Need advice from working Artists?

[Ray T]

Meaning people who sell their work for a living. Painters, sculptors, etc.-

In you're experience is it better to go directly to New York and work on getting your art out there or is it better to stay in your home city and gain exposure there?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Knowl...2350572533

[avacado pie]

Stay in your home city first, then gain influence in your state, then go to New York. What galleries and collectors (and museums) in New York want to see is that you are established and respected and "vouched for," so to speak, by critics and by awards you have received. You could go to New York and apply to galleries that support emerging artists, but there you will have incredibly fierce competition, and I don't recommend it.

If you stay in your hometown and create a solid foundation of collectors, relationships with galleries, participation in juried shows, and a good amount of exposure in the press, and then expand that to a statewide influence, New York will see much more incentive to welcome you.

[Blue Green]

It is easier to stay in your hometown to gain exposure. The following tips will help you:

1. Buy the book, 2011 Artist's And Graphic Designer's Market by Mary Burzlaff Bostic at Amazon website or check out this book's official website called ArtistsMarketOnline. This book has been in print since 1975 and is considered a complete resource for artists. This book is updated every year to include the current contact and submission information for tons of places, such as greeting card companies, publishers, art fairs, art galleries, and more. It will tell you how and where to sell your artwork.

2. Buy the book, Legal Guide For The Visual Artist by Tad Crawford at Amazon website (fifth edition, published 2010). This book gives in-depth information on legal issues facing artists such as copyright, artist-gallery relationships, legal forms, contracts, leases, licensing, sales, taxes, how to find professional advisers/attorneys, how to negotiate, and much more!

3. Get a website to display your artwork. When you are talking to people and the subject of art comes up, they are going to want to see it. Plus, people always surf the internet looking for artists, so by getting a website you increase your chances of someone finding your art. Pay for a website address through Go Daddy, Yahoo Small Business, or another web hosting company. Google search "web hosting" to find more providers. ELECTRONIC COMMERCE or E-commerce is an extra feature that you can buy from your web host. E-commerce allows you to sell things on your website. Or you can display your art on a free blog website such as Blogger, WordPress Free Blog, Tumblr while you sell your art on Ebay or Etsy. Display and sell your art on a free website such as Artist Rising, ArtSpan, Artid, CafePress, Deviant Art, Fine Art America, ImageKind, Qoop, RedBubble, Zazzle.

If you are paying for your own website address (domain name), you can learn "search engine optimization", which is the process of improving the visibility of a website in search engines. If your website is ranked high in search results, it will more than likely get alot of visitors. Google search the words "search engine optimization" for more information or buy a book on the subject at Amazon website.

4. Open an account on photo sharing or video sharing websites (YouTube, Flickr, etc.) that gets high volumes of traffic everyday! You only need to post a FEW of your BEST artworks on these sites. The goal is to remain active by posting comments on these sites to get more exposure! If you post comments on other people's pictures or videos, they will more than likely check out your account as well. After each comment, type your name, Example: John Doe, Watercolor Artist. Also, use as MANY tags as possible so your photos/videos can be found by alot of people! Use a picture of your BEST ARTWORK as your AVATAR because people will generally click on awesome artwork first instead of a picture of yourself. You can't state that you sell artwork on these sites because they generally don't allow commercialism, so simply type your email address or website address under your profile, so people can contact you directly about your artwork.