5 Ways for ARTISTS to Make Money Right NOW!

[@chrisignitingsparkcreations]

Emily this was great! - When I studied art in HS my parents also made me take typing classes because again, artists don't make $. As a single parent most of my life, I have always had "jobs" - and my art was just a hobby. I have taught art at community colleges and local art institutions. I have been a corporate trainer so teaching art in person is comfortable. I am currently unemployed and now at a point in my life where I spend most afternoons painting in watercolors or acrylics. Heaven on earth :) This video was just what I needed to jump into the deep end!

[@redge9158]

Emily - THANK YOU so much for sharing your personal experiences. I dearly hope younger people are watching and will be inspired to ignore discouraging comments like "you can't earn a living as an artist". I'm a senior closet "artist" who didn't pull out art supplies until retirement / Covid shut down. We make our life choices, but not prioritizing artistic expression earlier is one of my big regrets. I've watched your channel for over a year and love seeing your style evolve! Thank you again 🤩

[@babycakes1949]

You have just told my story as well. I quit my art back in the early 70’s when I got married. I’m 75 now and started painting again only a decade ago. I’m so happy I did, I’ve made incredible progress, but oh boy….where would I be now if I had continued back then? Now I want to learn to sell, but it takes energy and persistence and I feel like I may just be too old to make it happen. Good to know there are others out there like me.

[@pintsizestories196]

My sister built an art career with interior painting - murals, faux finishes, trompe-l'oeil. She worked very hard but it paid her bills. Now she is retired but still does some workshops and smaller projects. She lived in NYC where there were enough wealthy people to pay for her services. All the tips in your video were great. What I see with successful artists is that they all work very hard and understand marketing.

[@nkguenther1]

Thank you, Emily. This was very helpful. I’m 81 and started painting during the pandemic. The few commissions I’ve done took so much time and several starts so I thought this is definitely not worth it. But they did allow me to buy more supplies or lessons. Would love to see how you would do a time lapse with simple equipment like an iPhone, starting and stopping, etc.

[@sherrieallyn-b6p]

Very timely! I am launching myself as an artist looking for commissions. I had done 2 or 3 commissions years ago when I worked in pastels and oils, but for some reason I went inactive for a number of years. Now I've been active again for a year and I have switched to watercolor and acrylics as my media of choice. For practice, I snapped a photo of you while watching one of your videos and made a watercolor painting of it. I'm pretty proud of it. And Tah-Dah!, got my first commission for watercolor portraiture. Yes, I am probably charging too little. As a newbie, I figured what I'm charging will cover the materials plus what I'd earn at McDonald's for the number of hours the paintings took. That's the measure I used as a starter. Still must create a business card, flyer, Etsy/Instagram/Facebook business pages. But I'm dealing with gig driving jobs stealing my time and energy. I'm 73 and post-heart attack, but onward and upward! Loving your videos!

[@barblallier9413]

Good for you! 🎉.love the energy you have! Tah dah,,keep dreaming BIG!!❤🎉

[@beedee4427]

Gosh Emily, thank you so much for being so generous with your personal experience in regard to making money. This video has dropped at precisely the perfect time for me. I won't go through my whole story but watercolour has come to me late due to "circumstances" and I'm so very thankful it did. I am currently laying out all of the ways that I can think of making money out of my art but, being in my early 50s, digital products etc just didn't even occur to me as something that was viable for little old me to be able to do. You've opened my eyes and I sincerely thank you for that. With love and Gratitude from Australia x

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Very happy to help! 🤗

[@sarahrez6453]

So inspiring as always, thank you Emily! I’d love to see more on this subject, - Etsy store, digitizing your art and printing!

[@shicks9126]

I would as well, please.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Coming soon!

[@MDCampbell]

*"Life changing content."* That's what I set out to do with my channel, so this discussion is right up my alley! We could talk about this topic for hours, I'm sure! From my experience, a big part of being _able_ to make money is the marketing side. Getting our names out there can be daunting, but setting sights on companies - large or small - and just introducing ourselves via email or a USPS mailing can often yield some great resources. A lot of folks have no clue that their work would look amazing on product packaging; however, those companies will never know about us unless we introduce ourselves to them (or to the team who does their packaging). Anyhow, a terrific discussion and glad you chose to present it! Stay well! ~ Mark

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Thanks for the nice comment, Mark!

