7 Important Habits to Build a Successful Fine Art Business

Hello my art friends,

Let’s talk about habits. Specifically the habits I’ve found to be most important in helping me build a successful fine art business. I narrowed it down to seven. And stick with me, because the last habit is probably the one you need to hear most and you might not like it. That’s my disclaimer.

So let’s talk about these habits for a second. Each of these comes from my personal experience and evolved because I was hitting some sort of roadblock that once I started them, things started zooming along again. My hope is that by sharing them with you, you can avoid some of that pain and frustration in your own journey.

1) Build in time for experimentation in your art practice.

It is so easy once you start focusing on the business side of things to turn your art practice into something that feels more like a production line. And that act of production, that’s going to happen no matter what as you master your craft. So you need to purposefully build in time to get back to playing with art. That will not only help to make your art better, but it will keep your creative spirit alive.

2) Set business goals regularly and work toward them every day.

I go deep into planning and scheduling in my Palette to Profit program because this is something that took me a while to really master and it makes such a difference. Being able to first figure out what you want from your business, then break down those dreams into what you need to do today, is huge in being able to make steady progress to your own version of success.

3) Talk to other artists.

I particularly love this one because it has opened up new worlds for me. At first you might not know many other artists who are building businesses so this can feel hard. You may need to join some artist groups or classes, or do some online education where you actually get to interact with your peers. Being a professional artist can be very isolating, so building up these relationships with other artists will not only give you a peer group to bounce ideas off of, but a real network of support on what can be a bumpy road.

4) Always be learning.

There is so much to learn in this art business whether it's design skills, social media skills, or personal development skills. I’m always learning something new. The form that education takes can really differ. Sometimes it's as simple as reading a book or doing some online research if it's a very specific skill I need. Sometimes, it means enrolling in an online course or participating in a mastermind. In any given year I spend a lot of time and money on learning new skills, and it's a habit and an investment in yourself that I highly recommend.

5) Stop looking at what other artists are up to.

This habit in particular is actually a bit of an undoing of another bad habit a lot of folks have. I know myself and I know that when I scroll through social media and see all the other amazing artists out there, I start to doubt myself and wonder if there’s even room for me to be successful as an artist. Which another part of me knows is an absurd thought because I’m already experiencing that success. But our brains work so hard to try to keep us safe from risk by thinking this way. So the answer is to be purposeful when consuming social media and the work of other artists and break the habit of just scrolling endlessly.

6) Create time every day for your brain to breathe.

This can look different for everyone. So whether it's an actual meditation practice, a walk outside by yourself without music or a podcast, journaling, or just sitting in your favorite spot with a cup of tea, taking a break will do wonders for your mental health. I personally use a mix of all these practices and find this downtime for my brain is so calming and restorative and so needed to be able to do the brainwork needed when running your own business.

7) Be bold, be brave.

OK. We’ve made it to the final habit, the one you might not want to hear and that is to get brave. Over and over again. Get brave in your art making. Get brave in sharing it. Get brave in reaching out to people you want to work with or mentors you’d love to have. Get brave putting yourself out there and make it a habit.

It’s going to be uncomfortable. I won’t lie about that. But somehow when you do it more and more, you get used to that uncomfortable feeling and recognize it as a sign that you are moving toward your dreams. And then it's still uncomfortable, but easier to handle. Just this one habit will do so much for your business. It is worth it.

And that’s it my friends. Hopefully you’re feeling inspired to put a few of these habits into practice. Until next time.

All my best,

Jennifer