Episode 123 | Paint Rest Repeat Podcast for Artists

In a Nutshell: My very first art sale was to my mum — and that's more normal than you'd think. In this post, I'm sharing the story of how I started selling my art: the things I tried that went nowhere (an unused Etsy shop, boosted Instagram posts, garage-sale-style markets, ill-fitting competitions), and the five fundamentals I wish I'd prioritised from day one — your vision, your art, your story, your people, and your invitation. Whether you're waiting for your first sale or you've already made many, these five are always worth checking in on.

Here for the links references in the episode?

Join me for the Sell Your Art Your Way Challenge, a free 5-day challenge starting Monday, September 7, 2026. : https://www.permissiontopaint.co/sellyourart

Episode 123: Listen using the player below, or click on your favourite listening platform to subscribe and listen there:

My first sale wasn't glamorous. It was my mum.

Every artist remembers their first sale.

For some, it starts with someone standing in front of their work saying, "Gosh, this is so gorgeous, you really have to start selling it." For others, it's simpler than that — you've just got too many paintings taking up space and you want them to go and live somewhere else.

Mine came from neither. I started selling my work for fun. I was painting regularly, decided to make it available for purchase, and my first real shot came through the Belle Magazine art show at the New South Wales Art Gallery.

I was thrilled. My art, in an actual gallery, hanging for anyone to see. About an hour into the opening, a red dot appeared next to my painting. I was blown away.

I ran over to tell my family. And then I noticed the funny look on my mum's face.

She was the buyer.

It was a strange, twofold feeling. I was so touched that she'd support me like that. And underneath it, a little disappointed it wasn't a stranger, a member of the public, someone who didn't already love me unconditionally.

If that sounds familiar, you're in very good company. In all my years coaching artists, I don't think I've worked with a single one whose first sale wasn't to someone in their family and friends circle. It is completely normal.

And here's the part that matters more than who bought it: someone was willing to part with real money for something I made. That painting still hangs in my mum's living room today, right where you see it when you walk in. It means something to her, and it started something in me.

The things I tried that didn't work (and I don't regret a single one)

From that first sale, I tried a lot of things to get my art further out into the world. Some worked beautifully. Others were dead ends that cost me time and money I didn't need to spend. Here's what I'd skip if I were starting again.

Etsy. I paid someone to professionally set up my shop. What I didn't understand yet was that having a shop doesn't create traffic — you still have to send people there. I made exactly zero sales.

Local markets, badly curated. My early market stalls looked more like a garage sale than an art stall, because I brought everything I could possibly sell. True story: people kept asking how much my display plant cost. It wasn't for sale. It also wasn't art.

Boosting posts on Instagram. I handed Meta a fair bit of money for likes and comments with zero strategy behind it. Boosting doesn't teach you anything, because there's no research or targeting to learn from. It's just a donation to the algorithm.

Entering art competitions that weren't a fit. These gave me accountability and pushed my process, so I don't fully regret them — but I hadn't researched which prizes actually matched my work, and it showed in the results (or lack of them).

None of this was wasted, exactly. I learn by doing, and you might too. But if I can save you some of that spend and some of that overwhelm, that's the whole point of this episode.

Why more information isn't the answer

Here's the trap so many of us fall into: there is so much advice out there that it becomes its own problem. Conflicting marketing courses. Notebooks full of ideas you've since forgotten. Eighty-nine tabs open in your browser, all equally impossible to close (guilty, right now, as I write this).

If that's you, it doesn't mean you're disorganised or lazy. It means you're drowning in noise that was never meant to all be followed at once.

And in 2026, AI adds another layer to that overwhelm. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are brilliant, and I use them daily — but they're generally designed to agree with you, which means it's easy to get sent in circles instead of getting clarity. AI is a tool, not a replacement for your own judgement.

The truth is simpler than any of that: business is business, art is art, and humans haven't changed. The fundamentals still work. Here's what they are.

The 5 elements I wish I'd prioritised from day one

This applies whether you haven't made a sale yet or you've made hundreds. It's always worth checking in on these five things — making sure they haven't quietly become overcomplicated, or been ignored altogether.

1. Your vision

I started out trying to be everyone at once — originals on paper and canvas, tiny abstracts and large florals, low-priced and high-priced work, all at the same time. I had no idea who I actually was as an artist yet.

