Pricing my art? No thank you.

I am in the midst of finalising my first ‘real’ collection of 2026 and also my first collection kind of ever. It’s a real learning curb and the thing I am most bogged down in right now is pricing. 

I’ve read all the articles, I’ve spoken to other artists, I’ve dissected other artists' websites and galleries alike. Despite the fact that I know there are no set rules, I’m still looking for the friendly ‘how to price your art exactly right for dummies specifically me and my circumstances’ guide book. 

Notoriously, artists undersell our works. It’s just a given, I look at a piece I’ve poured my heart into and feel so vulnerable - the idea of slapping a number on it and throwing it out into the world feels wholly opposite to the experience of creating. I underthink it, go with whatever feels okay and will cover my costs for another month and there that's it. It’s not working anymore though.

If someone were to sit down with me in front of a piece and tell me how much it means to them and how it could fit into their home and life, I’d pack it up and give it to them for free. This is a business model that will also sadly fail quickly. Society is based around money and transactions not joy and sharing and art (booo). 

I’ve tried to keep track of my hours and give myself an hourly rate. But you know what ruins a creative flow state like nothing else? Checking the time and filling out a spreadsheet. My work is also intertwined with my mothering, so if there's a small ten minutes where my boys are happily destroying the house (but in a safe way), I am going to use that time to paint rather than have a mental breakdown. Add in the dreaded spreadsheet to that mix and the breakdown is inevitable. So no, I can't track my hours and chuck an hourly rate on it. Time is a vacuum for me right now. It also seems silly when a small artwork could take twice as long as a huge statement piece purely depending on my state of mind or the composition I am striving to achieve. Surely that would confuse an audience just as much as myself.

Anyway, I did what everyone seems to be doing now, I asked Chat gpt. I’m not a fan of the overtly friendly robot (more on that another day). However the robot did have some interesting points and I’m going to share them amongst everything else I’ve found purely as reminders for myself;

• Your work is original fine art and should be priced as such. Be respectful of your skill
• Pricing low hurts perception of your work
• There is a risk of undercutting other artists or starting a price war. When we undervalue ourselves, we undervalue the entire industry.
• Psychologically, price = quality. This isn’t the case in all industries but it should be when we’re literally creating things from our own little brains and with our hands.
• Once you start pricing correctly you take your work from ‘nice picture’ to original artwork, charging less potentially attracts bargain buyers looking for decorative pieces, we need to think about our audience. I value my work so highly, I want an audience that values and truly respects art. This isn’t a hobby and should move beyond hobby pricing.

At the end of the day, I am an emerging artist, and I’ll likely remain that way for many years to come. So I know I need to be realistic and ensure my practice and pricing has room to grow. I also don’t want to end up hoarding piles of work due to how high it's priced and a lack of interest from buyers, stockists and galleries. 

This pricing journey will be an ongoing battle and I’ll be complaining and asking questions about it forever. It does feel good at this moment in time to put all of this down. 2026 feels like my turning point and I am going to increase my pricing for this next collection, I hope in a way that is respectful to myself and to the people who already support my practice. And to the galleries who are kindly engaging with me this year. I am shrouded in imposter syndrome and self doubt but it’s also the year of the fire horse so if not now when!