The value of going small, and local with your art business
Insights from my most successful art exhibition to date.
Last weekend, I did a solo exhibition in the clubhouse of the little seaside village where my family has a summer house, (and where I spent the majority of my childhood summers.)
This was a small, local gathering where only neighbors were invited and no press was done beforehand. And yet, it was my most successful exhibition to date. 9 paintings sold so far, with another week to go. I’m over the moon. So grateful for all of the people who came and the lovely conversations we had over sparkling wine and popcorn.
This further cements my belief that local is the way to go. Especially with all the geopolitical uncertainty going on right now, and the increasing noise and chaos online. Follower counts and website visitors and audience size don’t matter nearly as much as I thought.
Of course, I’m only speaking from personal experience. The larger your online audience is, the greater potential you have of selling more of your work - online. But online is only one piece of the puzzle, and that piece isn’t necessarily the most important. And I see other artists reaching the same conclusion. I see artists all over social media with tiny followings, (or who aren’t even on social media), who I know are wildly successful.
And that’s such a relief to me.
I’m so tired of the pressure to show up online, to create endless content, to hoard followers and subscribers. To spend the majority of my time away from my actual craft, in order to engage in this busywork that might or might not be worth it. I’d rather put up posters in my local area. And from my, albeit limited, experience that seems to be just as effective in drawing a crowd. If not more. And the people who do show up seem to be more inclined to purchase my art.
I love the physical, tangible work of preparing for an exhibition. Printing out the posters and displays, cutting out all of the little stickers that go underneath each painting, planning the layout of the exhibition, hanging the frames, preparing food and drink, creating a beautiful experience for people to enjoy. And then getting to actually hang out with those people in the flesh. Talking about birds and nature experiences and the healing power of art.
And here’s the thing: I live in a small town, not some metropolitan city with an art scene. I don’t need galleries or to be accepted into juried shows. I can create my own opportunities to show my art. This last exhibition, I put together with the help of my family. I invested in one of those cardboard folding screens in order to have sufficient hanging space. Since this was a small, local thing for the community, I didn’t have to pay rent to hang my paintings in there, or pay a commission to some middle man. And our neighbors were delighted about the initiative.
Not saying this type of opportunity (or result) is available for everyone, everywhere. I’m lucky to have access to these particular resources and connections. But I still believe similar opportunities exist for most artists, if we look beyond our screens and the limited options we are presented with there. What avenues and opportunities exist right outside your door? Where are other artists in your area exhibiting? Where can you go to find likeminded people who might resonate with your art? Start there. You might be surprised at what that could bring.
I have two more local exhibitions coming up in less than three weeks, and with most of the paintings I’d done so far being sold last weekend, I now have the pleasant problem of having to start more or less from scratch. I get to spend all day, every day, painting - something I haven’t done since I started out on this art journey five years ago. I’m improving at my craft at a more rapid pace. And I’m allowing myself to press pause on everything else I feel like I should do: put out YouTube videos, film my next course, create more digital products, pursue freelancing on the side…
After years of consistently spreading myself too thin, this feels like heaven. And it’s a heaven I wish for every other artist out there.
SNAPSHOTS FROM THE STUDIO
Here’s a look at what I’m painting right now. The theme of my upcoming collection is “seaside birds”, so… yeah. It’s mostly gulls. 😌
Want updates on the collection, and the opportunity to call dibs on a painting before it’s exhibited? I’ve created a wait list over here. Go join if you might fancy yourself a dreamy gull painting. 😊
Hi, I'm Louise - a watercolor wildlife artist, YouTuber and creative coach. I paint - mostly birds. I create courses for beginner artists. And I support creative solopreneurs with my digital products and coaching.
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