Underexposed

As a working artist, usually there comes a time, where we need to think about exposure and how to get it, or ultimately we will be left underexposed. Our choices are wholesale, shows and commissions.
Wholesale seems like we have devalued ourselves, before we have even began, yet it is a great place to start to get exposure to a larger market.We prepare a cross-section of works and discount them. Selling in volume is key. Sell only items which we are willing to sell at a discounted rate. Items with high labour and low profit to begin with (lost leaders so to speak) are not the items to wholesale.
Shows are another way of getting known and selling work. Having an annual show of our own is one of the first places to start. Following this with a number of local shows which are not too expensive, have reduced travel time and still give us the opportunity to advertise & sell our works, is the next step. Once you have a group of shows that give you the feel for the show curcuit, move on to some larger shows. More expensive entry and promise of volumes of people do not always pan out so sort through the opportunities with logic. Tips from other artists as to which shows work and which ones do not are also helpful. Keeping in mind though, that a show that is a complete success or complete flop one year can be the exact opposite the next year.
Commissions are great to get visible to a new crowd of people and often amount to the same kind of profit margin as wholesale. We are simply not guaranteed sales, like wholesale.

All options considered, find which èxposure suits your schedule, lifestyle and views as an artist, and you will not be left ùnderexposed.