Howdy,
Listen, you are good enough. Even if you're not selling anything right now, you are good enough. Selling has nothing to do with how good the thing you are making is. Remember when someone sold a banan tape to a wall to a gallery? If crap like that can make money then so can you but the trick I've found that stops me from going around the bend is to treat sales like a beautiful surprise. Each time someone purchases something, small or big, I treat it the same way.
Some weeks I sell paintings worth hundreds, some weeks I barely sell a print, every week I make a point to put something in my shop and I keep promoting. Ok, if you've not sold ANYTHING after a year of consistently showing up then maybe, maybe you need to take a look at what you are making or at the very least make more of a concerted effort to find the groups of people who would be into the art that you do. Generally though, if you just keep making, documenting your process and progress and story, then along the way you will pick up people who love what you do enough to want to collect from you.
The only thing I ever advise against is the HARD sell. Don't convince people to buy from you, even if they end up doing it all they will remember in time is the feeling of being manipulated at which point you, and your art, will lose all magic in their eyes. Invite people into your world by all means but be clear that they can love your work without opening their wallets. If someone does open their wallet for you then be sure to be grateful, respectful and I always try to give a small gift with each purchase ( right now it's a free postcard and owl sticker ).
Make offering your work for sale routine, and I mean routine to the point of boring. Just put it up to the world, find people who might like it and if they do awesome, if they dont YET still, keep moving on and making something new. The problem I used to have was that I thought if something didn't sell it was because it wasnt good enough. Over the years I've sold so many pieces from my “bin pile” that I know now that it's all to do with the right work seeing the right person. I know it can be demoralising in the interim and I am not going to make any promises about it “all working out” because we are all adults here and it might not. What I do know though is that a life without making art feels hollow so be sure to take care of that first. The practice of making is best when kept seperate from ideas of marketing.
Look after your art and keep putting it out there. Be brave enough to learn in public. Keep trying to sell but also be aware that your art owes you nothing. Sometimes it will support you, sometimes you have to support it. I've done everything in the past from deli counter cheese cutting to selling sheep themed trinkets ( yes really ). Sometimes I sell, sometimes I don't, I'm always making though. That doesn't stop.
Onward my loves,
Big Love,
Ryan James x