How to Become More Confident in Your Photography By Selling Your Work
After about a year of actively putting prints out for sale, I’ve learned many things. One of my hang-ups used to be centered around the idea of selling my work. Beyond more than just having the confidence to put my stuff for sale, I was worried about many things. There was a bit of an altruistic hope I once had that if I created “art”, it had to be for the sake of it. This led me to think that for some reason I wasn’t allowed to profit from my creations. I also had poor beliefs centered around pricing - as if putting a price on the art made it worth less than my attachment towards the piece. Moreover, I didn’t realize the potential beneficial feelings of empowerment that comes when someone purchases something you’ve created.
So, today is all about that. The hurdles I faced when working up to selling my photography prints and how you can overcome them yourself. Hopefully this can help anyone out there who may be scared to sell their work.
It’s Not Disingenuous
This was a big one for me. Between philosophical and ethical preconceptions of what I thought art was and what art “should” mean, I once thought that art had to be “pure”. And that for some reason adding a price tag makes it impure - as if money becomes a stain on the things you create. I had to change my framework around this mentality to really take the next step. And that was first by realizing that: it’s not disingenuous to sell your art.
First of all, realize that money isn’t bad. Money and currency is a natural phenomenon of human culture - it pays for the food we eat and the roof over our heads. There’s nothing wrong with money. Money allows us to survive and do perhaps the thing that matters the most - creating more art.
Therefore, creating and selling your work is not disingenuous to the work. I believe art is meant to be shared. To be made and hung on people’s walls or in their rooms such that it can be on ful display - in it’s brightest glory. It’s not meant to sit and rot inside your room or on your hard drives. That seems more disingenuous to me.
By selling your work you are sharing your work.
And you’re giving the customer a chance to compensate you for your troubles such that you can create more. Understand this, and you’ll feel less bad about sending your art out there. By keeping it in, you are holding it back from reaching its fullest potential.
It Will Not Devalue Your Art
Second, understand that your art is not so different from another “product” or “good”. This one was a difficult hurdle since, as artists we tend to place a higher value on our own work. Because we created it, it’s special to us. And because it’s special to us, it holds a higher value to us than the few dollars in a customer’s hand.
This is a cognitive fallacy in itself. To another person who’s willing to pay for your art or “product”, it’s not as special to them as it is to you. For them it is what it is: something nice to hang on their walls. Still, they may find it neat and beautiful - which may be compliment enough.
But understand that the amount you sell your pieces for are not connected to the actual value of the piece. What’s 20$ to 100$ to 1000$? The actual value of your work is captured amongst folks’ expressions as they see the images in other room and ask, “Wow, where’d you get this?” The actual value lies in its beauty and capability to add to someone’s environment whether large or small.
And if you’re still fixated on the number, just set it higher.
It Can Encourage You to Do More
Getting my first sale was a big thing for me. Granted, it was cheap - much cheaper than I’d price it if I rereleased it today. But my first customer gave me all the reinforcement I needed in the world - confirmation that someone was willing to pay for my stuff. Every sale in consequent felt good, but not nearly as good as the first one - even if they sold for twice or three times as much.
So I think my misunderstanding lay in thinking that that would be it. That I wouldn’t have more and I could only sell a few in my lifetime. But as I continued to work and add prints to the shop, I realized that it’s something one could do endlessly. And I enjoyed it. It feels nice to make a sale and it encourages me to do more.
And sometimes that’s all you need as an artist.
