Lessons from an art fair Art fairs are often seen as the holy grail of art sales and they can be but that’s dependent on a lot of factors and not just simply showing up. Sure, a captive audience turns up with buying in mind but art sales require more than just willing participants on […]

art business, art world demystified, creative careers, selling art

Sheelah Moloney

What art fairs really tell us about art sales

art fair art sales

If you applied for Agility Award funding and didn’t get it, you’re likely feeling disappointed, frustrated and maybe a bit confused. When you’ve put effort into the application and followed the guidelines but you still don’t get the result you hoped for it can feel unfair and despair can start to set in, particularly if […]

art world demystified, career advice, creative careers, funding, Uncategorized

Sheelah Moloney

The Truth About Funding Rejections (Agility Award Edition)

hand held up to reject and say no

Last week I attended an online information session given by the Arts Council on this year’s Agility Award. Here are some of the important things I learned. The Arts Council’s Agility Award is currently open for submissions (deadline 25th April) and this year there have been a few important changes to note and some essentials […]

art world demystified, creative careers, funding, professional development

Sheelah Moloney

5 things to know about the Agility Award (2024)

blog title in search bar

As an artist, understanding what stage your art career is at can be both empowering and insightful. Whether you’re just starting out or have been creating for years, knowing your artistic career stage can help you set goals, make informed decisions and navigate the art world more effectively. So, are you a new, emerging, mid-career, […]

art business, art world demystified, career advice, creative careers, Uncategorized

Sheelah Moloney

How to Determine Your Artistic Career Stage: A Guide for Artists

What is Selling Art as an NFT NFTs are the hot topic in the art news realm these days. So, let’s take a deeper look at what is selling art as an NFT and answer some key questions. Let’s start at the very beginning… What is an NFT? NFT is an acronym for a Non […]

art business, art world demystified, creative careers, selling art

Sheelah Moloney

What is Selling Art as an NFT?

selling art as nft

As an artist you may be wondering, is art gallery representation worth it? Worth it is a subjective term and the answer to the question is dependent on what you want to achieve with your art practice. If you are making work to share with an audience then utilising all the resources available, of which […]

art business, art world demystified, career advice, creative careers, professional development, selling art

Sheelah Moloney

Do I Need Gallery Representation?

art gallery

Three top tips for artists tackling applications for funding, awards and exhibitions It’s that time of year when there are lots of funding, exhibition and award opportunities open for applications. Knuckling down to start filling out the forms can feel daunting and it is easier not to do it but doing it is much better […]

art business, art world demystified, career advice, creative careers

Sheelah Moloney

Apply Yourself

It’s the question that comes up the most often in conversation about art sales, ‘why do galleries take so much commission?’ It is a bone of contention that can stifle a fruitful relationship between artist and gallery before it’s even explored, let alone begun. So, let’s talk about commission and get the matter straight, once […]

art business, art world demystified, creative careers, selling art, Uncategorized

Sheelah Moloney

Why do galleries take so much commission?

girl with money

Having a successful art business is the aim of all artists selling their work. Success is a subjective word though. It’s definition is determined by the goals you’ve set and your overall objectives. That’s why taking a measurement is an important part of running your art business. Here’s why… Benefit of Hindsight Only by taking […]

art business, art world demystified, career advice, professional development, selling art

Sheelah Moloney

Measuring Success

measuring tools

Art sales are hard. If sales aren’t rolling in and you’re doing all you can to generate them, don’t be too hard on yourself. There are a lot of factors involved in closing an art sale. It’s possible that you could make some changes to your approach though. Here are three things that may be […]

art business, art world demystified, career advice, creative careers, professional development, selling art

Sheelah Moloney

Why Your Art Isn’t Selling

selling art