Hi pals

It’s been around two years now since I started taking my art more seriously and was looking at it as a business. I’ve tried a lot of things, and learned a lot. I’m going to be approaching things differently in 2025.

Artie is Arty

I started experimenting with markets 2 years ago and my first year was pretty good, 3 of 4 Christmas markets I did that year were bad, and most of 2024 has been pretty bad for market success.

Before these two years I had started selling my work online as I’d made so many pieces I didn’t know what to do with them during the lockdowns. It was very unofficial and I didn’t even sign the back of my work the way I do now. The momentum of making sales was hard to keep up.

The first year of markets seemed to have more accessible options to try with lower table fees and not requiring public liability insurance. I invested in public liability insurance in September 2022 for £1 million cover. I was easily making back my table and travel fees and was going home with reasonable profits as someone JUST starting out. (There was one market where my location was really odd, and people thought I was reception NOT part of the market which I think affected my sales but I did cover table, travel, and got some profits) Until the Christmas markets that year where things changed a lot. I did a very popular Queer London market which did well but was very overwhelming. And the two or three other markets I did (I think all in different parts of London) were small and I didn’t cover table fees or barely covered them but still had £15+ for travel uncovered. It was frustrating and a bit of a letdown.

I also spent this year looking for opportunities to showcase my work physically and not just online. I was in a group exhibition in Brighton at the (unfortunately now closed) Metropolis Contemporary Gallery in Kemptown. At least two of the pieces I had in this exhibition sold. This was March-April. I was suggested another opportunity by a bookshop further up north, where I could have some pieces of work on display and available for sale. Unfortunately that didn’t go particularly well as my work did not get put on display for a few weeks to a month due to the envelope I sent the work in being put away? By a member of staff there. They then proceeded to put it on display in the envelope. None sold. And around the same time a friend and I had our work accepted to be in a small exhibition to fundraise and none sold again, the photos I was sent were unusable for promotion, they were heavily backlit, and the work was hidden in a corner where many people could not see it and then I had a million issues trying to get my work sent back to me. This same issue happened again the next year with another group where my work ended up stuck in the corner where people couldn’t really get a look at it and the artwork for that event overall were not well signposted as ‘for sale’… One thing I learned from this is don’t let other people place your work. These were all too far from home for me to go and arrange or hang the work. And whilst everywhere would have had a commission from selling my work, they did not put the energy into displaying the work well. So, I won’t be doing anything like these ever again unless I am there, I can get there, or a friend of mine can.

I started 2024 with my work on display at The Queery for January, I sold quite a few of my pieces on display but definitely wasn’t prepared for so much wall space. If I could do it again, I’d have had more art in frames ready to display and I’d discuss a different way for people to handle sold art. Either I needed so much extra art to replace any that sold (impossible as there isn’t enough storage at the Queery) or the idea that sold pieces had a little tag next to it or something, and people could collect the work at the end of the month, or pay extra for it to be delivered or posted. It was a bit sad to have half empty walls through the month because buyers took the work home right away. This is also where my work started to be stocked at the Queery full time for sale, and where I tested out doing some casual drop-in collaging workshops. The workshops didn’t do well and I ended up losing a lot of my supplies.

The poor markets continued into 2024. The first market I did was on a Sunday and had next to no footfall compared to their Saturday where everyone did really well with sales. One market in Spring (which I’d done the previous year in a different month) also didn’t do AS WELL as the previous one, but I covered table and I think travel costs (the travel costs were lower as it was closer to home and I think I’d had my free bus pass by then). This year table costs had gone up, and more markets were expecting public liability insurance of £5 million (for what? I still don’t know… I think it should depend on what you sell) which bothered me from the smaller markets that did this as they were some of the few markets accessible to low income artists or new starters to trial markets. This was also particularly an issue with a venue that is known to have better funding than other venues or groups organising and hosting markets in the area.

I’ve learned that markets don’t really do well outside of Autumn/Winter, if they are too small and unknown. It helps when a market has a strong theme and/or a strong following and marketing strategy. Many markets rely on the artists and businesses too much for word of mouth rather than investing enough of the table fees into marketing like social media ads and posters in the local area. Many markets also seem to plan too late notice at times, like opening applications only one month in advance of the event itself which doesn’t lead to much of an ability to build hype around the event or the artists going. I’ve often been invited to table at markets with under a weeks notice, which seems like they are either unorganised or desperate to fill some tables and neither is a good sign. I did try one small local town market which I made table fee back and they did give 2 free hot drinks (which I gave to my mum and gran because I don’t really drink hot drinks and they never have milk alternatives) and I may continue trialling some of the smaller local ones around as it is more convenient to be able to drive and bring larger or heavier objects without being concerned about public transport.