[@rebeccapauls2972]

Hi Emily! This was super encouraging. 😊 I'm currently in the middle of self publishing a children's book and it's so expensive to publish I'm finding it a bit daunting but your video really inspired me to try other ways of making art to support the book project. I appreciate you!

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

You got this! 💪

[@michaelbusby1802]

Great video - I didn’t know about some of the ways to go about selling art. I am an older artist, getting back in the process of creating. I sold my acrylic paintings when I was in my late teens to early twenties but then life happened. I’m 69 now so hope it’s not too late! Thanks again, ~ Kathy B.

[@lisachestnut2955]

Paint what you love. Your passion will show in your painting. People will see it and love it. And buy it!

[@tonyphillips9145]

Hi Emily i have sold a few paintings over the past couple of years all my friends say they like the paintings I've done I think my reluctance is my lack of confidence but i think im going to record them and see how i actually paint Thanks for the video its helped me that i just may be good enough to try selling some Thank you so much Tony

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

You can do it! 🤗

[@dianefrazier6704]

What an encouraging comment for people, there’s an audience for everyone. ❤

[@mjpete27]

Hullo Emily, I started freelancing in 1981 and I managed to work over 30 years of working. Artist. Did everything from Little League photos, murals, even including pet portraits! In 1996-97 I had to learn how to work digitally because I could no longer get hired doing comic book inking, everything had moved to computers. So I adapted. I am amazed at all of the ways there are to earn money today for beginner intermediate and advanced artists. I would love to see what else you would advise people to do. And now that I’m retired I’m thinking about selling quite a few of the artworks that I have collected over the years, would be nice to see how easy or difficult that might be. I look forward to your next video please take care and have a great day Emily!

[@kpogs8059]

Hi Emily! Thank you for such an encouraging and inspiring video. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us. 😊

[@kitalovessm]

Thank you so much for this video. Even thinking about money has been daunting for me, and I think you've helped me greatly.

[@gailcartee2100]

Thanks for great information. I sell at the many local craft fairs and pop-up markets. I have a couple of people asking about commissioned art so I know that is in the future.

[@nadinek6693]

Very helpful video. Thanks so much for sharing your experience and insights!

[@babycakes1949]

Emily! ..This was just SO GOOD !!! I have been struggling with this for some years now and I find the whole ‘marketing’ thing very intimidating. Consequently I only sell locally. Shipping is particularly scary for me. I wish someone would do a whole video about shipping art for sale. One thing you didn’t mention that I’ve thought of doing is making a website, or having one made for me. That is also intimidating. I don’t know where to start, how much it costs, and a million other questions. Thank you SO much for doing this and YES, please do more. Your presentation was perfect.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

My pleasure!

[@RobinLoBianco-go8gq]

That was such an informative video. Thank you. More? Yes please.

[@NancyTipton-u8e]

So helpful and inspiring…thank you so much for sharing.😊

[@DQ_ArtGroupie]

Hi Emily! Nice video, with very practical suggestions, some of which might work for ME. Well, I do have a ton of digital and 3D art I've made over the years, a bunch of which I think has turned out fairly well. Your Etsy and licensing sight ideas might be places for me to test the waters a bit. So, you've also studied music? Do you have videos featuring your music work?

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Glad to help! I don't have any videos featuring my music, except for a few of my oldest speedpaint videos that have my music accompanying them.

[@NancyJohnson-dx2nx]

Emily, thanks for making the time to create this video! I continue to learn so much from you about watercolor. Generating income from my art has been on my horizon since I started painting just under a year ago. I will definitely check out Jen Sincero’s book! Thanks!

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

My pleasure!

[@sherylchapman4168]

I do not have enough self confidence to do any of these things. I do think this will help a lot of other people, though.

[@tinawilson1705]

I loved this and would like to see how you digitize art and make prints as well. This would be useful for turning art into gifts, cards, etc., as well as making money from it. I’ve been making photo books I’ve created in Photoshop for years using Anna Aspens’ digital art products and my own photos. It would be wonderful to incorporate my own art in future books.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Coming soon!

[@chayastreehousestudio8102]

I love this, thank you! I would LOVE to hear more about both #2 Digital products and #3 licensing!!!

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

More coming soon! 🤗

[@sharlynharley1279]

Thank you for this info. I would love to see a more in-depth class on all of these - especially the digitizing and what you mean by 'cleaning up your artwork' and getting rid of some background. And for licensing, can you license the same artwork to more than one site? Thanks so much!

