Is selling art on Instagram really about followers… or is it a skill you can learn?

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

Maggi is a Sydney-based artist who has built a full-time career through vibrant paintings and a highly intentional approach to social media.

Instead of relying on luck or viral moments, she treats Instagram as a system: one that consistently attracts collectors from around the world.

In this conversation, Maggi breaks down what’s actually working right now when it comes to selling art on Instagram, how she built a global audience through consistent and strategic posting, and how she converts attention into sales without feeling pushy or inauthentic.

This episode offers a practical look at using Instagram as a tool and how artists can turn visibility into a sustainable income stream.

“ If you are wanting to reach a global audience, and sell your art all over the world, then you need to use Instagram to your advantage”

— Maggi McDonald

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:59 Midnight Garden Creative Process (Intuition vs Thinking)

04:42 Color as Therapy (Mental Health + Mood Lift)

05:34 Art as a Survival Skill Through Grief and Trauma

06:41 Turning Creativity into a Full-Time Profession

08:35 Building a Global Instagram Audience

12:15 Planning Content with Strategy

12:26 Research, Insights, and Tracking Performance Metrics

13:50 Calls to Action and Non-Salesy Selling on Instagram

14:49 Sales Tracking and Website Landing Strategy

16:55 Finding Your Unique Style and Maintaining a Posting Mindset

20:35 Boundaries, Burnout Prevention, and Time Management on Instagram

22:23 Marketing Funnels and Turning Followers into Collectors

Connect with Maggi

Website: https://www.maggimcdonald.com/

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

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

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

What if you didn’t need galleries or perfect timing to build a successful art career?

In this episode of The Professional Artist Podcast, mixed media artist Dayo Johnson is featured by the Professional Artist Association (https://professionalartist.com/join), the world’s fastest-growing global community for committed fine artists.

For over 30 years, Dayo has built a sustainable career outside the traditional gallery system… through festivals, commissions, and direct relationships with collectors.

Starting with $50 booths and small local shows, she steadily grew her audience, income, and opportunities through consistency.

Rather than waiting for recognition, Dayo focused on showing up turning each sale into momentum for the next opportunity.

In this episode, Dayo breaks down how she turned small art shows into a full-time income, how commissions became a reliable part of her business, and the unconventional way she funds future shows through her collectors.

“ Even during times, when it feels like it's not working, continue on, keep going because there's going to be something that breaks through that allows you to do what you want to do.”

— Dayo Johnson

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
02:16 Wild Child with Sunflowers: Story and Origin of a Piece
05:47 Before Painting: Career Transition from Vocal Performance to Visual Art
08:39 Turning Art into Livelihood: $50 Shows and Keeping Going
10:10 Translating Music into Visual Art (Venus de Milo)
12:13 Vulnerability in Selling Art and Advice to Artists
13:49 Building the Business Over Time: Festivals First, Galleries Later
15:10 What Sustains an Art Career: Shows vs. Commissions Timing
16:29 Commission Approach, Volume, and Managing Big Assignments
18:26 Unconventional Funding: Collectives Program for Show Season
24:08 Commission Freedom and Creative Direction in a Door Piece
25:40 Staying Grounded and Avoiding Burnout Through Love of the Craft

Connect with Dayo

Website: https://www.dayoart.com/

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

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

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

What does success actually mean for an artist?

In this episode of The Professional Artist Podcast, contemporary figurative painter Alyssa Monks is featured by the Professional Artist Association (https://professionalartist.com/join), the world’s fastest-growing global community for committed fine artists.

Alyssa is internationally known for her emotionally charged paintings that push the boundaries of traditional realism while exploring the psychological complexity of being human.

Alyssa shares why she resists the pressure to manufacture a perfectly cohesive body of work, how intuition guides her studio decisions, and how her definition of success evolved away from external validation and toward a practice built around honesty in the work.

This episode offers a candid look at what it means to build a career that protects your artistic integrit… and why redefining success may be the most important decision an artist makes.

“If that's what you're doing it for, for the recognition the metrics that are outside of our control, It can be something that could hold you back“— Alyssa Monks

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
02:04 Exploring Vulnerability in Art
04:50 The Journey of a Self-Portrait
08:29 The Impact of Grieving on Artistic Practice
10:57 Intuitive vs. Structured Creation
13:45 Redefining Success in Art
16:58 The Role of Community in Artistry
20:35 Finding Inspiration from Friends and Peers
23:18 Coping with Creative Blocks
26:01 Hope as a Fundamental Ingredient in Art
28:22 The Importance of Personal Connection to Work

Connect with Alyssa

Website: https://www.alyssamonks.com/

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

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

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