the power of Etsy

for some people, showing their art in galleries seems like the hardest thing in the wold – and it is! putting yourself out there and watching all the people walk by whispering to each other and wondering what they are saying about your heart and soul can be be very difficult. and the comments come – both good and bad – and that can be very challenging for some to overcome. and then there’s Etsy.

Etsy is by their own definition, your place to buy & sell things handmade – that also includes your art! why more people aren’t using their service, baffles me.. i think maybe that some people feel that it’s not a valid way to showcase your art. it’s certainly not ideal, but in this digital world we live in, ignoring it is more of an issue!  these days, you can’t just have a website. you need to have a blog and be on twitter, and facebook, and flickr and a million other online networking tools – including Etsy!

i recently had a conversation with a struggling designer friend of mine who had attended a Q&A with some big-wig recruiters in town. he recalled how depressing it was to hear that in that world, if you aren’t making a name for yourself outside your applications for employment, that the likelihood of getting hired was pretty low. this is also true for you artists. there are a ton of galleries out there that are looking for artists to show – but what they want is someone who will sell work. after all, they are a business!

for those of you who haven’t been showing, how do you get a show with nothing to reference… insert Etsy. while this isn’t the save all end all of proving your worth to the gallery owners or the world, it definitely shows that you are hungry and willing to put forth the effort. you can put up a piece on etsy, but if you don’t keep going, keep adding new work, shuffling it around, keeping it fresh – you’re probably not going to sell anything. just as in the traditional art world, you are competing against all those shows that are out there during that time.

but that’s the beauty of etsy, you can list a painting (i think it’s like $0.20 each), keep it up for a week, then relist it again – keeping your name at the top  of the recently added section. you certainly can’t have more than one opening night at the gallery – you only get one shot at that. after that it’s up to the gallery to hustle the sale.. but etsy gives you the power to generate buzz and hopefully, sales.

as a former gallery owner, when i was looking for artists to fill up a group show, the first place i went was etsy. and why wouldn’t i? this place is filled with hungry artists who want to sell their work – it’s a no brainer! so keep painting, drawing, crafting – whatever your skill is, keep doing it, and post it on etsy – what’s the worst thing that could happen? you lose $0.20? and what about the best – you sell your art!!