I also might not return to the Queery for a market as the one I did there, people were picking up my stickers from the stock on the walls and bringing them to me, at my market table, to buy? Which I personally don’t understand the logic of as I was selling stickers on my table. So, I’m kind of competing with myself a little?? If I do return, it would be for specific times of year like maybe Trans Pride where there’s more people coming through than usual, and I think I’d consider not selling my stickers at the market to not take sales away from the Queery. Everyone who stocks my work gets a cut of the sales, the majority of places I stock my work in are indie bookshops, cafes, hairdressers who are usually queer, disabled or anarchist. I personally don’t want to take sales away from these places, if I’m there selling at a market or pop-up.

Being disabled means going to markets is a lot for my body and brain even at the best of times. It’s often very early starts to catch a train or bus, even driving can take a while, the exposure risk of COVID and other viruses, unfortunately I both struggle to mask for long periods but also when I have tried to mask at markets I have noticed people avoid me, having an auditory processing disorder means a lot of cognitive work trying to understand what people are saying (and it’s even worse if the event is playing music a bit too loudly), lighting also sucks, seating sucks even if you have a decent seat as sitting upright for so long does really impact me, less ease of access to the bathroom or food especially as I mostly attend markets alone so I am often under-fed and dehydrated by the end of the day, trying to count money is hard when you’re overwhelmed! And many markets are outside in unpredictable weather, or are inside and it’s still freezing cold! So when markets aren’t showing they are worth all this, you have to become more selective. But I wouldn’t have learned any of this if I hadn’t already been experimenting and applying for different markets.

I have also learned to ask about access needs if they have not asked me or not explicitly stated something. One market I went to didn’t clearly state they were using benches, and the alternative was a very short folding chair and there was not enough room to fully sit behind my stall in it so I was often being pushed and bumped by the crowd. So I specifically ask about seating with a back because just asking about seating or chairs isn’t enough. I asked a market about options they had as they stated it was only benches, and there were no other options besides standing… or bringing my own chair. I did not apply. Access isn’t… often fully considered at markets and more organisers need to hire access consultants to check out the venue and advise on their set up.

I had a really good experience at the Anarchist Bookfair London (12th October 2024) which was a thankful surprise. The travel was still hard on me, as was being at a market, but I think they planned the event well. They used a large venue and laid out the tables well within the space, their table fees were reasonable but also sliding scale for a very generously sized table. It wasn’t too hot or cold, but you couldn’t get any ventilation in unfortunately. The tables were spaced out well and the rooms were large enough that even when it got busy, it wasn’t completely packed. More attendees wore masks than I usually see. There was good spacing for disabled people in wheelchairs, mobility scooters, or powerchairs (but also there was one stall that used a chair for people to sit at the table, which did cause access issues for some of the attendees in mobility scooters, wheelchairs, and powerchairs). The stall holders and attendees were so varied in style, age, race, disability, etc. it was probably one of the most diverse markets I’d been to where everyone was also very kind and genuinely engaged. I did have some issues with the lights and the chairs but they weren’t as bad as many markets I have attended. Also RichMix is the only venue I’ve been to where you can refill your water in the bathroom!!!! I was so pleasantly surprised to see their sinks in the bathroom provided drinking water coz most don’t. It would have helped if they had some more obviously identifiable staff/volunteers around on each floor though to help out as someone was in my table space, I thought I was put in their place but someone arrived a bit later saying I was in their space and they didn’t know where to go, so that was a bit odd and awkward and as I’d never been to the venue it would have helped to have someone to ask. Otherwise though I don’t really have any other feedback and it was a good time.

When it comes to 2025 and onward

I think my plan re: markets from here on will be: markets I have been to and had good experiences of, mainly markets in the Autumn/Winter time due to the run up to Christmas, possibly markets I haven’t been to but people I know and trust have been to and have had success with, and larger events such as festivals and prides even though the table fees are often extortionate. I think it’s worth trying at least one next year. I also must think about the idea of ‘building up’ on stalls, Edie mentioned this to me at the last market we both did together and talked me though her set up and it’s not as heavy or bulky as it looks to me… so yeah I have time but I think it would be worth doing for some markets.

My main focus of 2025 will be contacting shops about stocking my work. I have have a small list of stockists around the UK who stock different items of mine. I’d like to also look into the idea of stocking in shops in Europe, but that’s a LOT of legal stuff to read and understand thanks to Brexit in large part, so for 2025 I’d like to at least start looking into this. Nevermind, there’s been a recent update on selling in and to Europe that makes it almost impossible for small businesses to do due to the cost and requirement of hiring a whole person to manage this. This also includes the whole of Ireland, even though Northern Ireland is technically still the UK… it is also still Europe. So instead of looking into expanding my sales and stocking into Europe, I will be looking further afield such as America, Canada, Australia, and possibly some countries in Asia. There’s a lot of things to read into and understand so I’d like to at least start that research next year to see what my options are like.

