What Do People Want From Art?

When people think about an art business, the obvious answer to this question might be: people want something beautiful to hang on their wall.

And, of course, sometimes they do.

But after working as a professional artist, I’ve come to realise that what people want from art can be much broader than simply buying a finished piece.

People might want something to look at every day. They might want to own something that feels personal or meaningful. They might want to understand the person who made it. They might want to have a go themselves. They might simply want to spend some time doing something creative.

And if you are trying to build a sustainable art business, it is worth thinking about all of those different ways that people might want to engage.

Importantly, this isn't really a pick and choose list. A successful art business doesn't

necessarily need to do every single thing on here, but having several different ways for people to connect with your work can make a big difference.

1. Something people can buy

The most obvious one first.

If you are selling art, people need to have something they can actually buy — and ideally there should be options at different price points.

For some people, that might mean an original painting or drawing. For others, an original simply isn't within their budget, or perhaps they don't have the space for one.

That is where prints and other products can be useful. Depending on the type of artwork you make, this might include:

• Limited or open edition prints, in different sizes and presentations (e.g. with or without a mount or frame) and on different surfaces

• Greeting cards

• Stickers

• Postcards

• Notebooks or other paper goods

• Other products that genuinely make sense for your artwork

The important word here is appropriate. It can be tempting to put an artwork on absolutely everything because, technically, you can. But a good art product should feel like a natural extension of the artwork rather than an excuse to put an image on a mug. If you are using suppliers to help create prints and other products, it's important to do your research and work with a company that fits with your values and your art.

For me, this is also where the idea of not always needing something new comes in. There can be opportunities to create products from existing materials, offcuts, donated materials or things that would otherwise be discarded.

The aim isn't simply to create more things.

It is to create things that people genuinely want to own and use.

2. A connection with the artist

People don't just buy what an artist makes. Quite often, they buy into the story, ideas and person behind it too.

That doesn't necessarily mean sharing every aspect of your personal life online. It simply means giving people enough of a sense of who you are and why you make what you make.

A biography is essential, and I think for art it is much more useful when it tells people something about the person behind the artwork rather than simply listing qualifications, exhibitions and dates.

Everyone has a story.

Why did you start making art?

What interests you?

What experiences have influenced your work?

Why do you use particular materials?

What are you trying to explore?

What keeps you coming back to making?

The same applies to the artwork itself.

A description that simply says "mixed media on board, 30 × 40 cm" tells someone what an artwork is made from and how big it is. It doesn't necessarily tell them why they might care about it.

Explaining something about the process, inspiration or ideas behind a piece can give people another way into the work.

This is why things such as an artist biography, artwork descriptions, a website, social media, newsletters and lookbooks can all be valuable.

They aren't just marketing tools - they are ways of allowing people to understand the practice behind the finished object.

3. A way to get involved

One of the things I have found particularly interesting is that many people who enjoy buying art also enjoy making art themselves.

There is something quite natural about this.

You see something someone has created and think, I'd love to have a go at that.

Or perhaps you are interested in the materials they use, the techniques they have developed or simply the experience of spending an hour or two making something.

This creates another opportunity for an artist: giving people a way to get involved.

That could mean:

• An in-person workshop

• An informal art group

• An online class

• A recorded creative session

• A short taster activity

• A 1:1 session

• A demonstration

• Or just an opportunity to spend some time with you in your studio, experimenting with the same materials or process that you use

  
  

It doesn't have to be a formal art course. And it certainly doesn't have to involve standing at the front of a room telling people how to paint.

The best approach is probably the one that feels comfortable and authentic to you.

If your practice is quiet and exploratory, perhaps your workshops should be too. If you love experimenting with unusual materials, perhaps that becomes part of the experience. If you enjoy drawing with other people, maybe the opportunity is simply to get together and draw.

There is value in allowing people to experience the process, rather than only seeing the finished product.

4. Somewhere to go next

Finally, people may want to continue their relationship with your work.

Someone might buy one print and then discover that they love the rest of the collection.

Someone might attend a workshop and decide they'd like to do something more substantial.

Someone might simply want to hear about what you are making next.

This means it is useful to give people somewhere to go next.

A regular newsletter can be a simple way of doing this. It gives people the opportunity to hear about new artwork, upcoming workshops, exhibitions, creative projects or other things happening within your practice without relying entirely on social media algorithms.

There may also be opportunities for more structured forms of ongoing involvement, such as memberships, regular creative sessions, subscription-based content or a series of workshops.

Again, it doesn't have to be complicated.

The important thing is that the relationship doesn't necessarily have to end when someone clicks buy.

Art can be more than a product

Looking at all of these things together has changed the way I think about an art business.

It isn't simply:

Make art → put it up for sale → hope someone buys it.

There are lots of different ways that people can engage with creativity. They can own something. They can learn something. They can make something. They can understand something. They can connect with someone. They can come back and do it all again.

And I think that is particularly relevant to the idea behind The Making Practice.

The Making Practice isn't intended to be simply a shop for things I've made. It is about exploring the wider role that creativity can play in everyday life — through making, noticing, experimenting, learning, sharing and connecting.

That means the artwork itself is only one part of the picture.

There might be something to buy. There might be something to read. There might be something to try. There might be a workshop to join, a creative idea to take into family life, a new way of looking at everyday materials, or simply an invitation to put the phone down for a while and make something with your hands.

Because perhaps what people want from art isn't always art in the traditional sense.

Perhaps sometimes they want the opportunity to make, to notice, to understand or simply to experience something differently.

And perhaps that is where the most interesting part of an art practice begins.