A lot of the reason is probably inflation. If people are struggling with paying bills and buying food, then art will be a low priority for their purchases. This is affecting all of us artists.

When I graduated from OTIS someone on the street handed me a book that talked about being a “successful” artist. One of the first paragraphs read “You must have a day job to succeed in the modern era as an artist” I stuck with that and made sure that I would get day jobs the entire time-things I can do and then turn off my creativity so that I don’t burn out but can pay for shelter, food, basics. Once I got into that habit, I understood what the author was saying and I always look forward to my scheduled art time of day after winding down from the day job. It works for me.

I gave away a dozen paintings before someone wanted to purchase one from me. Then out of the blue, I got a phone call, and a friend of a friend to who I gave one of my paintings said, "I love your work, and would like to see more." Sold! Don't paint for money; if you do, it will be reflected in your paintings and your work will take on a commercial, garage sale, cheap look.

There is a broader slowdown in the art world and luxury items in general (art is a luxury good). It isn’t just you…even art auctions for famous artists are taking a huge dive with items either selling under asking or just not selling at all. Just keep painting.

I love that you mention - and recognize - the difference between 1) failing as an artist vs. 2) failing in your art business. HUGE difference! You are 100% NOT a failure as an artist. :)

This is why I am expanding into a different business that allows me to combine my artistic expression with selling something that is more in-demand. Paintings and prints are so hard to sell right now :( thank you for sharing, it's so important that people know this does happen, quite often. All the best for the future!

I think it's really brave of you to post this, and really useful for others. It takes enormous courage to make a living from your art and creativity! With inflation/cost of living the way it's been there was bound to be a downturn in art purchases I imagine. Has nothing to do with the quality of your work, though that doesn't make it any less stressful of course. Congrats on your solo show!

I love your art, I just want you to know that. I haven’t got any money to buy pieces right now, but I truly love your work. I wish you the absolute best success. The world needs beautiful art, especially now.

And CONGRATS ON THE SOLO SHOW, that is huge!

You are on the right track. I really like your videos, as they are very honest and authentic. I'm roughly in the same boat as you, having switched full time to working as an artist early this year. I haven't sold anything, which is frustrating, but I do have a fresh body of work that is ready when buyers and collectors come knocking. I "retired" from a 30 year career as a web developer last December. I was beyond burned out. As a freelancer of 20 years, it was becoming more and more impossible to find clients or agency work. I have a BFA in Painting / Sculpture, which I got in the lat 1980s. I never pursued art (became a librarian), although web design is a very creative profession. So I decided to make the switch, focusing on painting, Twitch/KZfaq streaming, and my food journalism project. I wouldn't bother worrying about the economy. The economy is doing very well right now and any inflation (corporate price gouging) is insignificant for any person who is buying/collecting art. There are millions of people out there who buy art, or want to buy art, and plenty of walls. Good luck!

So so so relatable! I had a whole slew of courses this month without enrollment and things got scary for a minute! But it’s finally starting to level out! All the strategies you share for how to reframe failure are super helpful!

Welcome to full-time artist reality. 5 years in and no sales for periods is normal. The only thing I can say is to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. If you are looking for comfort in this game, it is best to pack it up now. Just paint, fear comes up, paint, bank account goes down get a side job and paint, avoid the epic and just paint.

My dad was a freelance artist. It was always stressful. Convinced me a regular paycheck was a wonderful thing.

Thank you for your transparency and believe me, all artists can relate! Keep at it! I am counting on you to fulfill your dream!

Thank you for being so vulnerable about this topic! I feel it matters in all different parts of life too, to appreciate what got you to where you are and not focusing on what you haven't reached yet. I am still a amateur artist, but I am a lot farther in my skills than I was when I first took an interest in drawing and painting. It's good to change perspective to appreciate the good things.

Some nice work! well done Christina !

Young lady, SO well spoken!! I wish you all the best of luck in your future, I have a strong feeling that you will achieve your goals!

Thank you for sharing this side of being a full-time artist as well. It is ups and downs, and the downs can be very scary and discouraging. It is very important to see the big picture and put things into perspective, as you did. Also on the positive side: your channel is growing very nicely! I wish you a lot of success.

Hang in there. Your work is incredible. And your videos are very helpful to other artists. Thanks so much!

