Trendy subjects - are they really your thing?

Today’s subject is… subjects. No really! I was browsing the Etsy forums recently, and came across an interesting thread which I hadn’t really thought about for quite some time: Should artists follow trendy subjects in order to sell their work?

At the moment trendy subjects in the animal art field are owls, foxes and deer. They’re HUGE, and are overflowing onto clothes, stationary, home décor… you name it, those critters are on it. I even saw foxy Christmas decorations last year. Now combine that lot with a muted palette and geometric shapes and you’re bang on trend! But don’t think I’m saying that’s inherently a bad thing, because I most certainly am not! If you’re into owls go right ahead and paint them, and have fun! Experiment if you want to, you might come up with something seriously cool!
However, if you’re thinking your own work isn’t being seen because it’s up against the popular stuff, that simply isn’t true – it’s a different, far larger market. Although fox art might be selling really well in general at the moment, it’s spread out over hundreds of different artists who might sell one card or print every now and again – unless you’ve got a devoted following already you’ll probably sell no more trendy art than what you’d normally sell (in fact, the trendy stuff will probably be more difficult to sell compared to your other work!). Breaking into a massively saturated market isn't easy if you're not really persistent with bringing your own take on it to the table - you've got to put all your effort into showing that you are the artist worth supporting, and that means you've got to be excited by your work!

See, there’s a reason people are drawn to your work in particular - when you’re really passionate about what you’re making, it shows. You’ve spent time perfecting your own style, and figured out interesting ways to tackle your subjects, and that's what people want to see and buy. Artists like Louise Rawlings and Kate Brazier are perfect examples of this – not only is the style instantly recognisable, but the repeated subjects are things the artist is clearly inspired by and has spent heaps of time working with. Whatever it is you love painting, be it dogs or flowers or houses, you’re showing the world how you feel about your subject and your customers are going to be the people who feel the same way. You wont get that same feeling with a subject you’ve got absolutely no interest in.
Now I’m not saying always stick to your comfort zone and don’t try anything new either! Just remember that your work really comes to life when you love what you’re doing, when you’re inspired. So if you’re not really feeling what’s popular right now, you honestly don’t have to force yourself into that mould.