2025 Goals & My Thoughts on Marketing🤔

Do you have your 2025 goals figured out yet? I’ve sure been trying to nail down where to focus Natalie’s Art this year. I’ve hit a bit of a snag: After diving deep into online marketing, I’ve discovered… I don’t really like what I’ve learned. It doesn’t feel like me.

That’s scary to admit, but I know I’m not alone. If you’re an artist or you sell online, have you ever felt this way? Does marketing feel like a natural extension of your work—or more like a puzzle you’re still trying to solve?

In this post, I’ll share what I’ve learned about marketing, the challenges I’m facing, and the questions I’m still exploring. This post is a little different than usual in that I'm sharing a behind the scenes look at what it's like being an artist in our online world.

Whether you sell art, a creative service, or enjoy seeing how things work behind the scenes, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Message me here and let’s chat! I’ve got lots of questions for you in this blog post! ❓🤔

A Little Background

I’m an artist, and here’s my goal:

“To be a happy and relaxed artist who creates art and helps others experience the joy of art—whether by purchasing my work or learning from my creative journey through education and inspiration.”

For me, being a happy and relaxed artist means satisfying my creative curiosity. Are you like me? Do you love to learn? What have you been exploring lately? Do you enjoy diving into a new skill, practicing it, and then moving on to the next exciting thing?

That’s me in a nutshell! My love of learning is evident in the variety of my artwork and the ever-growing collection of art supplies in my studio. I know some of you can relate! 😁 You can check out a sample of my work.

Where I’m still learning, though, is the final part of my goal—selling. How can I share the joy of my art and creative knowledge with others if I don’t market it effectively?

What I’ve Learned About Selling and Online Marketing

Marketing, whether online or in person, is all about connection. Back when I worked as a software engineer, I was part of the sales process—I demonstrated our software and answered questions. I wasn’t involved in pricing and contracts (and I was fine with that! 😊). I’ve always been more of a techie at heart.

Now, as an artist, I see marketing in a whole new way. Art is meant to be shared, and to share it, I need to invite people into my creative world. That’s where marketing comes in.

I’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand what makes marketing work, and here are the biggest takeaways that have stuck with me:

1. People are looking for something that enhances their lives. Whether it’s solving a problem or fulfilling a desire, we all seek things that make our world better in some way.
   
   
   • Does purchasing art on products solve a problem? Maybe but not so much. I think it fulfills a desire. And while most marketers teach solving problems, I think artwork fits into the desire category. This is important because of #2
     
     
2. Marketing is about showing people how what you offer fits into their life. It’s not just about selling—it’s about sharing what your product brings to their lives, whether that’s a new perspective, a sense of beauty, or a creative spark.
   
   
   • Think about how purchasing artwork or creative education provides a desired change for you.. Does it spruce up your home or workspace and bring you a little happiness break in your day? Is your kitchen more inviting with colorful art?  Do pretty throw pillows or wallpaper make you happy? I know I love my phone case – it protects my phone yes – but I love it because it makes me smile!
     
     
   • How do you feel when you learn new creative skills? Does it bring joy and relaxation into your life? That’s exactly my experience and this feeling is what experts say we should focus on with our marketing.
     
     
3. Relationships matter. People like to buy from those they know, like, and trust. Building that trust happens over time—by showing up, providing value, and being authentic in how you connect with your audience.
   
   
   • Being online is a challenge because people don’t get to know you the traditional way. This makes social media and email lists super important which leads to #4.
     
     
   • What does ‘providing value’ mean in this context? Many experts say it’s sharing your skills with others to help them experience ‘little wins’ (often free of cost) that may lead to more interest and purchases.
     
     
4. Visibility is key. Finding the right audience means being present where they are—whether that’s on social media, in email inboxes, or through other online communities.
   
   
   • Identifying where your people are online – which apps they use for example – is key to gaining visibility.
     
     
5. An email list is gold. Unlike social media, where only a fraction (5-10%!) of your followers see your posts, email allows for a deeper, more direct connection with those genuinely interested in your work.
   
   

There is much more to it, but these are the core ideas I’ve found most helpful can yet so challenging. And now you know them too!

The Unique Challenge of Marketing Art

One of the things I’ve wrestled with is how art fits into traditional marketing principles. A lot of marketing advice focuses on solving pain points—but art isn’t always about solving a problem.

Sure, I suppose someone could buy a piece of wall art to cover a hole in their wall (ChatGPT did list that as a reason for buying artwork😆), but that’s not the reason most people invest in art – I hope!

Instead, art fulfills a desire—a desire for beauty, for self-expression, for something that makes a space feel more like home. The same goes for creative courses. Someone might take a photography course not because they need to, but because they want to experience the joy of capturing beautiful images. And they may want to establish or enhance a hobby or even learn to sell their photos.

This realization has been a game-changer for me.  My marketing doesn’t need to focus on fixing problems—it needs to celebrate what art and creativity bring to lives.

Here are my conclusions

My goal is clear: I want to sell my artwork and my courses in a way that feels authentic—to share beauty, creativity, and inspiration, while also making my business sustainable which means – it makes money.

While marketing isn’t my favorite part (yet? 😅), I’m learning it’s necessary. After writing this all up, I’ve realized it can be easier if I enlist some expert help. Going it alone is hard when it’s not my ‘thing’.

In my heart, I just want to say:

🌻 “Here’s my art—if it speaks to you, you can buy it here.”

📸 “Here’s my online photography course—if it’s what you’ve been looking for, I’d love to teach you.”

That feels genuine to me. But it’s not really how it works. Ultimately, the key is to find my audience—the people who naturally resonate with my work and experience —and invite them to be part of my creative journey. And yes, that means marketing.

Your Thoughts?

I’d love to hear from you! You can email me here.

• If you sell online, what has worked best for you?
• Have you ever bought something simply because it spoke to you? How did you find out about it? Where’d you see it? Why was it a memorable experience?
• Do you see marketing differently now? What have you observed that is new to you?

I hope this post has given you some insights into both marketing and my journey as an artist.

Now, the next time you see an ad, a post, or an email about something for sale, maybe you’ll start to notice the marketing principles behind it. I know I do!

Bye for now,
Natalie 😎