I’m in the process of coming up with new marketing ideas for my artwork to help boost sales online. I ordered another batch of business cards as I was close to running out of the last batch, so now I have more to be able to drop off in different shops and venues. I have started doing this, but it can be hard to find the right venues as everywhere is so spread out. I’d need to dedicate myself a day or two at a time with a friend who drives to go door to door more directly without burning myself out. Someone has mentioned doing ads (on social media or posters or in zines) but I don’t really know how I’d create an advertisement poster for my work. I’m also going to be posting quite a long blog about how SEO is screwing small creators over to help people understand that sometimes there isn’t anything else small creators can do themselves without opening their wallet, which is also not an option for many artists. There are a lot of things you can do to support creators you love, and some of them are… weird. The most bizarre one I’ve read recently is that liking depop listings helps circulate that artist’s work in the depop algorithm. So if you have a depop account and want to help me out, go like some of my listings!

If I had more help, I’d schedule more promotional posts across my social media platforms but I focus this mostly on my videos as I push to reach partner by focusing on watch time. I’d also get through contacting shops with stock queries much faster! Alas, I don’t have this support right now, but maybe soon I’ll have enough support to be able to do this a little more.

I’m also considering organising a pop-up and/or an art exhibition with a few friends in Brighton in future. I feel like I understand the majority of the issues for events like this, as an attendee or a seller, to be able to organise something like this successfully.

Stock-wise: I have been selling my stickers and art pieces MAINLY so I shall continue making them for the purposes of stocking shops they are in, and for any markets I do in future. I also sold my patches very well at the Anarchist bookfair and Freedom bookshop were interested in stocking some too, so I shall get back on to making more of these for the purposes of both the shop and the bookfair.

I occasionally sell a bigger piece of art or a home decor sign, but these are quite rare and often online. However, I’d like to find somewhere that would stock my log slice wall-hangings as I really enjoy painting them and I learned to use a drill for this! I think they’re really pretty and they always get compliments but so far no one has actually bought one and I haven’t found anywhere to stock them yet. So even if it ends up being a one time stock of a limited run, then I’d be happy. It’s just sad when something you enjoy making but charge a bit more for because of the labour that goes into them doesn’t sell regardless of what people usually say.

And really, I’ve done well in 2024 in a lot of ways. I started the year with my stock in no shops, and will be ending the year with my work in 7 shops! Getting work into shops and restocking isn’t easy, don’t get me wrong. But I vastly prefer it to the physical labour of markets with not much reward. It doesn’t bring in much monthly at the moment, but I think down the line it could really be a good steady income and have a more streamlined process to it. I’m also offering custom orders for the A6 art pieces from shops, if they’re looking for specific phrases to sell regularly, I’m happy to make stock specifically for retailers in this way. It helps me too, where I may not know the regular customer that comes into each shop and sometimes it’s hard to think of what phrases or slogans to use without much guidance. So I love the idea of being told to make 10 of “they/them causing mayhem” art pieces.

This has been a very long post about business so I’m sorry to those who didn’t want to see a 3,000 word blog post hit your newsfeed, but this is also part of the development of Artie is Arty. I plan to use my blog more as a portfolio website for my different services and my artwork, I’m almost done with each of those pages. I have run into a lot of issues with my writing portfolio page due to many sites that did have my work on display now do not exist so that is still under construction until I work out what to do about this. I also plan on using this space to talk more about my art, where it came from, why I started doing it, my artist statement and more. I felt like this was the right place to start. Giving context for those who may want it whilst also giving a lot of advice to anyone out there struggling like I was (and still am!). Starting fresh with the new year and a new way of doing things.

I will still blog here, I still want to share my recommendations, my how to use this thing, or tips and guides for projects or activities. I’ll still be writing very off-brand posts here and there (I mean the Boots Recycling blog post came out of nowhere I was just super annoyed trying to work out how to use this THING! And apparently so do thousands of other people coz it’s been my top post since I published it!) But now there will also be a bit more reflective and creative work. I’ve found having an online portfolio like this helps me get work and it’s much easier to access if you’re on the go. I’d also like to give a bit more to people who might be wondering about the deeper stuff, not just what I’ve achieved and with who.

So hey! It looks like I might be Sad Artist Blogging in 2025! I hope you’re looking forward to that!

~ Artie

they/them