Who Really Needs The Art You Make?

 Last week I talked about embracing your inner second-grader or at least her skills with math. This week I’m jumping to the people side of your work--specifically understanding who they are on the inside and the outside. Who will buy your art?

Why is it important to know WHO will buy your art, you ask? 

Why isn’t EVERYONE my client? Isn’t it better to have a larger possible pool of clients than a small one?

No. When we're exploring who will buy our art, counterintuitively, we are looking for the smallest viable audience. The smallest number of people you need to buy what you make or do. And not just the smallest number of people, but a group of them that recognize themselves when you talk about who you help.

When people recognize themselves in your marketing, they realize you’re the person they need.

My Favorite Thing...Homework 

My clients know I love giving homework. Not because I’m mean, but homework gets all your brain cells involved in figuring out who your people are.

Join in! If you’ve never done this, or even if you have, you can fill in this table about the clients you already have, or the ones you want.

Client Name Why do I LIke Them? Who Are They on the Inside? Who Are They on the Outside?

Who they are on the outside are things like age, address, education, sex--data that the US Census collects. Who they are on the inside are things like their values, their political views, what they care about, what they don’t care about, and what they spend their money on.

Try it. You might find out some things about your clients that will help you make deeper relationships with them.

Your work matters.