Business for Fine Artists: How to Market, Sell, and Ship

About this course

This course is designed for artists who want to understand the business side of making and selling their work without the hype, gimmicks, or expensive “expert” advice that so many creators get pushed toward. Drawing on more than forty years of experience as a working painter, teacher, and art-history professor, I break down the practical steps that help real artists build sustainable, long-term careers.We start with the basics: developing a consistent body of work, building routines, finding reliable reference materials, and understanding what collectors actually look for. From there, we move into marketing and communication skills that any artist can manage, including writing clean product descriptions, using email effectively, and posting on Facebook, Instagram, and Meta Business Suite without burning out. You’ll also learn how to photograph your artwork using only your phone, how to edit images for Etsy and social media, and how to create simple timelapse videos for marketing.A major part of the course focuses on money—how to price your work, how to track expenses, how to avoid predatory “pay-to-play” galleries, and how to choose payment processors that protect both you and your buyers. We also cover the basics of sales tax, federal income tax, bookkeeping, and the practical financial habits that keep your art practice healthy in the long run.Finally, we look at venues for showing and selling your work: online marketplaces, independent galleries, open studios, and the larger gallery system. You’ll learn what each option costs, how they work, and how to decide which ones fit your goals.By the end of the course, you’ll have a clear, realistic plan for marketing, selling, shipping, and managing your art practice with confidence and independence.

Course objectives

• help artists build long-term careers in art
• equip artists with marketing and communication skills
• provide practical financial habits for managing an art practice