The following is from the Stop The Starving Artist newsletter - "heART and Business."
Every week you'll get a little bit of "H.E.A.R.T." to help you grow your art business.
Highlight 💡
(A key creative business insight I'm currently seeing.)
In the last newsletter, I laid out the biggest reason artists aren't making more money right now... and it's simple, but REALLY important.
They're not taking enough action.
This isn't a guess - this is based on a survey that nearly 100 artists from my community took. In that survey, I saw the majority of artists stating that they have confidence in their work, but not confidence in marketing their work, and thus find themself freezing and not doing ANYTHING when it comes to making sales.
- "I don't know what to post."
- "I don't want to do it wrong."
- "I don't want to be a nuisance to people."
- "I don't want to waste my time."
I'm hell bent on getting artists in this community to make $1M in sales in 2026, which means I'm also hell bent on getting you all to take ACTION.
And I hear some of you - "But Lennon, I hate social media, and I don't have time for it."
Well - let me be Frank... please stop following me and enjoy making art for the sake of making art, or focus on getting more sales in person. There is nothing wrong with that. I have more respect for those who can say "selling isn't for me" than for those who say they want to sell, but aren't willing to put in the time, and blame social media as the problem.
Before we get to what actions you need to take...
Taking action does NOT look like:
- Spending all of your time applying to galleries and markets.
- Posting only process videos and/or photos of your art.
- Watching more content to "learn" how to market.
- Spending days/weeks/months choosing the "right platform" to sell your work on.
- Waiting until you have more inventory before getting in front of people.
- Making sure you have a perfect website.
- Trying to make sure your social profile is appealing to every gallery and market organizer instead of your buyer.
I'm sorry, but NONE of these things is moving your business forward if you're not making consistent sales of your work online.
So, let's get to the action items that matter.
Execute ✅
(Your action items...)
Here are the traits you will need if you want to succeed in marketing your art in 2026.
1. Consistency Over Perfection
Post at least 3 times a week. Not when inspired. Not when it's perfect. Three times a week minimum. Here's why: consistency creates quality. You can't learn to be yourself online by overthinking three posts a month - you learn by showing up repeatedly, testing what resonates, finding your voice through repetition. But here's the key: have something to SAY, not just something to SHOW. Your buyers don't need another process video - they need to understand your mission, your values, what you believe. Share stories about what matters to you, not just what you made. The more you post, the faster you'll learn what connects with actual buyers versus what just gets likes from other artists.
2. Boldness in Visibility
Stop hiding behind your art. Your buyers need to connect with YOU - your mission, your values, why you create. If you're only getting engagement from other artists, you're not being bold enough to speak to actual buyers. Talk about the bigger ideas your buyers care about - not just technique, not just process. Be willing to get specific about who you're FOR, even if it means some people won't relate. Broad and safe keeps you invisible.
3. Relentless Offer-Making
Make at least one clear offer per month. "This is available. Here's the price. Here's how to buy it. It's available until [date]." No apologies. No "if anyone's interested maybe." Just a confident, clear invitation to buy. You can't make sales if you never ask.
Bottom line: Get in front of more people (consistency + visibility) and make more offers (boldly and repeatedly).
That's the work for 2026.
Awareness 👀
(The current things you need to know about social media, the creator economy, and running an online business.)
Why Execution Outperforms Ideation in Business Success
This article talks about the importance of execution to run a successful business, and answers questions like the following:
Q: What are common barriers to execution?
A: Lack of focus, unclear goals, poor communication, limited accountability, and fear of failure often hinder effective execution.
**Note: Before you dismiss this article or these ideas because they're about "business," remember that if you are trying to sell your art, you indeed are trying to run a business. So ask yourself - how does this appy to me and where I am currently?
Reflect 🤔
(Question to sit with this week.)
"What are 3 things that I focused on in 2025 that made me 'busy' but not productive? What do I need to replace those with in 2026?"
Thrive 🔥
(This week in this community.)
We've hit $425,743 in art sales with 2 days left in the year! There are two things I'm PUMPED for as I read this number.
- Celebrating the HECK out of this as we wrap up 2025.
- Putting it back at zero and pushing for $1M!!
Talk soon!
Lennon
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