Do I need to have a niche as an artist?

No niche=starving artist. That’s the way of the internet and, let’s be realistic, the art world. Art is a saturated market no matter how you look at it, and it can be impossible to leave your proverbial mark. We all get it, but is it possible to make it as an artist if you can’t stand the thought of boxing yourself into one medium or one style?

The hard truth no artist wants to hear

YES! It is possible BUT… You will have to work 10x harder than someone who has a niche. You will have ups and downs. One art form takes off, and then your audience grows cold when you move to the next. You will have slower growth in audience, sales, and even skills. You need to understand this simple truth before you can begin to take the next step. However, if you have tried to niche down, but you have the attention span of a squirrel, then read on.

Build the audience for your art personality

If you can’t make them fall in love with all of your art, then make them fall in love with YOU. Your success will depend solely on how you deliver your artwork to your audience. Can you entertain them with all the new stuff you are learning? Make a YouTube video on your first experience with watercolors. Would they like a Pinterest board of all your tips and tricks for digital art? Do they want a gallery-Esque website to purchase prints of your artwork? Do they want to see all the pretty things on Instagram? It’s time to do some experimenting.

Make artwork EVERYWHERE… then find a niche, or two, or three.

Test everything, with everything, on everything. Test it again, and see what sticks. Try different platforms and different methods of delivery, and something magical starts to happen. You discover hot spots. This content works well on this platform, and they love it. The “aha!” has struck. Now you can access all of your avenues and begin to plan something sustainable. We can’t be everywhere all at once, but we can be in a few places most of the time. Your growth will still be slow, but you won’t stagnate!

Squirrel away with me. The art hub for multi-interest artists

My name is Sara Ferrari. I am the artist behind Sparrow Springs and creator of Art Squirrels. After a long and frustrating decade of trying to find a niche, I gave up. Now I want to provide a place where I can provide resources for all different kinds of artists. Don’t stop trying new things just because it isn’t a recipe for instant success. Let’s learn together and have some fun doing it.