Starting Your Art Collection {part 2}

In the last post, I gave you a bit of background about my own art collecting history. There are a few myths about buying and collecting art, and sometimes this stops people from starting. And we can't have that! So let's start by overcoming some of the myths and common preconceptions that might have caused you to hesitate starting your own collection of art:

Myth #1: You need to be rich to buy art. If you're looking to acquire something by a famous artist, or someone who's "hot" in the art world right now, then yes - it will probably cost you quite a bit. But if you're looking to fill your surroundings (at home or at work) with things that make you happy, then you don't need to start off with a fortune to invest. There are lots of ways to make your small art budget go a long way. This topic deserves it's own blog post, so I'll come back to it.

Myth #2: You need a lot of knowledge or art education to buy art or talk about art. No. You don't even need to start off knowing what you like, or what you're looking for. Just start looking, and you'll begin to notice certain patterns in what attracts your attention (maybe you're drawn to landscapes. Or maybe you love a certain shade of green.). Don't judge yourself on whether or not your taste is in line with what's popular or what you think you should like, just notice what you do like.

Myth #3: You need a big empty white wall to display your art. Sometimes you do have such a wall or space, but often you don't. What about that little wall outside the washroom? Or next to the mirror in the washroom? The space across from the front hall closet? The landing of your stairs? Above a light switch? These maybe aren't spaces for a big focal-point piece of art, but there's not reason you can't decorate them with small artworks that make you smile every day.

Those are the main ones that come to mind (and that I hear repeatedly from people at art fairs). Now that we have them out of the way, it's time to begin (or continue) your adventure of finding art that you love! My next post will be about the different types of places you can go to see and buy art :)