Just peeked at your art! So wonderful! Don’t give up ever! You’ll find your niche! I’m 55 and still finding it ❤

Writers are in the same boat. You can spend years on a book but to sell it, is very difficult. I’ve had seven books published and have made absolutely no money whatsoever. I love what I do and will carry on. I’ve got a YA Fantasy novel ready for publication. This book has taken me 20 years to finish! Never give up!

I can relate so much. I feel like I’m doing my best work, but the sales have been excruciatingly slow for the past few months. I used to sell so much better when my work was a lot crappier. Go figure. I can see i am getting better at painting, I’m much happier with the work, my prices are the same as ever (=affordable), so I can’t make sense of this change! Your work is very very competent! 🙌

went to your website and loved your work

I wish you all the best...you'll be fine❤

First off, wow your work is amazing, and second, I've been an artist full-time since 2018 and this year has by far been one of the hardest ones to survive, so I very much relate and commiserate

Thank you for this video really helpful because sometimes we feel so alone and thinking everyone else is doing better at selling their work.

Thank you for making this video.. My business has been so slow after having a career high as well I started to doubt myself hugely. I just moved from UK to USA, a lot of my collectors were very local despite most of my sales taking place online. But I was so optimistic remembering how huge the art market is in USA. By the time I was settled here to open for business again the sales just plummeted. I tried to do so much problem solving and was so upset. I'm just really grateful I'm not alone and it might just be temporary and we have to power through and do our best work meanwhile. So we're prepared when the economy picks up 👍

Thank you for sharing your story. I recently make a lead magnet n didn't go as I expected. But I remind myself: hey, it will be part of my success story. Keep going!

Great inside, and honest truth we need more of real on social media, your work it’s amazing… we all go through cicles, and we learn the most of the low ones…. Keep it up!

Hey Christina! Thanks for sharing your story! You are very interesting to listen to. What's happening to you is the universe's way of checking if you are truly persistent and if you're ready for and want where you are now. I was a full-time interior designer before going into art full-time. Right after I quit, lots of great design opportunities started showing up one after another, while there was almost nothing in my art endeavors. But I thought it was a test from the universe, and I remained persistent. I didn't take those interior design commissions because I had firmly decided that I was a full-time artist now. It took me a couple of years of being creative in educating myself, learning to sell my art, and finding new ways to do it, which made me stronger, established, and more professional. I'm so happy I made the decision to pursue art full-time back then. Believe in yourself and do what you love no matter what, and don't look back! If you have a dream, it’s because you have the ability to achieve it! Your art is so wonderful! You'll definitely make it!

You're showing a tremendous amount of bravery by sharing your feelings of failure with others this way. That is to be commended. Note that I said "feelings of failure" and not "failure". A lot of things have to go right for a piece to sell. Chief among them are dependent on the state of the buyer. 1. Recognition of value of the piece. 2. Willingness to part with money for the work. 3. State of the buyer and their context. Some of that can be mitigated/controlled, but not all of it. You said a lot of great things in your video, and most of them were those that showed your understanding that these were emotions that needed to be handled/understood so you could get back to work. I think a lot of the time, we get hung up on what we need to be if we want our dreams to come true, so we look around for ways to adjust ourselves to fit what the world asks of us. Here's the controversial part. Buckle in. Adjusting to the world is a kind of death. If we orient ourselves to the world to please it, we will produce work and represent ourselves in a way that is commensurate with their expectations. Nothing controversial there, right? Think clearly about what that means. If the world fully expects to see the silverware laid out in a specific way, they will notice and react when the silverware is not laid out in accordance with expectations. The negativity bias you recognized in yourself is also present in the audience. Now, you may think: "Ah! Then I will set the table carefully next time, and this will ensure a sale, for I have found the error and fixed it!" This is "dying the death". Your loyalty is to the idea. The idea is prime, and must be adhered to, loved and cared for, regardless of how the world may view it. Love it the way you would love yourself, born into the world, vulnerable, screaming, and crying, begging for nourishment. Do you see the reversal here? The world will say: "Your idea is nice, but chop off its legs so that it will fit in my parlor." The mother that chops off their child's legs so that it can sit in a rich person's parlor unattended to is not taking care of their child. They are taking care of their wallet. You are an artist. This is obvious to me. I wouldn't spend this time otherwise. You have ideas. Your IDEAS make you rich, just as a mother's children make her rich. Nourish them and give them the capacity to go out into the world and do the work they need to do. Money may come into the picture at some point, but if this the ultimate goal, you will die the death at the canvas, and die the death again at the sale. The world will grind you down and force you to lay the silverware in the "proper" way, satisfied in its victory, but completely unaware of the foundation of its dedication to adherence to protocols that have very little to do with an understanding of what the heck we're doing here or what any of this is all about. Now I have revealed my bias, which you may reject. If so, okay. Maybe we are just different kinds of artists. I wish you all the best.

