Good points. I would add a prediction: Art fairs are going to have to start considering indoor venues. Climate change is making weather events more severe and unpredictable and that has already started affecting the reliability of outdoor shows.

One sad thing about AI, that if I see art that I think might be AI, I am turned off by it and don’t give it a chance.  That’s what I do when I see super realistic art that looks very 3D I can’t help but think they created it with AI, even if it was painting over an AI generated image.

Very insightful video. I wish you the best of luck in all your upcoming shows! Thanks for sharing ❤

Hi Krystle,
I wish you a great week this week! Thanks for this video, as it will sure help me in the long run!

As a customer I really like it when artists I enjoy communicate where they're going. I mean, I like their art. I want to see it and I usually buy some. That's why I follow them and enjoy them.

I agree. Prints  were not allowed before!

Beautiful work. Thanks for posting.

Artists should refuse to attend shows where AI is accepted. For show promoteurs to permit that AI compete with real artists is so offensive there should be a real backlash.

First of all I want to start my comment by stating that I have been a (digital) graphic designer for most of my life, but in the last few years I have embraced and am hoping to fully transition to creating traditional art (I paint in oils, acrylics, and pastels). I tend to agree for the most part with your predictions, especially when it comes to the use of AI. Because AI is such a new technology, particularly in art, it is seen with distrust, because many people consider it "fake" and synthetic and devoid of "soul". But I also think that for better or for worse, the advance of AI cannot be stopped. Companies (and nations such as China and the USA) are spending millions of dollars on developing AI not just for art for just everything else in life. Hardly a day passes when I don't see something in the news about AI this or AI that. Honestly, I also see a day in the distant future when AI might be accepted as a new art form. I am thinking of the period of Impressionism, particularly in France, when a group of disenchanted artists decided to break away from the academic norms (style) of the day; they were ostracized and banned by the art "gatekeepers" of the day (the Salon). For years, they were seen with distrust (and disgust by the art critics), but over time people accepted this new movement in art, and the Impressionists (Degas, Monet, Renoir, Cassatt, Van Gogh, and others) started to gain traction. Fast forward 100+ years later and their paintings are worth millions of dollars and are highly coveted by collectors and museums worldwide. I also think that a similar situation arose when digital media entered the scene in the 1990s. Many traditional artists also cried wolf when Adobe, Macromedia, Corel, etc., started to develop apps for digital art. In fact, even today, in most traditional art circles, digital art is NOT even considered real art, even though MANY traditional artists use Photoshop, inkjet printers, and smartphones and even AI as part of their workflow. I think that is unfortunate, because I follow digital gaming and movie concept artists, and the stuff they create on a computer is just as beautiful (in a different way) as beautifully conceived oil or watercolor painting. Another current example is the use of 3D printers. 3D apps are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and now we can create and manufacture objects at home, including art objects that only 20 years ago were outside the reach of the common man. I have seen at art fairs artists who are embracing 3D printing as another avenue for artistic expression and income. While I think that we as artists are facing unfair and stiff competition with other people who create art at the push of a button (or more accurately, by writing a prompt) or even other "non-traditional art forms, we should not hide under a rock and pretend that they (AI included) are not here to stay. I think that we need to adapt, learn how to compete with AI-generated art and promote our art, and remind people about the value of human-made art. Some people will still value human-made art in the future, but I don't think we should throw away the baby with the bathwater by condemning AI/digital art in all of its.

I think this is true. The economies around the world are struggling and people are focusing on the basics. It's a time for resting, self development and riding it out somewhat, putting heaps of work into a quiet market is discouraging. I don't think it will turn around for a few years.

I am not normally in the market for finished paintings... my income has just never been that high, I am more in the high quality prints category :) I find that I am usually able to support people who are early in their art careers and not yet pricing their time and skill fairly... as soon as they learn what they're really worth (which is usually pretty clear to me from the get go), I am no longer able to afford their work... I can just be one of the early people who shouts about it, buys their early pieces and admires their growth.

AI art is completely worthless to me... only time and skill (which is itself largely a function of time) are worth anything. What gives something value at all is not the aesthetic, it's the effort and the human touch. I really admire careful work that takes a long time. AI art has no story or character. It feels like decorating your home with dollar store art... it's empty.

I think it depends on what region you exhibit your art. Some artist who do shows in South Florida have a very rich customers. In places like Dallas/ Ft Worth and Houston do well because they have very wealthy people who work in the oil industry.

I stopped displaying my digital art because I can't stand being lumped in with AI. I'd spend hours drawing an image in Procreate, only for there to be an app for that now. I only use traditional mediums now.

I generally pack a tent and camp nearby. I pack a sandwich and drinks for the day and then cook some hot dogs on the fire that night. I'm cheap lol.

Thanks Krystle for thinking about the future!  I've been thinking about skipping art fairs next year and your points helped me to  decide.   #1 and #5 seem to point to the ongoing and potential future massive decline in art fairs.   I noticed this year that many of my customers came to the show for my booth - my advertising brought them in not the art fair organizers.  If I have to find my own customers why am I paying all this money for a tiny 10x10 chunk of street?  #5 is the real threat to art fairs.  Everything I sell is hand made  (by me).  I had lots of people ask if my art was AI this year and that has never happened before.  Hand made art has a provenance and intrinsic value that one can charge prices high enough to make a living (at least try).  But AI will never be worth much above the cost to print it - literally anyone can make AI "art" almost for free.   People who value art, and are willing to pay $$$ for originals, are not going to go to a show full of $10 AI "prints".   AI and cheap stuff will chase away my customers; WalMart doesn't sell Rolex watches.  Good luck to the art show organizers trying to get artists to pay $500 or $1000 for space at a rummage sale!

Shocked by #1 😳. Of course - it is a pop up! You brung your collectors and warm leads to your in person event. The stragglers browsing who come in newly are a bonus. Just giving your current customers a chance to see the originals in person up close, esp a new drop is so important; internet images dont do them justice.

Im guessing artists with no business sense dont conprehend that basic.

I think AI "art" could make art made by humans even more desirable and more valuable. People connect with the human touch and the story behind a piece of art. We can help artists by promoting their work in a way that reflects this higher value.

I can imagine you’re right about the AI prediction. Some people like that AI can generate a fantasy image, like their dog and cat together in regency England, etc. I don’t like AI art, but oh boy think of how hard Live Laugh Love “word art” sold!  Whatever sells will find a place, I think.

What is the point of taking part in the fair if you have to attract your oun client base?

With all the competition and the state of the economy, is it still worth trying to sell at art fairs? What about having a kiosk at a mall in the holiday months?

But digital art still requires drawing . Digital art means you don’t have to learn color mixing , but color theory still applies