Why I Underprice My Work to Make a Profit. Meet Artist Sarah Petkus!

 Taking inspiration from the Colorado mountains where she lives, Sarah is a full-time artist who specializes in hand-drawn portraits of animals. Her work is a labor of love, but by listing her work on Etsy she’s bought enough freedom to devote her life to her passion. We couldn’t wait to hear more about the person behind the prints and how she's learned to price her artwork. 

Read on for more about Sarah and to find out what she's hoping to learn next from you.

Name: Sarah Petkus

Business: Nest and Burrow Prints and Gifts

Started: September 2011

How did you create your awesome job?

I’ve been drawing, painting and sculpting since I was a kid and I always knew I needed to lead a creative life. Becoming an artist happened organically over the years. I sold my first piece of art when I was 13 and it seemed like common sense that I should try to sell more.

After college, I started to research the business of making art for a living and I looked at how other artists promoted their work. I had some experience working with small, locally owned companies and I wanted to create pieces that fitted into that space.

Eventually, I decided to list my work on Etsy. Before I did so, I ordered items from a few of my favorite artists to see how they shipped and packaged their pieces. That helped me begin to understand best practices for selling on that platform. It was really important for me to have a quality product and a professional look before I started selling. 

Thankfully, my mom, who was in the printing industry before she retired, helped me to create a logo and print business cards for Nest and Burrow before I began to sell my own items on Etsy.

When did you know your business was going to work?

One day in January, I saw a spike in sales of one of my barn owl prints and had no idea what caused it. I browsed around and noticed that it had been featured on Etsy’s homepage!

I was overwhelmed with joy — in this industry there’s always a fear that it won’t work out, but that week I overcame it for the first time and thought, “I made it.”

Sales continued to grow for two weeks after that before tapering down a little, but they’re still way more consistent than before. To this day, that barn owl print is still my biggest selling piece.

What has been the biggest surprise in starting your own business?

The biggest surprise is how little time I have to create new artwork! 

I’m a one woman workforce and spend most of my time fulfilling orders. I print everything on demand before packaging it and sending it out myself. I’ve come to realize that being an artist these days has very little to do with producing art.

How do you price your artwork?

When I first priced my prints, I researched the average price points for similarly detailed work by other artists and took note of what kind of printer and paper they were using. I took all of these factors into account, along with the fact that selling prints devalues my originals, before deciding on a price for each piece.

Figuring out the value of an original is always tricky. I’m a considerably slower artist than most, and some of the larger pieces I create can take two or three months to complete. 

I have to take into account the hours I put in and what the work means to me, but I know I have to undercharge in order to sell my work. My name is getting out there slowly, but I’m not well known enough to price my work highly — the most I’ve ever charged for an original is $2,000.

What does a typical day look like for you?

In the morning, I make a big pot of tea, fill my outdoor bird feeders and write in my journal. I think it’s important to have a ritual to start the day with. 

After that, I start checking emails and participating in the built-in promotional forums on Etsy. Depending on how many orders I have, I’ll either work on packaging prints or turn on some music and work on painting or drawing.

When making artwork, I find it helps to take frequent breaks and step back so I can assess how the piece is coming along. I try to head over to my computer every so often to revisit the  Etsy forums. And I often take an hour in the afternoon to sit outside with a book and a snack.

I need to work with natural light, so when the sun starts going down I’ll stop and take my dog for a walk. When I get back home, I’ll reply to emails and check to see if I can find any calls for entry (galleries looking for artists to display work) before making dinner. 

That’s when I wind down for the day, but I’ll check in on Etsy a couple more times in the evening before I officially clock out.

If you could go back in time, what’s the one thing you’d do differently when starting your business?

All of the setbacks I’ve faced have been minor and only took research and reworking to overcome. It’s been a valuable learning experience, so I’d do very little differently.

Luckily, I've overcome my dislike for social media through  Instagram, which has proven to be such a useful business tool. By creating a personal gallery, my customers can get a sense of what my work is about and what I’m like as a person. I started out on Instagram nearly two years ago, but I’d have done it sooner if I’d known I would enjoy it so much.

What would you like to learn today from a network of other small business owners and self-employed professionals?

I’d love to know how other small business owners came into contact with well-known magazines and blogs and have their products featured as a result. 

Should I reach out or wait to be contacted? And, if I do reach out, what do I say?

Can you help Sarah out with tips for how to reach out to bloggers or writers about featuring her artwork?

Have you been in Sarah’s shoes? Any advice for her on how to best reach out to bloggers and writers that can feature her work?

Help her out below with a comment!