Making Money from Art

It’s not easy to make money from art and writing; in fact it’s near impossible to make a name as an artist in this highly competitive world. However with today’s technology it’s possible to cross the boundaries of sea and land and make a few bucks to survive in this economically tarnished world. Due to the advancements in technology and social networking, one can buy market worldwide and reach the people that may be interested in your work. From a South African point of view though, it’s a bit more difficult to make money as an artist, seeing as many South Africans still does not have access to the internet. This may be a bad thing to some, but to other artists there is still hope.

South Africa is a country of hope, a country which can overcome anything, a nation with pride in themselves and in their respective cultures. Historically rich, beautiful and strong, South Africa is one of the world’s favourite tourism attractions, no matter how bad it gets as far as crime and poverty is concerned. This is why South African artists rely on tourism and travel so much…

There is a saying: “Necessity if the mother of invention” and this is completely true. South African’s in a whole have always struggled and South African artists has needed to adapt their art to compete on an international level, but mostly to survive in a world that shows no mercy. This has become a daily battle, not only internationally, but also locally and has given birth to extraordinary pieces that will astound whoever witnesses these little gems. Beer bottles has turned into magnificent glasses and is available to buy in the streets, wire-cars aren’t only nice to look at, but children play with them in rural areas, beading have made it possible for even women to help make money and it crosses into all social classes. When something is beautiful, it doesn’t matter what income you have, you’ll buy it and appreciate the work that was put into it. This is why many of South Africa’s art is getting exported too!

The internet has made it possible for South African artists to export their goods to people from various countries, who might not have the funds to come to South Africa in person, and in this way money is made by struggling artists. Again, not everyone in South Africa has access to the internet, this should be duly noted, but it is an option. Other ways to make money as an artist is to make sure that your products have competitive prices, of course you need to survive and there is a lot of work put into making your art, but if you have a competitive price, people will buy it. Other than that, due to people’s curiosity, which is a natural part of being human, it’s always a good idea to keep your art interesting and to think out of the box. People don’t attract to mundane pieces that will blend easily with the rest of their lives, they want something “wow” and something that will make a great conversation piece…

South African art is unique in its own right, but you as an artist have to be more unique than the person next to you. That’s the only way to make money as an artist.