great way to share new work, discuss techniques, get feedback on on-line selling venues, find out about shows and competitions, and in general connect with other artists who are doing their best to share their work with the world.

Twitter has, however, been starting to become over-loaded with spammers and computer robots that fill the otherwise friendly banter with virus links and other land-mines.  It's becoming more difficult to find REAL people on Twitter to connect with.  So I'm inviting anyone who is on Twitter - REAL people who are on Twitter - who are interested in Art, Galleries, Museums, or similarly minded topics to post here.  I would love to get to know you on Twitter!

And hopefully, you will join in the conversation with others who post here, too!

I am http://twitter.com/krystyna81

PS...I monitor comments, so don't panic if it doesn't show up right away - thanks :)