You are smart, hard working and VERY talented! I have no doubt that in spite of the transient ups and downs you have a successful art career ahead of you!

I absolutely love your work, Christina. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I think SF is a bit far from my home in Aus, otherwise I'd be coming to your solo exhibition! Keep up your brave choice to be a full time artist, because you are quite awesome! x Nell

The economy has ups and downs and when it's down, no one wants a painting. I've learned to diversify - I paint, I create jewelry, I craft, and I create print on demand related to my interests and hobbies. This video is great for mentally getting through a downturn AND artists also need to diversify.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Self-employment is like this. Sometimes you get a windfall and other times you get trickles or nothing at all. As long as you keep going, opportunities will continue to come in. Also, thank you for acknowledging some of the advantages you have as person without children to support and having a supportive family. That makes a difference. Each artist has to know what their circumstances are and work with what they have.

I was doing an art tutorial in a big art school in the US and the teacher told us that the numbers are not great for fine art artist. That moment I realized that I need to find other sources of income and keep my fine art as a hobby.

Hey, Christina. You're an amazing and inspiring artist with a unique style. One variable with how you feel is that you come from a very structured and technical career in economics. Even your analysis of what you're going through is structured and technical. You know all the variable and ups/downs and have prepared adequately. You'll get more comfortable in this new life and I know you'll succeed.

Happy that things picked up! I couldn’t stop looking at the sweater you’re wearing, I love the floral pattern and the color combination, does it also have hoodie?

All my best wishes you are very talented

Wish you all the luck

Everyone is feeling it. Not just artists. Learn to keep a pulse on the economy. I know its a boring field, but even having a very high level perspective can help you prepare and plan for these cyclical changes. Props to you trying to be an artists in SF. I knew many artists out there who have left. Maybe now is the time to travel and push your art in new directions. Nothing is absolute, and your skills may open new doors in new areas. You never know until you go! Good luck. Edit: I just discovered your corporate job 4 months ago was an “economic policy consultant”? You had to see this was a risky time. None the less, I recommend you budget yourself to stick with this as much as possible. Art is all about uncertainty, and while others may be hurting there are always others thriving.

Thank you for making this video! I felt the same for the past few months. I'm an animator but I sell handmade art dolls on a side and usually whenever I made a shop update, everything would be sold out within few hours and now I struggle to sell SO much. I tried to change my mindset and not be anxious about it, allow myself to fail cause that doesn't mean I'm a bad artist. I also understand due inflation, war people are less likely to buy non essential stuff since they may be fighting to survive.

I think your work is wonderful. I don't paint but I do buy when I can. Times are very uncertain for lots of us and I haven't bought an original piece since 2019. So don't blame yourself at all, you are very talented and I hope your sales pick up soon

That is a scary feeling, when the sales stop for sure! I had 3 mural projects get cancelled this year.

I’m surprised- your work is so beautiful. Don’t give up, it’s yay a learning curve, also the economy isn’t the best.

Your paintings are great. You got this.

ur art works are incredible. it shall pass. ❤️

"Success" doesn't last. Ever. There are waves. Even in the really good times. I look back over this last year and know there are huge gaps in when income will come in now. There were years when I couldn't get a grasp of which way to turn. But this time I dug in and stuck it out. On the average I am making steady money over the year. It just does not come in on a regular basis! It can't! All creators are going to be affected in the coming year according to a general negativity or positivity in the world. Because no matter how necessary art is to the creators, it is not necessary in everyday living. There is one other factor: In the long run, the truth is we don't sell our work. We sell ourselves. Focus on relaxing and getting to know people. See them, let them see you. You are your own art.

