I've been helping artists learn how to sell their art since 2009. Join our email list for tips on selling fine art, email, social media, and marketing strategy.
AI and Fine Art Business, Part 2 🤖🎨
Hi Reader
Last week I wrote a new blog post on the effect of AI on fine art businesses. The post had some great and thoughtful responses via email (people don't really comment anymore). A lot of artists are understandably upset about the mere suggestion that AI might be used anywhere in the creative process.
As one reader said, creativity should remain in the hands of humans. See a great video discussion about this on Steven Zapata's YouTube channel.
My response to that reader was that I'm fully in agreement that the act of creativity is a uniquely human gift and our desire for things that are tangible and/or experiential is a powerful force. For example, I think it's the driving force behind the resurgence in the sale of vinyl records.
One of the fundamental misunderstandings of AI is that AI by itself is not creative at all. It literally cannot come up with new ideas. But humans, including artists like yourself, can come up with prompts that combine different ideas together.
The conversation about AI has turned nasty in some places, with proponents of AI telling artists they should learn to code or pushing out artists who don't want to use these tools. Last week the Smithsonian published a piece on Keith Haring's Unfinished Painting (a comment on the death of so many people during the AIDS epidemic).
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A Twitter user used AI to 'complete' the piece and reactions were predictably negative.
What is an artist who wants to make a living from their work to do?
Learn the Fundamentals of Business
The fear of the rapid pace of innovation is understandable. I started TAA shortly after Twitter launched, and before Instagram was invented. Major changes come every few years, but the artists who learn to make good work, build a relationship with collectors, and do the work to market themselves will be best positioned to find a way to keep going.
Our latest cohort for How to Sell Your Art Online 101 is open for enrollment now. We start January 22 and we're only taking 10 artists this time around. There's 8 spots left. Learn more or join us here.
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In the course we're going to spend some time talking about AI, how to respond to it, and discuss what the near term future might look like.
That is, of course, on top of learning the fundamentals of growing your audience and selling your art.
See you Monday!
Cory
The Abundant Artist: How to Sell Your Art
by Cory Huff
I've been helping artists learn how to sell their art since 2009. Join our email list for tips on selling fine art, email, social media, and marketing strategy.
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