Share yourself or seek representation
so many choices!
We now have the most marvelous, abundant opportunities to sell our art if that’s what we want. There are two main paths - to sell through someone else or to sell on our own. Writers can seek a publisher or self-publish.
There’s way too much on this topic to delve into the details. But when the time is right for you to put your work into the world, you will need to consider whether you want to sell your art on your own, self-publish your writing, or hire help.
What’s required to do it on your own is to rely on your project manager. You need to manage all the steps of the process. There is a lot of learning involved and there will be some phases that call for skills you don’t have. You’ll have to ask for help. I sense you squirming from here. But part of making and sharing our creative work means we’re called to connect with others.
There is much support to manage your projects and bring them to the market. If you go the path of seeking representation for your art or a publisher for your art or writing, you will need to learn how to present yourself to others. You will need to learn how to communicate your ideas in a succinct and compelling way. You’ll have to get on the other side of the table and think about the buyer.
You have to make the transition from maker to seller. Your art goes from art to product. Not everyone wants this. Not everyone likes this. Most people I know squirm and say, “I’m no good at selling my art.” I get it. I would say the same. But because I wanted my writing to get out into the world, I had to learn skills. I have hired others to represent my work. Make the switch from maker to communicator about the work.
Either way, you’re going to learn a lot about yourself. You’re going to delve deeper into what your art is about. You’ll be communicating the true depth of your work, not just the surface stuff. You’ll be sharing your process. People want to know where the art or writing came from. You’ll become a storyteller about the work.
While this requires some deep digging, I believe this is good, empowering work. Hopefully the work you’ve done in this program has prepared you to speak about your artist and their work with clarity.
Invitation
What’s your plan for sharing your work? This decision to self-publish or seek representation is a big one.
Use the questions from the previous week to design a statement about where you stand re: making money from your artist. This will change over time, but designing your publishing life (as much as you can) will help you achieve success on your own terms.
Affirmation: I know when and how it’s right to share my art.
In the comments: What does your sharing path look like now?
I share my work on Hidden-inSite.com. I have fantasies of sharing it on some other online forums. No, I don't mean Substack which is just another version of self-publishing. I'm talking about websites that vet and curate work by a variety of writers. But I'm always lagging behind where I want to be that I never quite get to that step.
My sharing path is definitely DIY. I have thought about getting an agent both as a writer and as an artist before but that just never fit right. I did work with both mainstream and boutique publishers in my knitting business but I never really made great amounts of money from my writing. I had to supplement with editing, teaching, and other things. I found that I had to adjust my business every year according to what opportunities were available.
Now I want to just make art (I write in a different way now for comics) and share it without trying to make any income from it. I’ve mostly retired my business and I’ve adjusted my lifestyle over the years to require less income. I basically have my grandparents for role models on that. They lived through the Great Depression and were always frugal without denying themselves the things that they loved.
I’m excited to enter this new phase of life and sharing.