 A question I hear all the time goes something like this, "Matt, how do I start charging more for my work? I seem to be around a lot of people that don't want to pay anything for what I create."
I always answer with, "Listen, that's really not your issue. That's their issue. You're just in front of the wrong people." This of course leads to the obvious follow up question, “Well then, who ARE the right people and how do I get them to pay me what my art is really worth?” I remember hearing years ago that the price for anything - your time, your artwork, any business that you have - is really based on two things:
And it's this second point that I want to focus on for a minute. The difficulty your clients or potential clients will have in replacing you - what you do and the way you do it - really points to the whole idea of uniqueness in the marketplace. Ask yourself a few questions, and be honest, like your art depends upon it:
Over the years as I would think about increasing my prices, I would take a look at other artists who were able to really get top dollar for their work in order to learn their secrets. And the one common denominator I saw in play every time was uniqueness. Uniqueness for Artists is a Two-Sided Coin Artistic uniqueness is comprised of many factors, but in the end you can break it down into two major categories. The first of course being the individuality that you express through your art, but the second layer of uniqueness that seems to key for so many successful, thriving artists is the depth of connection you cultivate with your potential audience. You see, the more people know, like, and trust you, the more they're willing to let price be one of the least important factors when determining a potential purchase. Unique artwork left on a shelf in a store will eventually sell, but unique artwork combined with a personal relationship with the artist turns an art buyer into an art lover and art lovers into raving fans of your work. That's where selling art and being an artist becomes really, really fun. And this way of bringing together my artistic uniqueness, combined with a personal relationship with my clients keeps me free from the never-ending cycle of price wars played daily on Etsy and other similar websites. Sure, you can play the game of trying to put your art on as many online portals as possible in order to get the price down as low as possible with the hope of making it up on volume. If you are called to be a “production center” or an “art machine” then I say go for it. But for me and most of the successful artists that I’ve had the pleasure of mentoring, we long to create beautiful and meaningful works of original art that are appreciated and purchased by people who love us, like what we do, and are willing to invest in those relationships. This only happens when artistic uniqueness is intentionally connected with developing relationships with your clientele or potential clientele. So if you're struggling with trying to get people to pay top dollar for your creations, then I would encourage you do a little self-assessment:
The more you cultivate mastery, quality, uniqueness and relationship, the more you'll be able to raise your prices over time. And the best part is your clients will be glad to pay because they'll feel like they're getting something really special. Guess what? They are, YOU! I hope this has been a big encouragement to you. If this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend. Thanks for reading! For a detailed explanation of pricing artwork, check out my guide to How to Price Your Art: The Definitive Guide for Pricing Artwork for Visual Artists.
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 As an artist and a mentor to Christian artists all over the world, I love to answer questions! Recently on social media, Karen asked me “Matt, as an artist, how do I transition from basically copying the work of artists I admire into a place where I’m actually developing my own voice as an artist?”
This is such a great question and one that I hear often. Over the years I’ve come to understand that if you want to thrive as an artist, then you have to embrace and develop the uniqueness that God has planted on the inside of you. Three Stages of Development for Christian Artists All thriving artists grow and develop their talent, skill, and voice over time. It’s rarely, if ever, an instant process. Most often this artistic journey progresses through three distinct stages: Awareness, Awakening and Autonomy. Awareness is the first stage of this journey. It is in the Awareness stage that you’re starting to understand and embrace the things that inspire you artistically. It’s a journey of discovery, where you discover for yourself the new and uncharted shores of creativity, style, and technique that are just begging to be explored. Awareness is where you begin to wake up to all the possibilities that are out there for you creatively. And over time, as you begin to process through all of the artistic options, a transformation begins to take place as your artistic voice begins to awaken. It’s in this Awakening phase of your journey that you begin to gravitate towards a style, an aesthetic, and a creative medium that starts to define who you are artistically. And with that kernel of creative focus, mastery begins to develop. As you narrow your creative focus, your skill begins to mature, and you start expressing your talent in ways beyond the mere emulation of artists you admire. It's during this Awakening phase that the words of your unique creative language begin to form, and your artistic voice begins to emerge. As you move from Awareness through Awakening, you eventually arrive in an artistic place I call Autonomy. This is where all the inspiration you’ve absorbed combined with your creative faithfulness and dedication coalesce into a fully formed artistic voice that is uniquely your own. Now I know some of you are thinking, ‘this place doesn’t exist for me,’ or “I’ll run out of steam long before reaching this creative promised land.’ If this is you, I want to give you four steps that will help you today no matter where you are in your journey as an artist who loves Jesus. Step One: Cultivate Inspiration “I don't have any inspiration. I get to the studio and I don't know what to do.” Every time I hear this, it’s a telltale sign that they are not cultivating inspiration in their life. “So Matt, how do I cultivate inspiration?” Immerse yourself in all things beautiful and creative. Read books, go to the movies, go hiking in the woods, visit a museum or an art studio. Worship, immerse yourself in God’s presence and turn your heart toward His. Surround yourself with images, songs, experiences and people that move your heart. And when you’re there in that space, feeling the inspiration starting to flow, learn to be a faithful steward of those experiences. Write it down in your journal, flip open to a fresh page in your sketchbook, do something that's going to preserve the moment and allow that inspiration to start marinating on the inside of you. Step Two: Develop a Studio Practice “But Matt, if I don’t have a studio, how can I develop a studio practice?” A studio practice is primarily a state of mind and an alignment of your priorities. The location where you create art, at home, in the shed, or in an art studio, is much less important than the conscious decision to regularly invest your time in the process and practice of creating, and that leads us to our next step. Step Three: Create A Lot of Work So many artists never find their unique voice because they don’t consistently create on a daily basis. I’m not talking about jumping into striving but I am encouraging consistency. Never underestimate the power of a doodle to cultivate inspiration and foster your talent. Nothing replaces experience when it comes to cultivating your talents as an artist. Experience is born from the intentional and consistent application of your artistic skills over time. There is no quick fix or shortcut to skill mastery. Step Four: Review, Refine, and Repeat “Review, refine, and repeat, what does that mean exactly?” That means when you create a piece of work, you need to look at it critically and ask yourself a few questions like: • What did I do in this piece that I loved? • What did I do in this piece that I don't love? • What could I have done better? • What could take this piece to the next level? You get the picture. This isn’t about beating yourself up or comparing yourself to other artists, this about raising the artistic bar for yourself. Then with the “Review” done, it’s time to “Refine”. Intentionally make note of what you’ll keep, what you’ll change, and what you’ll try in your next piece. Then create that piece and “Repeat” the process. Eventually you may consider inviting others into this process, people whose artistic opinions you trust. Ask them to speak into your creative process. Now I know that sounds scary, but this process, overtime, will cultivate and strengthen your skills and talents while at the same time giving you the time to develop and express your artistic uniqueness to the world. I hope this has been a big encouragement to you. If this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend. Thanks for reading!  I get this question quite a bit, "what in the world does being an artist and creating art have to do with the Great Commission?” Or better yet, “What does art have to do with savin' souls and seein' people come to Jesus?” These sorts of questions always seem to highlight a lack of understanding about what it means to walk in the fullness of God’s Kingdom.
Another way to approach this question would be like this, "Do we all have to look, act, and do Kingdom life in exactly the same way to be effective for God?" Well, I’m happy to say that the answer would be a resounding “no”. All of us are in this beautiful symbiotic relationship as the body of Christ. A relationship where each one of us brings a different and unique expression of God not only to each other but also to the marketplace, as well as to the whole world. It’s through our uniqueness, the way God created us, that God chooses to use us as He touches and interacts with people in beautiful and life-changing ways. This is the way the Kingdom was designed to work. We are not the ministers of a come-and-see gospel, but rather the ambassadors of a go-and-tell movement that God put inside of us by the power of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus died, He didn't just die just for your sins; He died to restore you into the fullness of the Kingdom so that you could be everything that God designed you to be. And upon embracing that, God calls us to go forth to uniquely express His glory and His mercy and His love in the Earth. Maybe the real question needs to be, "What do I have to offer? What can I do uniquely in the Earth to reveal and release God's Kingdom so that other people who may never grace the door of a church, have a myriad of ways to experience the light and life and love of God?" Think about that for a second, because when everybody does that - business people and teachers, people in government and even artists - we ALL fulfill the Great Commission. And the best part is we’ll be doing it while embracing the unique design and gifting God has placed within each of us. That is what art has to do with both the Kingdom and with the Great Commission. It’s us - you and I -using our God-given creative vision and talents to do our part in seeing billions and billions of people come into the harvest in our generation. I hope this has been a big, big encouragement to you. Take a moment right now to say, "God, thank you for making me uniquely who I am so that You can be glorified through me." Also, if this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend. Thanks for reading! |
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AuthorMatt Tommey is an artist, author and mentor who is passionate about empowering artists to thrive spiritually, artistically and in business. |
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