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Coming soon!

[@suzannebruner2922]

I have a portrait commission and I would love it if you would give me a quick critique. Is that possible? Thank you for all you contribute!

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

So sorry, I don't do critiques!

[@ltietjens8555]

I love the way that you share your knowledge, and spread positivity! I am working on my first graphic for a t-shirt so timely. Thank you!

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Wonderful!

[@crbarb690]

Great video! I’m a watercolour mastery student and have enjoyed learning from you! I’d be interested in how you use Etsy to make money. Do you sell digital copies of art or use print on demand or sell prints you make yourself? Looking forward to more videos.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Coming soon!

[@artonthecreek]

Thank you! I wasn’t familiar with a lot of the websites you mentioned☺️ This was so helpful. I’m looking forward to augmenting my teaching income. Thank you!!

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Awesome! Happy to help!

[@jngarrettart]

Thanks, Emily. This was really encouraging. I’ve been fighting some pretty intense discouragements and a few setbacks lately and feeling very overwhelmed, and this boiled it back to something doable again.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

It is doable! You got this! 🤗

[@rhondagarrett3976]

I’ve asked for help with the digital process but haven’t been able to get that help. Please help us…even on your watercolor mastery platform. Thank you!

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Coming soon!

[@Shananiganz-13]

Thanks Emily for sharing. I am one of your students and appreciate all of the advice you share. Do you think you could do a video of showing your setup/equipment in your studio and also a little tutorial of your editing process with photoshop?

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Great idea!

[@maryjotannehill7849]

Thank you Emily for the gracious encouragement and all of the helpful information. More videos like this, yes please.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

More coming soon! 🤗

[@kirsty1227]

I love your content and would love to have more videos on this subject.

[@lisachestnut2955]

Wow! This video is awesome and packed with information. Thank you for your sincerity and generosity with your knowledge as an artist.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@rebeccanewberry3176]

I took Jenna Rainey's course! It's worth every penny. I'm currently trying to make money with my artwork. Thanks for the video ❤

[@elizabethfarnsworth3425]

Excellent video with important information!!

[@lindacsmith13]

thanks for this, it always helps to hear encouragement

[@gumpgarbonzo]

Thank you so much for all the helpful advice!

[@lindaloder1721]

This is a very helpful video, full of wonderful thoughts and ideas. Thanks so much.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

My pleasure!

[@j.pearce3981]

great tips! now make a video telling us how to get exquisite biceps like yours lol👏👏💪💪

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Hah hah! Thank you! 🤗

[@CayGjertson]

Yes! Thank you for opening my mind to possibilities! And I would love to learn more!

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

You're so welcome!

[@cm_watercolours]

This was great Emily, thank you! I've been thinking about selling my art, so this gives me a lot to think about

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

You're so welcome!

[@Lilly4057]

So inspiring, just what I needed to hear and I also enjoy all of your teaching videos.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

I'm so glad!

[@TrinaWilks]

Great video! Would love a tutorial on phone setup for Timelapse recording of art process.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Great suggestion!

[@scottjonesfineart]

And the 6th way.... my plan to purchase another painting(s). Great ideas in this video. So glad you put yourself out there for all of us to benefit.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Aw Scott. 🙂🙂🙂

[@MarcellHobbs]

I am one of your Watercolor Mastery students and really appreciate your skills, talent, and support. Thank you so much for this information. ❤

[@ruthsnow3417]

Thanks! Looking forward to earning that $ back from selling, lol❤

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

I appreciate that! More tips videos like this coming soon. You got this! 💪

[@trisht5064]

thank you so much always greedy for help and inspiration this was a great video 👍

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

You are so welcome!

[@OkieSketcher1949]

Emily, did you find Fine Art America to be worth the effort or was it more for showing your art in order to help build a following? I’ve heard both good and bad reviews from artists who used this site. I’d like a ‘professional’ opinion if at all possible. Thank you for this video. It has provided a lot of information that reinforces some of the advice I have received from others.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

It's not a lot of effort in my opinion--just upload paintings or photos as you create them, and it is a nice "gallery" of your work that has the added benefit of making money. I think if you find a niche that is not overly saturated, that's where more earning potential lies. For example, my best selling art and photographs on FAA are from Possum Kingdom Lake, a small, specific, but beloved location in Texas where a lot of people have lake houses or vacation homes. Finding a niche or location where people are searching for art and decor is really helpful. I don't make much money from FAA, but I'm glad I have it! I have sold some original paintings through the site, too.

