How are artists taken advantage of and preyed upon?

1. Artists are not only asked to pay to enter art contests, but they also pay in materials, framing supplies, and shipping. 

Artists are exerting a tremendous amount of effort, time, and money for the false hope of winning a pointless prize that they’re unlikely to win. 

Who wins here? The art contests the organizers. If you know your niche, you won’t fall for this and other scams, you won’t fall for this. You don’t look for prizes; you look for sales. 

2. People have no shame in asking artists to donate their art.

Artists are approached under the false guise of exposure or to assist a “good cause.”

Everyone else who donates gets a tax deduction; the artist doesn’t.

If you know your niche, you won’t fall for this and other scams because you know that when your art sells at a discount at a charity auction, and it will, the value of your art declines and your reputation as an artist is damaged.

3. Artists are to give away or discount their art by their friends and family. 

If you know your niche, then you know that your enterprise is part of the luxury retail market. 

Discounting your art is shooting yourself in the foot. You’re degrading the value of your offer. 

You also know that it is unfair to you and to the people who did pay you the full price. 

If your family loves you and if your friends are your friends, then they will not ask for a discount, and you should never offer it. 

Bake them a cake or take them out to lunch but do not discount your art. 

4. People have no shame in asking artists to work for free under the false promise of exposure. 

Who works for free? Slaves and indentured servants. 

If you know your niche, you won’t fall for this because you know this is just a way for someone to get something for free. If someone values your art, then they should pay for it. 

5. People dupe artists into donating and even surrendering their copyright again under the pretense of exposure.

If you know your niche, you won’t fall for this because you know that your copyright not only represents your brand, but it is a real financial asset representing current and future income. 

6. Art galleries are renting display space for artists. 

They have learned that it is more profitable to sell false hope to artists, and it provides a more regular source of income. Therefore, they have no real motivation to sell your art.

“Prestigious” art show organizers are stroking the artist’s egos by having them submit their art to shows where artists pay for the privilege of rejection from self-appointed judges.

The only contest that you should enter is for your target market’s time and attention. 

7. Artists routinely on the receiving end of email sales scams. 

Many artists receive emails stating that someone’s wife or husband was admiring their art, which is the beginning of a lure to scam artists.

8. Art schools give out partial scholarships. 

Art school scholarships are giving art students and their proud parents a false sense of hope, often leading leads to a lifetime of inescapable student loans and credit card debt by art schools.

9. Art galleries don’t pay artists what they agreed to pay them. 

Have you ever wondered why art galleries don’t display the prices of the art? It’s because it is a common practice to manipulate the price to match the prospect. If the art gallery sells art for more than the artist agreed to, the artists have no way of knowing. 

10. Overcrowded online art market places are discounting artists’ art and making them liable for the cost of overseas shipping and tariffs.

Sites like Saatchi routinely discount inventory that they do not own. Can you imagine if you were listing something on eBay, and they swooped in and lowered your price without your full consent? How can Saatchi do this? Because artists who come from a scarcity mentality do not value their art. 

The best way to protect yourself, and to thrive, is to know the clear value that you can offer to your target market your niche.

Have you been taken advantage of or ripped of? 

Please comment below and share what happened to you in the comments below.

The truth will set you free, and it could alert other artists about common predatory practices.