I'm a digital illustrator, have been for 12 years now. The art market shrunk so hard I couldn't believe. The struggle is so real I have to look for a 9 to 5 day job again because my freelancing can not support me anymore. It sucks because before this I was an accountant and let me tell you, I am a 10x better artist than I ever was as an accountant. It's gonna be awesome trying to explain the 12 year "gap" in my CV to all the recruiters. If I ever get a reply lol.

Sorry you're going through this. It's the same for me, and I had an income from art for the past 10 years. But the world is going through crazy things. Housing crisis, recession, inflation, conflicts, etc. What I figured works for me personally, is having other sources of income. Unpopular opinion, but working half time as a graphic/web designer helps me. It makes me feel safer, being able to continue doing art when things are tough, while it's still a creative job. And when the economic climate gets better things will pick up. I've always had these bumps on the road, sometimes things are great, sometimes they're not. Not an amazing thing to hear but it is what it is. One thing is for sure, I don't feel like a failure and neither of you artists out there should either! Keep on keeping on and you will find your own ways through this. 🤞

Sorry to hear that. Art is one of those industries where selling the product is harder and requires more schmoozing than making the product.

I was able to live an Artists life and I was in a smaller town and NOT in the bay area! I did go through periods of working for small design firms but I did the majority of my earnings VIA Freelancing. There are so many more ways artists are earning income. I believe it is important to be online and having a website with merchandise, paintings even prints always on sale. Income does go up and down saving money when times are good and plentiful. I believe you will come out the other side and I encourage you to keep going and just never giving up!

Being in touch, and letting emotions happen, is so important. Never let the negative emotions win. Whatever it takes. Meditation, talking to others, crying, playing a video game or watching a show. Have a conversation with the emotion. Don’t ignore them. They’ll knock harder.

I am selling my art for the first time ever this year. It has been a humbling experience. It puts you in a vulnerable place for sure. Thank you for sharing your journey with us so openly. It always helps to know you are not alone. Something I keep in the back of my mind these days is: what if this is the best thing that has ever happened for me? Also, I ask myself if I would ever give up creating even if no one ever bought anything. No way, I have been doing it for myself for decades now anyway.

I didn’t know your art until the video and then I went and looked… your inner critic is absolute lunatic! Your art is fantastic! Maybe though a lunatic of an inner critic helps! I hope it picks up for you.

ive painted and sold paintings for years. I've had great years, so-so years, and now bad years. if art buyers are (usually the rich) stressed with an election year, propaganda from all sides, a strange worldwide economy, inflation plus a long period of painting sells for everyone overall. there comes a time when all that extra money is safer in a bank. It's good if you have other income especially when you are young. plus living in SF I don't have a clue as to what and how people spend their money in that town. i started my art business as an illustrator and found out quickly that the art world treats artists like we are children who just haven't grown up yet. as a business person you need product that the client wants. that means getting the attention of new buyers (you change), different venues (you change) and different design (you change). The big three auto makers made the American dream until they didn't. since they had the dream for 50 years they decided not to change. Take a look at the cars on the highway today. they sell what the buyers want. the big three are still attempting to sell Lawerance Welk, Dinah Shore, and that was the week that was.

This is exactly what I've been experiencing in my small business as well this year so far. I keep telling myself it's just a bad year that I need to get through 🙃

You hang in there and don't beat yourself up. Your work is wonderful and following your bliss (I feel) is a good thing long term. Like many here have said, the economic downturn has caused many (Rich and Poor) to be more conservative with spending. As an artist myself, I have always kept day jobs that would allow me to have income whether commissions were hot or cold. I have been fortunate to have steady tech contract work as a remote web designer while pursuing my art.

