Taking Responsibility for Your Sales

Taking responsibility for your art sales is the difference between learning how to make more art sales and feeling confused about how to make money in your art business.

If you are telling yourself that the sales you made at your last show don’t count because they were to friends or family.

Or a fluke because you sold to a collector who already has a lot of your work.

Or luck because you happened to have a piece that was the exact size and color a new collector was looking for to go above their fireplace…

You aren’t taking responsibility for your sales.

You are giving credit to things outside of you for the money made in your business…

Instead of taking credit for how you made the sale happen.

And when you do that, you don’t learn how to do more of that, and you miss out on the knowledge and confidence that come from knowing that you know exactly how to sell your work and make money in your art business.

Every single sale you make is a result of a series of actions that YOU take that create value for your collector.

You made the work.

You applied to the show.

You sent the emails.

You posted on social.

You ordered the business cards.

You printed the labels, and bios, and guest book.

You managed your mind.

You packed your van.

You drove to the show.

You ate healthy food and stay hydrated.  

You hung your work.

You shared your story.

You listened to their story.

You answered their questions.

You helped them with their objections.

And you sold the work.

Taking the time to identify specifically how you created that sale will help you make more sales.

Instead of brushing it off, calling it luck and creating confusion about what it actually takes to sell your work.

Use these prompts the next time you sell a piece…

When I trace my steps backwards, I can see that these are all the things I did to create this sale.

When I did this______________________, it created this result _______________, and I want to do more of that in the future by doing this______________________________.

When you take the time to find how you created a desirable result, you build your entrepreneurial muscle. 💪

Just like when you learned how to make your art….you figured out what you liked and didn’t like and you made creative decisions based on how the work turned out.

Every sale you make in your art business is a direct result of who you are being and the actions that you take.

Take the time to find out how you did it.

Celebrate it.

Evaluate.

And then go out there and do more of what is working with intention and confidence, knowing that you know how to sell work.  

Stop giving credit away to other people and things...

and start taking responsibility for your success.