Balloons Don’t Work
Submitted by Ancient Artist: Developing an art career after 50
Every economic downturn sees the sprouting of balloons: balloons tethered to sidewalk signs, or floating from wires strung post to post. Balloons battered by breezes and the loss of helium, until, eventually, they fall flat. Like the current art market
Balloons don’t work. They don’t attract the consumer’s attention. They don’t drive business. Why? Because they’re passive. Just hanging out there, bouncing up and down in the breeze, hoping to have an effect on a consumer who doesn’t have the money or the confidence to buy right now.
The art market has seen such contractions before. It starts with a downward trend in the stock market, which bleeds into the major art auction houses as speculators and investors start liquidating major purchases. Soon the slowdown is felt in the major galleries, filtering down to those on Main Street as the entire economy droops.
Looking backward, one can generalize that the auction houses lag nine months behind the stock market. Which means any rebound will also lag, and be tempered with a new-found cautiousness when it comes to valuation for the work of living artists. It may be eighteen months to two years before demand for original artwork at all price points begins to rebound.
But you’re an artist. You have to create, can’t conceive your life without creating your art. What are the options? Besides putting out those balloons?
- Be cautious on how you spend your resources. Shipping to juried shows can become an unexpected burden when the acceptance letter includes the extra handling charge per box – over and above the pre-paid return shipping costs - you weren’t anticipating. Try to find out up front what costs might be involved.
- But do try to get your work out into as many venues as you can afford. The goal should be to have your work seen by as many people as possible. And don’t overlook your mailing list and quarterly postcards to let people know you’re still in the game.
- Network – if you can. Unfortunately, I’m not very good at it. I try to network with fellow artists in my local area, but right now everyone seems to be in a protectionist mode.
- Be understanding if you can’t network – if you can. When times are tough, we all find it hard not to believe there’s only one spot open on top of the mountain and it might already be taken.
- If you have gallery relationships, approach them about sharing the cost of a mailing or magazine advertisement. Propose a solo show where you share costs. Let them know you are as interested in their survival as you hope they are in yours.
- Concentrate on your work. Do the best work you can do now. Tomorrow, you’ll do even better work. Be ready with a strong, distinctive body of work when the consumers are finally ready to open their wallets.
- Believe you can do it. When circumstances conspire to get in the way of the goal, passion often goes into hiding – at the moment when you need it the most. Hang on to your passion with both hands.
Links of Interest:
Five Theories on Why the Art Market Can’t Crash…and Why It Will Anyway
Future Modern Has the Art Market Peaked?
Art Market Watch 2009 Art Market Rebound?
Jonathan Jones On Art Blog Why the art world should care about the old folks
My Art Space>Blog Art Market Reflections and Predictions for 2009
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