The Parting: Marketing Art

Personal paintings become a part of the artist by guiding one’s creative path. And like good friends, artwork can be difficult to say good-bye to when we decide to release our art into the marketplace. 

Sometimes this is because of sentimental reasons. For example, this watercolor my sister and I created reminds us of those family camping trips we enjoyed as children and then provided for our own kids. Whenever I look at this painting and read the poem, I’m reminded to savor every moment I have with my children and grandchildren because the years pass by so quickly. Although I couldn’t bring myself to part with the original, I’ve found a way to share the art and message via Zazzle products like this one below:

I also sell other items on my Zazzle store, https://www.zazzle.com/store/jodeeluna, that have images of my paintings and photography, such as greeting cards, posters, and coffee mugs.

I well remember when people started asking me whether they could buy originals of my paintings. This was something I’d always hoped would happen because of the assurance that my art was inspiring others. Yet, I discovered that I wasn’t quite ready to part with my paintings. Maybe it was because each painting had a story behind it that made it especially meaningful to me. Each painting was part of my process through life. So when I thought about parting with a painting, it felt as if I was saying good-bye to a close friend.

My former boss, Krista, helped me to process my feelings and realize that by selling my art, I was giving the gift of creativity to others. She ended up buying “The Great Affair.”

Perhaps letting go of one’s art is a part of a newbie’s process of becoming an artist, but I highly suspect that other artists also struggle with the parting to some degree.

I know my daughter, Elya, will sell just about anything she’s painted except for her beloved Paisley.

My sister tends to give her paintings to family members so she knows they’ve gone to a good home.  She gave this landscape to my husband and I as a house-warming gift because I always drooled over it when I visited her.

Yet the further along Gina progressed in her artistic journey, the more she listed for sale on her website, https://ginamariewilson.wordpress.com. Hmmm…..

Because I’ve struggled with the parting, I looked into some alternatives for selling reproductions of my paintings and decided upon Fine Art America.

I came across Fine Art America through tracing Pinterest favorites back to their original websites. In order to do this, I had to find a professional art photographer to take high-resolution photos. I found https://www.visualartsimaging.com. The quality of the photography and digital images is amazing! I highly recommend this professional service.

Taking my paintings from art room to marketplace has also included creating a Facebook Page and other social media platforms to showcase my work.

Connect with me around the web:

YouTube Channel: JoDee Luna
Creativity Website: https://refrainfromtheidentical.com
Fine Art America Shop: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jodee-luna/shop
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RefrainFromTheIdentical/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoDeeLuna
Book on Amazon

I can’t say enough about the positive benefits I’ve discovered by pushing past my fears to bring my art into the marketplace. For me, it’s not about achieving perfection, growing in notoriety, or making lots of money. It’s about having the courage to say, “I am an artist, and I have creativity to share with the world!”

I’d love to hear from other painters out there. How do you reconcile the parting?