New Store Launched for Originals and Prints
At the beginning of this year, I posted about my plans to expand my marketing platform and hinted about an intent to leave Zatista, the primary marketplace for my art. I was grateful for the opportunity to work with them as they only accept 5% of the artists that apply and the exposure it gave me when I started marketing my art. I was optimistic about the impact it would have, especially when I sold a piece through them early on.
The sale was a learning experience as there were additional costs I hadn't factored in. There was the normal 45% commission that I knew about - low in comparison to some galleries and average for others. There were affiliate commissions that could add an additional 10% plus the frequent sales throughout the year that could be up to 20%. On top of that, I had to pay for shipping. I had to raise my prices accordingly with some pieces doubling in price. On more than a few occasions, I had people comment they wish they could afford my paintings. That's not how I wanted this to be.
I was laid off from my corporate gig in July and decided it was time to fully devote my time to my creative endeavors. Not only did I want to offer my original paintings at a lower price point, I wanted to offer limited runs of prints of those pieces so that my work was accessible to most. I've also been a photographer for 20 years and wanted to offer prints of that work as well.
The new store checks all these boxes and paves the way for even more. I'm currently offering a few original paintings for sale with more to follow. All pieces have a price point $1000 lower than when they were listed on Zatista and have free shipping. I'm rolling out limited edition canvas prints of my original paintings. I'm also offering limited edition photography prints, an area that will expand a great deal over the next year.
There's currently a grand opening sale offering 10% off purchases by entering OPEN10 at checkout. To get 15%, just subscribe to the email list.