E8 | Reframing Your Low Art Sales: Focusing on People, Not Numbers

In this episode, I’m talking about something a lot of artists are facing right now—the drop in sales, even with the holiday season upon us. I also want to share a little trick that helps me manage any worry: practicing gratitude! By shifting our focus from just the numbers to the amazing people behind those sales, we can cultivate a healthier mindset. This approach not only makes us feel better but can also lead to smarter decision-making. 

00:00 Introduction to the Quietly Thriving Artist Podcast
00:38 Addressing the Decline in Art Sales
02:38 Practicing Gratitude in Tough Times
03:32 Focusing on the People Behind the Numbers
05:35 Making Better Decisions with a Positive Mindset
06:54 Conclusion and Encouragement

Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Quietly Thriving Artist Podcast, a podcast designed for sensitive and introverted artists who are looking for alternative ways to build a flourishing business that works in harmony with who they are. I'm your host, Patricia Vargas. Join me as I share how I let go of the extroverted marketing and sales advice and embarked on a journey of self discovery.

[00:00:21] Through a combination of licensing, selling art prints, sustainable marketing, and implementing human design, I shifted my business from burnout to one that honors the natural rhythms of my energy. My mission is to guide introverted artists in discovering their path to a quietly thriving business.

[00:00:38] Hello, and welcome to another episode. So something that I've been seeing a lot of online lately is artists talking about, or asking other artists, if their sales have also been low this year. And how they're feeling discouraged and maybe now they're panicking a little bit because they thought that the holidays would bring a pick up in sales, because you know traditionally this is a time when people buy gifts, but it hasn't affected their sales like they were hoping for.

[00:01:09] And now they're feeling sad and frustrated and confused. And so I just want to spend a few minutes with this episode and help us reframe and recenter ourselves. So first of all, if you've also seen a downturn in sales, Just know that you are not alone. A lot of people saw a dip in revenue, myself included.

[00:01:34] And I have talked to people from different industries, like mortgage companies, to retail, to hospitality, and so many are just like, “Oh my gosh, it's been so slow”, or “Things have just really gone down this year”. And they've expressed a lot of the same sentiments that we, as artists, have expressed about our sales.

[00:01:55] So, you know, it's not just us.

[00:01:57] Over my many years in business, I have learned that the worst thing that we can do is fall into a state of panic and take it personally.

[00:02:06] You know, this is not the time to berate ourselves. I mean, it's never really the time to do that, but especially right now. This is not the time to think that we're suddenly not good enough because we are, or that our art sucks because it doesn't, or, you know, that people just suddenly don't want to buy your work anymore because they do.

[00:02:26] And this is not the time to speak negatively about ourselves or about our art. I know that this is a scary time and we can acknowledge that. But we can't let it overtake us. So something that I have found extremely helpful is practicing gratitude. And that means being grateful for every single order that comes in, and for everyone who visits my website or opens up my emails. When you're selling mostly or solely online, like I am, it can be really easy to focus only on the numbers because that's a lot of what we see. When we open up our Shopify dashboard all we see is our sales numbers. When we open up our email campaigns, all we see are numbers. How many people opened our email?

[00:03:16] How many people didn't open our email? How many people clicked? When we go on Instagram, how many likes did we get? How many likes did we not get? How many people unsubscribed? You know, and it just becomes this sort of blur of numbers, 

[00:03:32] and we can easily forget that behind all of those numbers are actual real life people who have families and friends and hopes and desires. They're actual people. 

[00:03:45] If you've only met a portion of your sales goals this month or this year in general and are feeling bad about it, you can choose to focus instead on the people behind those sales

[00:03:58]and be grateful for them. Again, that was someone who was so excited to purchase your art that they looked at it. Maybe they looked at all of your pictures. They read all of the description and they thought about it. They came back to it, and then they sat there and they said, “Today's the day that I'm going to finally buy this, and I'm so freaking excited to have this in my home”.

[00:04:22] And then they pushed that buy button, and maybe after that, they kept checking to see when it was going to ship. And then when it shipped, they were so excited that they tried to make sure that they could pick it up when it arrived, or that they would be there when it would arrive. And then when they finally opened it up, they absolutely loved it.

[00:04:42] And when you start thinking about the impact that you just made on that one person, even though it's just one sale out of your goal, when you think about that individual person and how happy you made them- how happy your art made them, that feels really good.

[00:05:01] And even if you didn't end up selling anything this holiday season, maybe you got really good comments or feedback, that's also something to be grateful for. Somebody looked at that and it touched them in some way and said, either out loud or in their head, like, “Wow, that's really beautiful!”

[00:05:21] That matters because they could be future customers or they could be a future referral. You never know. And it's also worth being grateful for those types of interactions. Now of course when there's financial pressure to meet your goal, because you need to pay for things. I know that this can seem a little bit like, “Yeah, yeah, that's all well and good, but that doesn't pay my bills”. But just think about how hard it is to make good decisions when you're in a bad headspace. I know that it's really hard for me to see things clearly when I've fallen down the negative rabbit hole, which I am really easily susceptible to as a HSP, and this is why I like thinking about the people behind the sales, the website traffic, the followers, the email subscribers, they are all people who are supporting our journey in some way.

[00:06:15] And being grateful for them helps keep the negative thoughts at bay. And when we're in a good headspace, we can make better decisions that aren't based on false perceptions, like us thinking that we're suddenly not good enough. Our art is not the problem. Things are just really weird right now. And the only thing that we can do is adjust to the best of our abilities and ride out that wave and not let the negativity consume us.

[00:06:43] I've been doing this for over a decade, and have come to learn and accept that everything is rhythmic, and this dip in consumer sales will pass. So just hang in there, you're not alone. Take some time today to recenter yourself, make a list of all the good things that have happened so far, for every sale, for every website visitor or comment you get

[00:07:07] say a little thank you, and soak in that goodness.

[00:07:11] Alright, that is it for me. If you have enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing or sharing it with a friend. I am very grateful for you taking the time to listen today and I will see you over in the next one.