AI-Proof Your Print Sales: Boost Your Artwork's Value

The biggest story in photography (and much of the art world) over the past year has been the impact of AI image generators like MidJourney and DALL-E. What does AI mean for photographers and visual artists interested in print sales?

We’ll dive into 3 ways to boost your work’s perceived value and set it apart from anything created with AI. 

Monika Ponanta

Growing Concerns 

More and more people have been reaching out to share their concerns about AI. Many are photographers or artists worried about their print sales. I also hear from people creating AI art. Most ask me why their AI-generated images aren’t selling.

Here's a video from a non-artist to give you a sense of what's been happening: 

I Tried Selling Art for 30 Days (Realistic Results)

Real Impact on Traditional Sales

It's hard to pinpoint if there’s been any direct impact on my own print sales.

Fortunately, my sales have consistently increased year over year. I’ve also increased my prices across the board and will be doing so again soon.

I know AI-generated art has started cutting into sales at the low end of the market, particularly low-priced prints on platforms like Etsy.

Some sales might be going to non-artists flooding the market with generic art like the guy in the video. Some sales might be lost to DIY'ers creating their art to hang on the wall instead of buying it.

So things will probably get worse for those selling prints at lower price points.

The Value of Art

In most of the discussions surrounding AI’s impact on print sales, there seems to be some misunderstanding of how people attach value to art and why they buy it.

Some creators of AI art have been successful in selling it, even at higher prices. Many were artists before they began using AI tools. In other words, they already knew how to make and sell art that people wanted to buy.

Commercially successful artists also understand the concept of perceived value. Simply put: people will buy and pay more for art they perceive to be valuable.

Bambinos

Enhancing Perceived Value in the Age of AI

So how do we show that our work is valuable? How do we boost its' perceived value beyond art created using AI? 

Pricing and Editions

One obvious way is through your pricing and edition strategy. Setting your prices higher than other similar works and selling only limited edition pieces (a limited number of each print) can enhance its perceived value.

Raising prices may sound counterintuitive when it comes to increasing sales. However, higher prices and offering limited editions create a sense of exclusivity and scarcity. 

Don't offer too many Pieces for Sale

Limiting the number of artworks for sale on your website or even the number of images you post on Instagram can also have an impact on perceived value. The more images you have, the more it sends the message that they are easy to create and, therefore, less valuable. 

Even if you have a large portfolio, never have more than 150 pieces for sale at a time. Most successful artists offer far less. You should regularly retire prints that aren’t selling and replace them with new work. Always choose quality over quantity.

Organize your images into collections or by series. Each collection or series should have at least 6 images but no more than 25. It makes your website easier to navigate and helps tell the story behind the work. 

Storytelling and Emotional Connection 

Not enough photographers or visual artists focus on storytelling. But it's one of the best ways to increase the value of what you do.

Tell us why your subjects inspire you. This will help inspire others which makes your work more valuable to potential buyers.

Use captivating titles and descriptions for your collections and individual photos to forge a connection with people. Images that tell a story or evoke an emotion are more likely to be valued and bought. 

You should also communicate the challenges of creating the work and explain why you go to these great lengths to do what you do. These can include technical challenges, the travel involved in capturing the images, your time and expense, etc.

The more difficult the work is to create, the more valuable it becomes. No one making AI art can claim it’s really all that difficult to create.