professional artists --- do you paint for yourself or do you paint what you think people will buy?

Question

i am working on painting for a career and i am wondering how others decide what to paint. i have some ideas that are pretty, uh, normal-ish and some that are kind of strange. i like both but i want to sell prints and make a living. what would you do?

Answer 1

If you paint for yourself, it will be more inspirational, more personal, and others will naturally want to buy it.

Answer 2

I am trying to make a career of it also. You need to paint what you are passionate about and that will be seen in your work and hopefully people will want to buy it.

However, sometimes I am a little low on money and I feel the urge to do the generic paintings/prints that I know would sell. However, not been able to do that yet.

Good luck. What kind of painting do you do? Oil?

Answer 3

Paint what you want, and then see if people will buy things you were going to paint anyways. Then just keep painting those things that people are buying, in addition to painting for yourself. I paint whatever I want because I have another income, and don't have to depend on my paintings to live. If I had to paint to eat, I would paint the things I know people like. It really isn't rocket scence. Artists have leaned toward the wishes of their sponsors for hundreds of years. It's a time honored tradition -- and don't sweat it. As long as you keep your inner vision alive, all your work will be good, both the work you know will sell and the stuff you do for yourself.

Answer 4

It's not so much what would others do? It's what should YOU do? As for myself, I am known for the portraits I paint. My style is super realism and I do museum quality work in oils. In the forty + years that I've been painting, I found that portraits are in high demand. I'm on painting number 586 and this one is "normal-ish". However, I've painted subjects with supernatural and Sci-Fi themes that reproduced well in prints. Prints are an affordable way for collectors to buy an artist's work as opposed to acquiring the "original". Good luck with your career.

Answer 5

Painting is like masturbation - you do it for your own pleasure. Its rather difficult to paint just to make green bucks. Its only when an artist express himself/herself in a very 'personal' way that he/she could reach a 'universal' audience. Its also possible to make your Art 'support' your Art; but in the long run, an artist find fulfilment more when he/she paints "for Art's sake". Painting merely to please other people or what you think is 'trendy' or catering to people's expectations is a little like prostituting yourself. Stay focused and just do it; the mooolah comes later!

Answer 6

The true artist dilemma- For marketing you need to represent what the market wants. For artistic integrity you need to be pure to your heart. For most professional artist's I know the dilemma is expressed in the phrase "Good art won't match your couch!" But any and every interior decorator I know comes to the studio with fabric swatches! My solution is to do what I love, change colors for commissions and do a few pieces that I really think are trendy and marketable for inventory!

Answer 7

it needs to be balanced----being able to share your most intimate and personal side by painting those artsy, creative, weird, very personal, (whatever) paintings---while also being able to make a living out of it by also catering to the masses. It cant be denied that most people would go for those artworks that, though beautiful, may not necessarily be artistic, personal or creative.

Answer 8

Paint for yourself. If you start painting to please a patron or gallery, you won't love it.

There will be a gallery that caters to your style. Here we have everything from the tra-la-la on the beach pics to babies in barbwire dresses galleries!

You just have to look around and see what's out there and work on building your portfolio to get a show going.

Good luck... do what you love!

I paint murals on the side to get by... kid's rooms and stuff... but my portfolio work for shows is NOT full of stuff to other people's specifications.... it's me. Communicating on canvas.

Answer 9

I have done both. I have sold fewer painting when I paint something I think people will want to buy than I have sold when I paint from my passion.

Answer 10

well, i just paint what i feel and what i like and that's what people like, they like to see different and unique paintings, just kidding i'm not an artist or a professional artist but i love painting, it will be cool if i was i love art!