Looking ar your website my favorite is "Wildcat Canyon" and "Afternoon in Potrero." Being there thru your signature are two paintings I can sit with for awhile

I know what you mean however I admit I am only a hobbyist. I was persuaded to make T shirts and sell them through Shopify. I went ahead and prepared a number of car designs, set up a store and waited. While I was waiting it cost me Can$50 each month. I finally was able to close my store after nearly two years and not one sale. I didn’t expect to sell any but it was disappointing There has definitely been a drop in views on both Instagram and youtube which I can’t explain. Good luck moving forward

I can relate and am deep into my second decade at this, largely under the radar in rural locatons, and have never had a time where I felt the momentum was consistently building and I could breathe easy, it tends to be peaks and troughs. One thing though, solo art shows can be problematic, I've done several and as a single person living below the poverty line I find the vacuum in sales created by holding back most of my new work for a few months as I build up a body of work can be damaging, my followers might be waiting with great anticipation for the big reveal, and there's a possibility that the sales from the show won't ultimatly justify the lean times preceeding it. And that's not even talking about the gallery's cut and the rising cost of living and other factors outside our control that can put a stop to sales such as, where I live, wildfires most summers that kill the tourist trade. And they think we must be happy all the time because we are doing what we love! But anyway, I hope you thrive!

power of the mind, you said that it can not continue, so let it be. The negativity mindset will burn your savings, because you plan it. positivity will do the success, positive emotions prevail success.

Thanks for being honest. I make candles and a lot, a lot of YouTuble posts in the candle world talk about how wonderful it is and how much money they make, etc. When in fact I know it's not like that. I guess we need to keep on keeping on. Best of luck.

Heads-up! Folks that pay well for art and other higher end goods follow the stock market. They wait for the stock market to peak before pulling money for nice things. Home remodel is also way down for the same reason. Towards the end of Sept into Oct they will start pulling money and buying again. Think of it as they are waiting for free spending money. In fact, I'm doing the same thing, waiting to pull money for my new larger better equipped art studio this fall. I have all of my finished art setting on the sidelines right now.

Watching from Botswana❤

Your work is awesome. Don’t give up. Just cut back. The economy is scary for folks.

Hey has anyone told You how Strong You are I don't know if you noticed but your very resilient just to be talking bout what your going through, i make Art but I havent built the Confidence in my Skill enough to put out my Art , its kinda daunting when I think about hehe I'm pretty sure you acquired a bit if Character within the Obstacles your facing as an Artist. Reminds me a piece I've read that Van Gogh spend all his money on all his canvases an painting supplies an was living off crumbs.

Keep your chin up, being self employed is challenging for sure! Lots of problem solving. Plus if you sell online with third parties like Etsy or eBay, they update and change algorithms or and want additional promo fees or your art just disappears from feeds. It seems like constant troubleshooting. Plus important to find new collectors who may enjoy your work regularly. Economy and voting year maybe doesn’t help.

Do you paint what you think buyers will like, or what you enjoy looking at?

I know this may sound a little strange, but: your inner critic is usually a part of you that's really worried about something and wants to protect you from it. If you're curious about that, and you listen to it and what it's scared of, it is likely to calm down significantly and you feel much better. And thank you for being so open about also the more challenging aspects of your art career!

Strange you consider summer the "slow down" since that's festival season. Also visiting your shop you need more prints. Print sales are about 90% of the sales I make

“You’re not marketing enough/ well enough”-is what people usually tell me when i’m in a similar situation

You are a great talent. Just stick to it. If there was one artist that I could paint like - it would be you!

same.

Art is also seasonal

Your style is similar to Edward Hopper. If you narrowed your focus and made it your own, but focused on that strength. I think you’d have a really great career . Good luck

Seems making a living purely as a fine artist must be rough. I have an insanely talented oil painting teacher who makes big $$$ because he does a lot of mass appeal pop culture subject work (e.g. painting comic book stuff/star wars/etc. commissions, lots of comic convention work, selling prints, doing art for trading game card companies, etc.). I go to a local atelier in L.A. Some student work sold at the 2022 annual student show but virtually nothing sold at the 2023 show. The pop culture/gaming/convention folks all seem to have plenty of money for stuff they like.

But it is only a couple months……I know it’s hard but hold on to the long view…and if reading Edward Hopper’s biographies helps with that, go for it. Anyone who looks at YOUR stuff will love it and love the idea of brighten up their lives and their spaces with a little of it. Keep going. The future is bright…keep focused .

Have you considered adding more "noise" / visual information to your paintings?

I'm a full time artist also, but I'm not fine art at all! LOL 😆 I'm disabled so it actually is easier for me, I'm not working so even if I sell one painting I'll be ahead! Lol. I just got myself a website! My KZfaq channel doesn't do very well but I don't know how to do any kind of editing.... But for me it's all in fun and I just love doing art!

