Strategies for artists for the coming year sound as if someone actually tested them in practice. In January, people still believe in them; by February, people already forgot them. And yet, in the run-up to the New Year, articles are full of advice for artists that sounds far too naive.
Let’s go through several useless strategies for artists in 2026 strategies. They are completely ineffective and can even be harmful in practice.
Strategy №1: “Define your artistic identity and stick to it”
A favorite piece of advice from institutions and curators: “You finally need to understand who you are as an artist.” The assumption is that somewhere there exists a final version of you, with a clear statement, three key themes, and a recognizable visual language that will never change.
The problem is that artistic identity is not a strategy – it is a byproduct of work. It is not “formulated”; it emerges. Attempting to fix it in the moment usually leads to one of two scenarios:
- You start reproducing yourself because “it’s already defined.”
- You experience paralysis because any deviation feels like “betraying your concept.”
The irony is that the artists whose “identity” is now considered coherent and strong were, in reality, constantly changing, breaking, and reconstructing it. They were not afraid to experiment: some attempts succeeded, some failed, but the whole process, with its ups and downs, ultimately shaped their identity. In retrospect, this process looks like a logical evolution.
In today’s realities, artistic practices increasingly exist between disciplines, so the demand to “define yourself” seems archaic and will hardly contribute to the formation of a true artistic identity.
Strategy №2: “Show only your best work”
One of the most persistent pieces of advice, repeated year after year: “Keep only the strong work. Remove everything else.” The problem is that this assumes the existence of a stable, objective criterion of “the best.”
In practice, this advice usually leads not to quality but to self-censorship. The artist begins to edit not the result, but the process: they do not develop ideas to completion, abandon intermediate forms, and do not allow the work to go through its awkward phases.
In reality, “the best” almost always becomes visible only retrospectively. Most works that are now considered key once seemed odd, inappropriate, excessive, or simply unsuccessful.
The advice “show only your best” is particularly toxic at the beginning of the year, when artists are encouraged to think in terms of results rather than process. It is a great way to appear polished and professional, and a very reliable way not to reach something truly significant.
Strategy №3: “Sell your work only at high prices”
A classic: “If you are really talented, someone will notice and pay a price higher than the cost of an average car.”
The reality: works priced over $10 million in 2024-2025 experienced serious stagnation. Sales have decreased significantly compared to previous years. According to PWM Merrill Lynch and Magazine Artsper, the number of major sales dropped sharply. For example, only 27 sales above $10 million in the first half of 2025, versus 60 in 2023. Even sales at $10,000 showed a decline.
Although at the end of 2025 major houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s showed overall recovery for the year (+15% compared to previous results), this does not mean your works will suddenly become trophy lots.
Thus, the “high price” strategy is like playing the lottery: someone might get lucky, but the odds are against you.
Strategy №4: “Post 10 times a day and you’ll definitely get noticed”
This advice is closer to motivational spam than a strategy. Yes, online presence is important – according to Artsy, 43% of galleries report expanding digital channels, and 59% of collectors have already purchased via online platforms.
But flooding your audience often just puts them to sleep. Algorithms reward engagement, not quantity: one good post is better than ten meaningless ones. Artists should also be mindful of the high risk of creative burnout. Growth in social media followers does not guarantee increased sales, since the audience often does not match the profile of art buyers.
Strategy №5: “Ignore others and just work on your art”
Romantic-sounding, almost like a 19th-century letter. But statistics show that artists cannot completely ignore the contemporary agenda.
Global art sales in 2024 fell 12% to around $57.5 billion. It is the second consecutive year of decline, according to Art Basel & UBS.
An artist’s demand depends not only on talent and skill. Collectors, art critics, curators, and institutions influence not only prices but also opportunities for artists. Works created without attention to contemporary trends, new technologies, or the cultural context often become outsiders. Feeling the pulse of the present is a minimum requirement for a contemporary artist.
Strategy №6: “Constantly expand your professional network”
The phrasing sounds impeccable – almost impossible to argue with.
In practice, this advice rarely results in meaningful interactions. More often, it implies constant presence in the same spaces: exhibition openings, art fairs, discussion panels. The goal is the unspoken expectation to be recognizable and to appear moderately interested in everything at once.
The irony: meaningful professional relationships in art almost never arise from network expansion. They develop through long-term contact – collaborative projects, idea discussions, mutual support, or even friendships formed without immediate expectations.
A strategy focused on constant expansion often backfires: superficial recognition does not automatically translate into deep collaboration. When contacts are too numerous, quantity is hard to convert into quality. As a result, the artist spends more energy maintaining professional visibility than on the work for which these connections were originally intended.
Expert Opinions (This Is Truly Important)
- “…American painter Jordan Casteel urges: ‘Do a lot of bad work for as long as possible’ – it helps develop thinking and practice without fear of mistakes.”
- Curator Koyo Kouo, curator of the 2026 Venice Biennale, considers the best advice is to develop self-awareness, because no one ever truly knows themselves.
- Nigerian artist Ayomide Tejuoso, based in London, offered this advice: “…stay true to yourself, create your own networks, find institutions that care about you, and position yourself in rooms that matter to you. Build safety and support around yourself, and let that community become your vanguard.”