To self promote or not… that is my question

I have recently come to the realization that if I want to compete (sell more) in the art world today I need to promote myself because no one is going to do it for me. I have a very hard time with self promotion especially when it comes to my blog and self promotion. I try not tooting my own horn on anything but the flip side is I want to because I want to sell more. I want to stand on the top of the tallest building (or boat) and scream, “I’m king of the world!”

I hope my out come is better than his was.

Okay maybe not, did you see the movie? Anyways, I have been thinking about this for a while. I don’t want to bombard everyone I know and my Followers with my self promotion but I want people to check out my stuff (maybe buy some things.) How do I strike a balance between self promoting and spamming? I guess that is the crossroads I am at. Do I promote my art work and jewelry on my blog or don’t I? If I do promote I will only do it once a week because I feel sheepish promoting anything I sell more than that.

The other thing I find extremely difficult is pricing. Honestly I think promotion and pricing go hand in hand. If you promote, your are promoting an item you priced. Is that price right or will people roll their eyes at it? I have been told that my prices are way too low on my paintings especially since I donate 50% to the National Wildlife Federation. I have never charged more than a $100 for a painting even a 9″x12″ painting I think the most I have ever charged is $75-$90. I don’t paint on large canvas, I paint small extremely detailed paintings making pricing even more difficult. There is no magic formula for me, how I wish there was. I go by size and medium: watercolor is the cheapest, acrylics next and then pen and inks because they take the most time. I am pretty sure I under value how much time it takes to do a piece. I don’t take into consideration if a painting took 1 hour or 8 hours I base everything on size and medium. I think part of me thinks no one will ever buy anything from me if a piece is priced over $100.

I have stated before that this blog has helped me come out of my shell when it comes to showing my work and works in progress. I guess self promotion is the next logical step even if it is way out of my comfort zone. I promise I won’t spam but maybe a friendly reminder every now and then will be a good thing!