Finding the People Who Want Your Art

Today, I'm writing about finding the people who want your art. I call them your people. So, how do you find your people? The people who want and need what you do/make?

It starts with what you’re up to with your art.

Here’s a method you can use to find the deeper purpose of your art. I’m using one of my students, a photographer, as an example. This is an edited version of our conversation.

“What’s your art for?” I ask.

She says, “So I can joyfully create every day.”

“So that what?” I ask.

“To get my work out there.”

“So that what?”

“To bring joy to others. To be of service to them. To make them catch their breath when they see my photographs.”

“So that what?”

“So they feel connected to nature.”

“So that what?”

“They feel connected emotionally to the planet.”

“So that what?”

“People understand that we are part of the planet. We’re not separate. When they look at my photos they know they’re in an emotional relationship with nature. When they’re in that kind of relationship with the planet, they care about it. They can’t help themselves.”

When she said this, we felt a (metaphorical) thunk; the feeling you get when someone hits on something that’s true to the bone. This method, Repeating Questions, is a way you can drill down to the deep emotional meaning of your art the way this student did.

How does knowing this help you with finding the people who want your art?

Because you are part of the people who want (and yes, need) your art. You’re just a bit ahead of them. In this case, my friend knows more about connecting people to the planet than her people know.

Her people (I am one of them) want to be reminded about the exquisite fragility of the planet and their relationship with it by the art they hang in their homes, the cards they send to people, the books they have on their tables, the journals they give for gifts, and on and on. They will want her work around them.

But she has to help them find her.

The easiest way to do that is to start posting on Instagram using hashtags that people already use when they look for art like hers: #ecoart, #earthphotographer, #ecophotographer, etc. She can search on these hashtags also, and see what hashtags other photographers are using.

It’s not fast. You won’t get rich in a week. You might need to fund your art with a day job. But over time, this works.

This is Find Your People Month. Try finding the people who want your art with this method and comment below about how you did.

Maybe you need some help? Book a 15 minute chat and we can brainstorm to help you get to your deepest answer.