Failure is not defeat.

lots of peoples struggle to have a place to live or buying food, so buying art is not is their mind, trying to survive is...

What bump I'm diving down a cliff, but then I live in the UK Wigan area no one buys art, they would rather buy a cheap canvas that some machine has thrown paint and glitter at

I know that feeling, I know it so deeply... But usually, I don't consider not selling as a failure, especially when I'm living in a place in where people can't really afford any sort of extra expenses. - I mean, around here the reality is a bit different from yours, and in this country we are dealing with a huge economic crisis and unemployment... So, I can understand pretty well when people can't spend their money with my works. They just can't... And I can't blame them. 😐

I can visit your art studio I'm from SF

Your art is beautiful. I found "Rafi was here" ytbe channel to be very informative about this very topic.

I hope this doesn’t sound negative but my evolutionary psychology teacher has a take on this. Art falls into a category that he calls “sexual displays.” This includes many things like sports, song, dance, all the arts, etc. Humans evolved to want to do certain things that enhanced our survival and reproduction. Things like hunting gathering war and all the displays mentioned above. The problem is that art is effectively an instinctually attractive thing that all humans want to do. The market is massively competitive and it’s a pure luxury good that serves no practical purpose. In effect, it’s a display to show other people in the tribe how fancy we are so that they want to mate with us. Obviously this makes it hard to make a living from it because everyone wants to do it and not many people want to pay you to do it. He advises people to just do thier art in the weekend and not use it as thier career. The caveat is what he calls the “true artist.” The true artist is willing to starve for thier art. They want to do it so passionately that what they really want is to make art, not simply make a living from art. So if you’re willing to starve for it then you’re a true artist and you can go ahead and devote your life to it. If you’re not, then join the rest of us as weekend artists who primarily want a good living and we use art to tickle those SD instincts. That’s his advice anyway. I would love to make $80k a year making custom furniture. But I’m not willing to starve for the privilege of doing it. So I just make a few pieces a year for myself and rely on a stable job for survival. It all depends on your personality. But most people aren’t “true artists”. Being really good at art doesn’t mean you get to make a living doing it. You need the right personality because it’s rarely a safe easy career.

It may be a function of your youth. For me, one should be hesitant to call oneself an artist or philosopher until one has decades of life experience and learning. Not all painters are artists and not all artists are painters. Artist is a bigger word, which means creator, often in many fields. It is that word for someone who does a variety of creative works, and well. James Joyce was an artist. John Cage was an artist. Give yourself a few more decades, and expand your creativity to other worlds. Art is a gift, not a commodity. You may need to double your charges.

soooo what im hearing is i should maybe have not made my art website during a recession if i wanted to make a little extra side cash in prints.... .... .... as long as i make the website cost i guess :/

Are you a academy of art grad? Nice paintings btw.

Our 1st and 2nd hand accounts...2024 is not a good year for artists. The economy is bad and people aren't spending. Don't let the Drop-Ship'd print/sticker/keychain peddlers get you down, they're not doing well either; despite what social media will have you believe(oh my God the lies...).

It's that perverbial bump in the road. Happens to all of us and it to shall pass. It sure can humble one that's for sure. Not everyone can afford thousands of dollars for one of your large canvases yet would love to have your work to enjoy, maybe a few small paintings offered would add some value and smooth out that "road" until things pick up.

none of the dropdown links on your website work. probably not helping

Geniuses like Van Gogh and Mozart died penniless. If you're even scratching a living you're doing well.

The artist needs a partner who takes care of the selling, gets a significant part of the profit, of course - but that motivates the seller.

Going out on a very brittle limb here, as a male: imo one should exploit all available resources. You are female with a nice face and could attract a lot more attention to your social media with a makeover and better lighting. You choose not to, absolutely fine. Just sayin'...the world is cruel.

You remind me of FLANZELLA, she had to lower her prices on her stuff at a show and still didn't even sell half of what was shown...

trouble shoot and find out why you were being ghosted, without being too needy or annoying. maybe you said or did something you weren't aware of to piss some people off. good luck

People compliment my art but I don't make a living from it. My art isn't in the high price range. Perhaps is the economy. Perhaps people are going for AI images instead?

I dont even know if my art is good enough to sell yet