[@OkieSketcher1949]

@@EmilyOlsonArt - Thank you for the quick reply. I am in the process of setting up an account. I’ll cross my fingers and see what happens. Right now I am looking at two possible niches. I grew up in the oil fields of Oklahoma. Since about age 6 I have been sketching various scenes of the oil patch as I followed my dad around. Obviously, the earlier ones are not worth posting, but as I got older they got better. I’ve been asked by several fellow workers if they could have or purchase some of my works but most were in sketchbooks that I wanted to keep in one piece. Now I am using them to make new sketches and pictures. I’ll see if the desire is still there. I’ve looked at many sites and have seen very few works for sale so I may have a niche. The other possible niche are works I have done while traveling to places around the world, places not often sketched or painted by travelers but worth seeing. Again, we will see what happens. Thank you for the information.

[@bevhaywood2129]

Thank you, Emily! I am just now working on my first commisions. Not what I want to be doing. I find them stressful. I would love to know more about how you digitalize your art. I have some experience with scanning, photoshop (also, GIMP which is free online). I have difficulty getting my photos/scans to come out in the right colors. Do you have suggestions for doing that yourself or do you go to a professional? What equipment do you recommend? Thank you so much for diving into the professional pieces. Bev Haywood

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Video coming soon about this!

[@lindaoconnor4122]

Thanks for this video! You are the best!

[@tasticola]

Thanks Emily. I have always appreciated your down to earth, friendly personality. I'll have to look into things that aren't only U.S based. Some great tips though, so thanks again x Nell.

[@deewampler1004]

I’m really interested in all of these things. Thanks so much

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

You are so welcome!

[@moosefamilyadventures]

Thank you for sharing this Emily. I have a question regarding setting up your phone to record. I see you have a recommended phone tripod, but it doesn't have a light ring. I think in my workspace I need proper light. Do you have a recommendation for a light or light ring that would work with the tripod? Thank you. ~April

[@marie1538]

I love this video! Please make more of this. I can so much relate to this and thank you ever so much for your valuable advice. I always have this thought in my back mind that I cannot make money from painting and writing. These are both my passions And I have noticed that I find it so difficult to expose myself to social media and to show what I do. It feels to me like a judgment, but it is part of the game, isn’t it?! I think it is a wonderful tip to just keep the camera on while painting. I never do this because I always think I’m not good enough yet, but who knows…. Love to you and thanks again. 😊

[@demi3115]

This is a great video. It's interesting: if you look at restaurants, people think cheaper restaurant is worse but that is of course not necessarily the case. Don't undersell yourself, I guess. And, GIMP is a great program and open source!

[@ChantelleArts]

I love that you've included some different points here to what's usually mentioned. I've only just started this route and it's been really hard so far - the most difficult being growing on social media, and starting an etsy and inprnt from scratch, where the products don't get pushed at all because of a lack of sales ❤❤

[@madhyahusta8470]

I absolutely loved this video! I have been thinking about selling my art. For that I have been watching numerous videos on how to sell or price my art, but none of them are as useful as yours. They usually only mention the usual sites like etsy, patreon, etc. so Thank you so much! An idea for another video is about equipment to take good pictures like lighting, tripods, etc. would that be something you might be able to teach? Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and talent!

[@Coco-ne5ix]

I’d love to hear more about how to digitize and print art. Thanks for a great video

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Coming soon!

[@ViVi_McA]

Thanks, Emily! Your willingness to share your knowledge and experience is profound. I'm nowhere near ready to take the plunge, but I'm always interested in hearing anything you have to say and putting it in my back pocket to pull out when I'm ready. Thanks again!!

[@tashaschlittenhart7052]

What platform do you use for your watercolor mastery course? I'm wanting to create something similar (in a different industry) but the options are overwhelming.

[@LuisAlvaradoR]

Muchísimas gracias por tus consejos, sigue haciendo estos videos por favor!!! y gracias nuevamente!!!!

[@Christina85248]

Right off the bat, I noticed your muscles too! You're so beautiful with perfect skin. I'm very much a newbie and all of this is very intimidating but your video is very inspiring and maybe someday I'll be able to sell my work.

