How to Make Money Selling Art Online - Mindset Shift

The Artist and the Businessperson: Two Sides You Need to Make Money Selling Art Online

When you decide to make money by selling art online, you have to understand that you're stepping into two roles — not just one. You're now both the artist and the businessperson.

You have to know how to drive both identities. And you have to make room for both, even when it’s not comfortable.

Your Artist Self

For your artist self — you have to be as original and as authentic as you can. That’s your edge. You can explore different styles, experiment, evolve. Most artists I’ve met are naturally great at this and feel comfortable staying in this zone.

Creating is fun. It's expressive. You can paint, draw, sculpt, or design anything that speaks to you. There’s freedom here, and that’s the soul of your work.

Your Businessperson Self

As your business self, the mindset has to shift. This is no longer just about your vision — it’s about strategy, alignment, and real results.

You have to look at every part of your process through the eyes of your customers and the market.

In product — you have to think from your customer’s perspective.

Let’s say you’re selling pins, t-shirts, and notebooks based on your art. Maybe you personally love the t-shirts. But if they’re not selling and the notebooks are — you focus on what’s working.

The products you choose to commercialize shouldn’t be based on what you hope people will want. They should be based on what people are already responding to. That’s how you build sustainable revenue.

In marketing — you have to respect the market.

As an artist, you might feel like TikTok is too messy or not visually refined enough. But from a business standpoint, TikTok gives you organic reach — something Instagram, for example, has largely reserved for already-viral accounts.

The market is the market. You don’t have to change who you are, but you do have to meet people where they are.

Balance and Reality

Making money as an artist is harder than just making art. And it’s harder than running a typical business. You have to make overall good choices for both identities — the creative and the commercial.

You have to seize opportunities when they come. And when they don’t? You create them.

The truth is, both sides of you — the artist and the businessperson — need the same core traits to thrive:

• Perseverance. You have to keep showing up. Keep learning. Keep adapting.
• Enjoying the process. You have to love the making. And yeah — you have to enjoy it when the dough starts rolling in too.

That’s the game. And if you can play both roles well enough — not perfectly, but well enough — you give yourself a real shot at turning your art into a life.

Need Help Building an Online Presence?

At Webstar NYC, we help artists like you build clean, modern websites that sell — without losing your unique style. We also offer business consulting to help you make smarter decisions around pricing, product strategy, and branding.

If you're serious about learning how to make money selling art online, having a strong, well-designed website is one of the most important steps — and we're here to guide you through it.

👉 Visit nyc.webstarweb.com to learn more.