How To Start A Successful Digital Art Business

A digital art business is a viable option to leverage the advancements in technology.

In the current scenario, the digitization of art museums and online auctions is a norm.

Thus, the future of becoming a digital artist entrepreneur seems promising.

Of course, as an artist, you can debut on Instagram. But to pivot your art skills to form a stable business, you need some strategy in the picture.

If you are looking forward to making money as a digital artist. Then, please read further to know how to go about doing it.

How To Start A Successful Digital Art Business

What Defines a Digital Art Business?

Art created through digital technology takes the form of digital art. Digital art could be virtual or its elements could transfer to a physical form as well.

A computer is a basic gadget to create digital art. Though with the advancements in technology there are newer gadgets to create art.

Creating digital art to sell digital/physical products makes a digital art business.

What Types of Art Businesses You Can Digitize?

The short answer to the above question is – ALL.

Yes, all kinds of art can have a digital version. But to provide you with a myriad of possibilities, some of them are as listed below:

1. Backgrounds
2. Book covers and templates
3. Calendars
4. Cards
5. Clip art
6. Designs and patterns for embroidery, sewing, crochet, knitting, laser cutting, etc.
7. Fonts
8. Journals and diaries
9. Paper
10. Photography
11. Planners, organizers, and trackers
12. Portraits, drawings, and illustrations
13. Prints
14. Stamps
15. Stickers
16. Templates
17. Vector Art
18. Videos
19. Washi Tapes
20. Zine

The above list is from the actual digital art selling on Etsy. So, if you are a newbie on Etsy. Then, you can start your handmade business by picking up one of the categories above.

The above list includes a few examples of niches in the handmade digital art business. You can expand it further to include almost every kind of handmade art and craft.

Furthermore, the above list is ever-evolving. Thus, with time, other forms of digital art will include in it.

How to Monetize Digital Art?

If you have picked up one or a few kinds of digital art to sell in your handmade craft shop. You can upload your digital artwork on your Etsy store. But the severe competition on the platform limits your selling potential. Also, if your Etsy shop has closed down. Then, you might face a difficult time in making your digital art business a success.

Hence, the next challenge is to figure out a strategy to sell them. 

I have been able to double up my earnings from digital art in 6 months by following the exact process as below:

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase any of the products mentioned in this article through routing via the links in this post. Then, I may end up receiving a certain monetary percentage from the sale. Though the one who purchases through the link does not end up paying anything extra apart from the mentioned MRP on the product. Full disclosures on the Affiliate Page.

     1.     Learn How to Create Digital Art

This is a no brainer. But because of this logic, I delayed my plans to start a digital art business.

Though I wish I had known that professional designing skills are not mandatory.

It is great if you are a fabulous multimedia designer. But if like me you also lack designing skills. Then, you can hire designers from Fiverr or Upwork. Also, you can buy design bundles from websites like Creative Market.

But you will see positive results in developing design skills. I confess that I cannot operate sophisticated design softwares like Adobe and CorelDraw. But I can use Canva and Picmonkey to my advantage.

A little search on the internet will help you explore the options to create all kinds of digital art. But if you plan to make Planners and Organizers as I do. Then, you must consider enrolling in Suzi’s course Printables by Number. That course also teaches creating coloring books and nursery art.  Moreover, it also teaches how to come up with funnels to sell digital products.  Hence, it is a course worth investing in. 

I owe this course for teaching me how to create and sell printable planners. That is how my income increased after implementing the strategies in this course.

If you are a pro digital artist. Then, you can skip this step.

     2.     Create a Shop to Start a Digital Art Business

Your designs/ products must have an address where your audience can view and buy.

A digital shop serves that process well.

It houses the products and becomes an accelerator in monetization.

Thus, a digital shop is a must for setting up a digital art business. There are several options for the same. Some of them are as follows:

1. Gumroad – This is what I am using to host my printables. You can use my invitation link to open your account for free.
2. E-junkie – It is an economical option to start a minimal store for 5$/ month.
3. Send Owl – You can upgrade to this option to sell upsells at a low monthly cost.
4. Shopify – It is the most popular e-commerce storefront that increases conversions. It comes with tons of features through integrations with various apps. But it can get expensive if you are a beginner crafter.
5. ThriveCart – I intend to switch to this one since it has tons of options for upsells and order bumps. Also, its one-time payment for a lifetime plan seems impressive.

     3.     Bring Traffic to Your Store

Traffic is the most needed aspect of selling digital art. At times, even the established artists struggle to bring eyeballs to their online stores. Hence, for a newbie, the challenges are prominent.  

So, if you wish to know how to make money as an artist online. Then, you ought to understand how to bring traffic to your digital shop.

This topic needs a separate post. But to summarize the concept, there are three possible ways to generate a stream of traffic. They are:

• SEO Optimized Content
• Social Media
• Advertising

You can dive into one or more of the above as per your levels of understanding of the concepts.

I use all the 3 to bring in new visitors to my store. But amongst all, working on an SEO craft blog brings in the best results.

A well-maintained blog helps sell from any or all of your stores. That way, it can even help you to begin selling digital art on Etsy along with a stand-alone store.

Conclusion

If selling digital art is anywhere in your art business plan. Then, it makes sense to explore the options beyond selling clipart on Etsy. 

The field is vast and has several options for monetization.

Operation costs of running a Fine art business increase because of high shipping costs. That is why adding digital products to the portfolio helps in bringing quick wins.

Hence, if you are looking forward to turning your hobby into a business, this article is for you.

Below Image Source: Pixabay

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