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

The assistant shark 🦈 😂is adorable! Yes I would love 💕 to see more videos on subjects like this. I am just getting started with quite a few of these things that you have suggested, Cafe (Women in Watercolor), KZbin, & making a Tutorial. This was definitely a wonderful valuable video of ideas & tips for me. Thanks 😊 for sharing this wonderful informational video with us! Enjoy your week Emily. 💕

[@loretogestoso6218]

Thank you! I really appreciate this video, very interesting. I hope you will do more similar videos.

[@zeinaatik]

Thank you very for these tips

[@lauridiamond5691]

Thank you Emily! Maybe a little more details on specific online tools such as Canva. How do you use them? What are your thoughts on vendor shows? Thanks for all the help you have been to me on this art journey!

[@marie1538]

Hi Emily, I really had to laugh out that you really did marry an engineer. Maybe your father prayed for this… 😉thanks for a really helpful video and I am hoping that you have lots of time left to do wonderful videos in your life.

[@nancydavidson4899]

Yes I’d love to see more videos on this topic ❤

[@cherylfarnsworth7343]

I don't know if I will ever feel good enough! LOL But I take your point Thanks for this

[@fiddlermom9629]

I’m so glad you posted this! All of your suggestions will work, but I’ll focus more on some than others. Very helpful, and please continue to post practical videos. ❤

[@jacquilikvan1105]

Very helpful info. Thank you for sharing!

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

Of course!

[@GONZOFAM7]

Good stuff Emily. I'm a member of Watercolor Mastery lesson platform. So great.

[@midgediener3461]

Thank you so much for this information. For me I needed the helping with places to expand my art sales. Love your you tube channel also.

[@isabelroa8241]

This was awesome Emily! ❤😊

[@webtoe46]

A big thank you! I love all your videos, (especially the ones with Cody) but this was really useful

[@maryelles8955]

Thank you Emily!!😊

[@nancyjohnson2750]

I get so overwhelmed setting up a webpage and online store. Any suggestions?

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

One step at a time! When I started my Etsy shop I tried to create just one new listing per week. Don’t try to do it all at once.

[@nancyjohnson2750]

Great suggestion!

[@kerrimckenzie4594]

Love this, thank you ❤

[@carolhestand2561]

Thank you , retiring soon would like a little extra income. Thanks also for being so positive!

[@jimorlowski5051]

yeah this was a good one - like your talks about being things around being an artist - a whole life view....

[@cptcosmo]

Girl, your arms are looking pretty buff... lift weights?

[@tahoke752]

Hi Emily-I hear a lot about art shows/fairs for both recognition and income but am stuck on what products to showcase or sell if really all you’re doing is commission work. So if you digitize your work of a pet portrait, for example, how do you best determine which products to create from it that will sell (mugs, prints, cards…)?

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

It's a bit of trial and error--putting out products and seeing what sells, and also research--seeing what the current bestsellers are.

[@mb3938]

Great video Emily! Thank you for being honest about the options!!

[@vikkigherzi9933]

Very good suggestions, thank you.

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

You are welcome!

[@maryannjacobson8289]

Emily, thank you so much for sharing your tips. You are such a giving person. I am a member of your watercolor mastery group, but have not participated much lately, due to medical stuff, but I love your group and your positive attitude toward everything. Thanks again.....

[@EmilyOlsonArt]

My pleasure! Thanks for being a member!

[@michelleannette7994]

Oh my gosh Emily, you have no idea how much I needed to see this video! Oh, and you have a corgi❤❤❤

[@MonicaSArt]

Thanks for this Emily!! So glad you’re posting videos like this ❤

[@francehebert2403]

Très intéressant ! Merci!

[@dianagriffin8776]

great

[@lizag6899]

Yes! More videos like this one please! You were totally speaking to me today!!!

[@diananortman2905]

Love this video, thank you so much for sharing. Would like to see more of this content.

[@theresaRD]

Loved this video, thank you for sharing 🎨

[@aren443]

What a beautiful soul you have I love your chanel

[@evahagemeyer9142]

Thank you Emily!

[@janwechsler661]

Great video!! Informative and encouraging.

[@Kate37889]

And you're already so generous! Just lovely ❤

[@sarahstevenson2384]

Thanks Emily, this was very useful. I would love to see more videos on how to sell your artwork, e.g. how to generate commissions, how to film a demonstration/tutorial, etc.