Navigating Art Business with Visual Artist Chilu
We caught up with visual artist Chilu, based in Sydney, Australia, to get a peek into her journey as a full-time artist and mother. Her practice is a source of coping and expression, proving that art can be both a passion and a viable career.
The Power of Authenticity
Chilu's top piece of business advice for aspiring artists is simple: "Be true to yourself and try to find your own voice - people will love your authenticity and will invest in that." In a crowded art world, staying true to your vision is what connects you with collectors. Of any artist we know, Chilu probably lives this advice out the best. A quick scroll through her feed reveals a beautifully unique persona that matches how she is in private conversation.
Chilu’s Instagram feed is full of bright whimsical images along with stunning dresses.
Prints and Production
Chilu offers prints of her artwork, adding a personal touch through hand numbering. She utilizes a digital scanning company in Sydney for professional artwork capture. To manage her global collector base and minimize costs for them, she uses a dual-print production strategy: Assist Art Services for her US orders and an Australian company for international fulfillment. This helps her save collectors on delivery and tariff fees.
Chilu sells her work through a variety of primary sales channels, including her Personal Website, Galleries, and Social Media (like Instagram and Facebook). When it comes to fulfillment, original artwork is shipped via a courier service, while her prints are handled through a drop shipping model.
Marketing & Sales that Works (and What Doesn't)
In terms of marketing effectiveness, Chilu has had some things that worked well. The most Effective: Entering and becoming a finalist in art prizes. That launched her career.
Chilu has also fostered an incredible amount of goodwill through her authenticity (just have a look through the comment section of one of her posts). She was also able to boost sales substantially through having the right partnerships. At the end of 2024, she worked with Emily Calandrelli (100th women in space, TV host, and Author), who brought one of Chilu’s paintings into space. Emily and Chilu then promoted prints of the piece and raised $34,370 for charities!
In collaborations though, she’s had some less than ideal results. Certain collaborations where she was paid with "exposure" were consistently not worth the effort.
Final Thoughts
It was a pleasure to work with Chilu on this article. You can follow her on Instagram or check out her website for available works.
