Episode Details

Back to Episodes
How Artists Make Money at Art Festivals (What Actually Works)

How Artists Make Money at Art Festivals (What Actually Works)

Episode 37 Published 17 hours ago
Description

Are art festivals a gamble… or a reliable way to build income as an artist?

In this episode of The Professional Artist Podcast, fine art photographer Marisa White is featured by the Professional Artist Association (https://professionalartist.com/join), the world’s fastest-growing global community for committed fine artists.

Marisa has built a thriving career through a strategic approach to the art festival circuit, turning what many artists see as unpredictable into a consistent and scalable income stream. By refining her booth, presentation, and show selection, she’s learned how to maximize both visibility and sales in high-traffic environments.

In this deep dive, Marisa breaks down how to turn festivals into real income -not just exposure - what makes people stop, engage, and buy, and how to choose the right shows so you don’t waste time or money.

“I can safely say that, in one weekend, I sold as much as I had in my entire art career up to that point.”

— Marisa White

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

02:58 Artwork “Number Nine” and Flow State in Creation

03:13 Self-Portrait Photography Process

05:03 Skills and Turning Points in Marissa’s Photography Practice

07:30 From Hobby to Business: Exhibitions, Galleries, Full-Time Work

08:49 Relocation Story

12:04 How a Specific Festival Opportunity Changed Everything

14:00 Selecting Shows: Applying, Waitlists, and Last-Minute Booth Solutions

16:43 Sales Results and Scaling Up Shows

18:15 Art Festival Costs Breakdown and Strategic Budgeting

21:29 Pricing Strategy

23:20 “Most Favorite Piece” Inspiration

25:47 Sustainable Career: Coaching and Business Guidance

27:34 Coaching Takeaways

Connect with Marisa

Website: https://www.marisaswhite.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marisa_whitesparks/

Learn more about The Professional Artist Association:

Mentoring:

Apply to join 99 artists for unlimited 1:1 Coaching & Mentoring to grow your art income:

https://professionalartist.com/apply

Membership:

Join 1,000+ committed artists around the world for less than $1, £ or € a day: https://professionalartist.com/join

Free Letter:

Join 50,000+ artists getting Free advice & inspiration every week:

https://professionalartist.com/podcast/#join-free-artist-letter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professionalartistaccelerator

Ready to take the next step in your art career?

We are hosting a free 4-Day Challenge online to help artists like you get back on track.

Whether that’s making your next art show your best ever, designing a paid art workshop that is uniquely yours, or getting your artwork into the next right-fit gallery…

…this live, virtual, and interactive challenge will help get you get unstuck.

Register to get a free pass here: https://professionalartist.com/free

If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, share it with another artist and leave us a review/comment. We read every single one.

Listen Now

Love PodBriefly?

If you like Podbriefly.com, please consider donating to support the ongoing development.

Support Us