The moment I got honest about who I wanted to attract, where I wanted my art to hang, and where I wanted my creative business to go, decisions got so much easier. There's absolutely room to be a "yes" person and try things early on — just don't let it go on forever. Get clear as soon as you genuinely can, without losing the joy of exploring.

2. Your art

I didn't land on my style quickly, and I think that's a good thing. It's fine — healthy, even — to evolve and explore different subjects. But identifying your consistent brushwork, palette or approach is what makes you recognisable, and recognisability is what leads to sales and growth.

The biggest block to finding your style is comparison and self-doubt. The moment I stopped comparing my work to everyone else's and let myself paint what genuinely felt like me, my style started to reveal itself — and people began recognising my work before they even saw my signature.

3. Your story

I'm glad I eventually leaned into finding the words to talk about my art and my "why," instead of saying "I'm an artist" and quickly changing the subject.

Once I understood my own story and the impact I wanted my art to have, I stopped freezing up in conversations about my work. Sharing it — online and in person — became easier and far more enjoyable, because I wasn't angling for a sale. I was speaking from something bigger than that.

4. Your people

Without buyers, there are no sales. Family and friends count, but that pool is limited — you want to grow beyond it.

Starting an email list made an enormous difference for me. It let me stay in touch with admirers and past buyers, and show them new work, without depending entirely on social media — which, let's be honest, is rented space. Your visibility there depends on an algorithm you don't control, and there's always a chance an account gets hacked or a platform disappears overnight. An email list is something that's actually yours.

My first email went out to about six people — all family and friends — and it was clunky and badly formatted. But it got replies, because my people loved hearing from me. That was enough to keep me going.

5. Your invitation (to buy your art)

Learning how to actually invite someone to buy your art changed everything for me. It's one of the hardest parts for most artists, because it brushes up against so much — the fear of sounding "salesy," questions of self-worth and pricing, and the logistics anxiety of packaging and shipping.

There's a mindset shift here that made a real difference for me, and I'll be walking through it in detail inside my free challenge (more on that below).

The takeaway

None of the shiny objects out there will replace the fundamentals. Skipping them is like building a house on sand — it might hold for a while, but eventually the cracks show.

So: vision, art, story, people, invitation. Get those in place, and steadily, without burning yourself out chasing every new tactic.

In the next episode, I'm spilling the beans by sharing my biggest mistakes — the ones I'd never make again. Tune in to Part 2 here

Ready to put this into practice?

If you're ready to take real steps toward selling your art — whatever stage you're at — join me for the Sell Your Art Your Way Challenge, a free 5-day challenge starting Monday, September 7, 2026. You'll get live daily teaching, a practical no-fluff challenge workbook, live support, a warm community, and live attendee bonuses.

Click here to register for free

If you're ready for more personalised support in building your art business, there are plenty of ways we can work together — from self-paced courses and practical resources to memberships and masterminds. Reach out here.

Ros x

Ros Gervay is an Australian artist and creative business coach who helps artists build sustainable, income-generating art businesses without burnout or compromise. She is the founder of Art for the Heart (AFH) — an online membership community for artists at all stages — and the creator of the Thrive Mastermind, a professionalisation container for artists ready to grow beyond the learning stage. Ros hosts the Paint Rest Repeat podcast, where she shares honest conversations about the art life, creative business, and what it really takes to get paid to do what you love. Based in Australia and working with artists worldwide. Learn more at permissiontopaint.co.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to have made a sale already for this episode to apply to me? No. These five elements matter whether you're waiting for your first sale or you've already made many. It's just as much about checking what's become overcomplicated or neglected as it is about starting from scratch.

Is it normal for my first sale to be to family or friends? Completely. In fact, it's the most common story there is. It still counts as proof that someone is willing to pay for your work — use it as a foundation, not a disappointment.

What's the single most important thing to focus on first? Start with your vision. Getting clear on who you want to attract and where you want your art business to go makes every other decision — style, story, pricing, marketing — significantly easier.

Should I avoid things like markets, Etsy or competitions altogether? Not necessarily — they can still teach you a lot. Just go in with research and a strategy rather than throwing time and money at everything at once, which is the mistake I made early on.

Where can I learn more about building these five elements in my own art business? Join the free Sell Your Art Your Way Challenge starting September 7, 2026 https://www.permissiontopaint.co/sellyourart