The only question to ask yourself is whether or not you have an appreciation and liking for unique aesthetic production? If the answer is yes, then you should start to build your collection. The obstacle that many art-lovers face is the prices that original pieces fetch from investors. If, like me, you don’t have an abundance of funds to spend on luxury items and can’t afford the works of well-established artists, then there are a few other options you might want to consider.

If you’re still cultivating your own personal tastes when it comes to art works, then you should consider enquiring at a gallery about their renting policies. If the gallery does rent, you could enjoy the work of a particular artist for a limited period of time and at a fraction of the cost of buying. This option also allows one to continually change and refresh the artwork on display in a home or office while exploring and developing your own palette. Do bear in mind, however, that renting isn’t an investment as you won’t end up owning the piece.

Another option is to investigate artists in training: that is, visit local art schools (I’m referring here to mainly tertiary level institutions) and keep an eye open for student exhibitions. Here you’ll be able to purchase original pieces by up and coming artists at prices that are very much lower than those of works by established artists. Another advantage is that student artists are often keen to develop their own idiom, and are therefore more original and contemporary than their older counterparts. The final possible advantage to going this route is that should one of the young artists become well-known over time, your collection will dramatically appreciate in value.

Artists often hold open houses during the course of the year, and art lovers are welcome to meander through the artist’s studios. Many works will be available for purchase, and you’ll be able to converse with the artist about his/her work and get a real history not only about the piece you’re interested in, but of the artist him/herself.

Very often art collectors are as interested in the career of an artist as they are in their work. Coming across an artist that “speaks” to you in a meaningful or personal way may cause you to make purchases from a single artist rather than to build a diverse and varied collection. A likely bonus to this avenue is that, owing to the specialisation of the collection, it may be more valuable down the road.

Antique shops (and markets) and consignment stores are also known to contain some interesting pieces that have been overlooked by other collectors. Try to keep a keen eye open for works that appeal to you, and don’t fall into the trap of being overly concerned about the appreciation in value of the work over time. Art truly is about subjective experience, and it should be on this ground alone that your decision to purchase a piece or not should reside.

Don’t forget that art doesn’t necessarily refer to works that hang on your wall or occupy three dimensional space. Art house movies are also a great source of emotional, intellectual and emotional stimulation. Whereas you can buy movies, they won’t be one of a kind pieces, but like prints could be seen as a work that belongs to a limited series of productions.

When you have purchased you chosen pieces, it is advised that you have them insured for the value you paid for them. Every few years, shop around for new insurance quotes and have the works re-evaluated because they may have appreciated over time.

Finally, be sure to immerse yourself in the sensual, intellectual and emotive forces of your collection. Art is meant to bring value into your world through adding to your quality of life rather than adding value to your investment portfolio. Remember that whether your collection is simply an occasional hobby or becomes an on-going passion, art is an extension of our imagination and is one of the few truly human pursuits.

Art in the home is nothing new. What is new, however, is that art is more available and diverse than it has been in the past. Today it’s possible to buy high quality images of anything from architecture to erotica. The platforms selling art have also dramatically increased: not only has the internet connected sellers and buyers from around the world, art (I’m using the term loosely here) is also available in furniture stores, galleries and outlet retailers. “Choice” is perhaps the adjective that I’d use to best describe the current art market.

Even with this said, however, buying art is quite as straightforward as finding property for rent (the analogy seems appropriate in that property values can increase just as art can also become more valuable) . The question, inevitably, becomes, “what should we buy, and where should we buy it?” It would seem as if there are just three types of art buyers out there: those with genuine artistic appreciation and an eye for real talent, those who find it hard to make a distinction between creativity and an unmade bed and, probably worst of all – the “decorists”.

Decorists are those happy image hunters who never leave home without their bag of domestic accoutrements: this lamentable bag contains items like swatches of the various curtains hanging in their homes, samples of the colours painted in their various rooms, a cut off from the laminate flooring in the kitchen, and etc.

In my humble opinion, these are people to be helped and understood: it would be too cruel to hold them responsible for their actions. The sickness could perhaps be attributed to a profound misunderstanding of the role that Art (I’ll capitalise to distinguish between the real thing and empty, well framed and pretty pictures) could play in our lives. The proliferation of decorist mentality could perhaps be blamed on popular, but pulp magazines and magazine programmes. The colours in the image might complement the colour of the paint on the wall behind it, true, but in this action the decorist has managed to reduce Art to its most superficial quality, and turn it into art.

Essentially, there are only two guidelines to follow when purchasing Art for personal use in your private home. The first is to buy only those aesthetic objects (photos, paintings, sketches, even sculpture) to which you feel a personal connection. The second guideline is perhaps more of a rule than the first point: set your budget and don’t exceed it. Art that puts you into debt will probably detract from your life more than it will better it.

The above two guidelines are designed to ensure that what you do purchase will be of a personal value and will deepen the experience of your life.

A third, but lesser guideline is to carefully consider where you intend to look for, and purchase, pieces. Galleries are excellent bets, but are not without their own problems. Often gallery curators and owners are business people doing their best to move over-priced stock. These types of galleries sell both art and Art, but their focus is not on the integrity of the process: this is to say that the galleries are stocked with fashionable pieces that are not quite worth the “bubble” prices they are being sold at. Once the markets finds a new flavour of the month, the previous year’s aesthetic rapidly loses value, and you’re left with a dated piece that serves as a testament to the commodification of art as a product that must respond to market forces. To avoid this, and I’ll refer to guideline one here, look for the piece which you will enjoy even when fashion has moved on and found a new aesthetic.

Recapitulation

Try to look for reputable galleries and art/Art dealers, always ask too many questions, do your own research, never allow someone to “sell” you an artwork, unless you have experience in the field don’t buy Art as an investment, unless you truly connect with an image try not to purchase one that is mass produced, and adhere to the two fundamental guidelines. Be honest with yourself, and be true to yourself: at the end of the day, unless you’re desperately trying to use your choice in art/Art to signify things about yourself to friends and acquaintances (essentially using Art/art to bolster your own image), the person who has the primary relationship with the piece is yourself, so make sure it is something that connects with you in a personal, if indescribable and primitive, way.