What do your customers want from your artwork? Is it creativity, composition, color, realism, materials, value, representation, reputation, or something else? Most likely, it is a complex combination of these features. Over time, the importance of these traits to your customers will change. But, how well you fulfill these desired attributes will determine the quality of your work.
“Quality” can be both objective and subjective. If a piece of art breaks immediately for no apparent reason; most would consider it “low-quality.” But what is the value of your friend’s opinion on a work? Both have a significant impact. The perception of the quality of your artwork is also impacted by branding, previous experience with you and your work, reputation, published articles and comments, price, design, saleperson(s), return policies, ease of installation, durability, customer service, and comparisons to your competition. Many of these are within your control; some are not.
There is something you can do. Critique your artwork and how you present it to customers by asking these questions:
1) How do you want to help your customers?
2) What services do your customers want?
3) What services do you actually provide?
4) What services does your competition and others provide?
5) What is you customers’ service demand patterns? Do they require a lot of attention at time of purchase, but quickly fade away? Or is it the opposite because pieces need a lot of maintenance and repairs over time?
6) What trade-offs are your customers willing to make: speed, cost, or efficiency?
Honestly, you probably don’t know the answers right now as they can change frequently. So, don’t be afraid to ask for customer feedback, send surveys, conduct interviews, test products, analyze the competition, and review market research. Art and business are both creative endeavors.
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Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children’s Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold thousands of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.
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