Let’s flip the question: What should an artist do to sell their work? Before I share my thoughts on how artists can improve their sales, let me explain my perspective on art, artists, and selling art.
To me, there’s no real difference between what a business does and what an artist does. In essence, every business operates with the same basic structure: they create something and aim to sell it. This applies to every business, whether it’s a tech company or an artist.
So why do some businesses and artists succeed while others don’t? Don’t tell me it’s just luck. Yes, luck plays a role, but to let luck drive your success, you must first do everything else right.
Now that we’ve established that selling art is just another form of business, let’s explore what it takes to build a successful one.
Throughout my career, I’ve encountered this challenge time and again. For years, I analyzed ongoing projects to identify risks, and this experience taught me valuable lessons. Then, I spent years selling various products, using the same framework to guide me. In the past two decades, I’ve built my own business and implemented numerous ideas, with that same framework helping me along the way.
I call it the 4 W’s.
The 4 W’s are essentially four simple questions, or more accurately, a group of related questions. Each of these categories can have multiple questions within them. The goal of these questions is to help you:
- Understand the business
- Create new business
- Analyze any business
- Train your brain to think in terms of questions
Artists and businesses that struggle are often unable to answer these questions. So, if you want to be successful, you need to learn how to answer them.
Before I dive into the details of this framework, I want to clarify that it’s not the type of framework you’d typically learn in university or one that guarantees success. It’s not complete, and it certainly doesn’t have all the answers. But it’s a tool I use, and I’d like to share it with you.
The 4 simple questions are:
- What? — what is the products?
- Why? — why should somebody buy your product and not that from competition?
- Who? — Who is your customer?
- When? — When will the customer buy?
If you can’t answer these questions correctly, it’s better not to run the business — you won’t be able to succeed. Let’s break down each one:
What is the product?
You might say, “My artwork.” But is it really just your artwork, or is the customer buying something else? The question is about the problem your product solves. And yes, art also solves problems, such as the problem of the empty wall. What makes your product unique? What are the competing products on the market, and what is your unique value proposition?
Why should someone buy it?
If your only answer is “because it’s beautiful,” it won’t sell. Beauty is subjective, and it’s not enough to persuade someone to buy. Ask yourself: Why does this product exist? Why should a customer choose it over the work of other artists? How will you communicate the benefits of your product, and through which channels?
Who is your customer?
Who are the people who should buy your product, and where are they? Who are your competitors, and why are they successful? Do you need any partners to help you sell your work?
When do customers typically buy this product?
Every business has its own timing. The timing isn’t determined by when you finish production; it’s shaped by the market and the customers. You need to understand when is the right moment for your product.
This is a brief overview of the 4W framework that I use to work on or analyze business ideas.
Try using it for your own work, and you’ll quickly identify where the weaknesses lie in your business strategy.
Meet me on X if you want to discuss it in more detail. We might even organise a space to talk about it.
