THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Miriam Schulman: Lucky you. I am going to talk about art market predictions for 2026. Hey there, it’s Miriam Schulman. Welcome back to The Inspiration Place podcast. So glad that you’re here. Last time we talked about trend predictions for home decor. So this is very different because that was through the lens of this is what’s happening in home decor. How is artists. Are you going to respond. This is actually talking about collector habits, gallery trends and pricing shifts. You’re definitely going to want to take some notes. First of all, in numerology terms, 2025, which we’re still in 2025 as we’re recording, this 2025 is a completion year. It’s a nine year two plus two plus five equals nine. Nine years are completion years 2026 is two plus two plus six which is ten. But then you add the one in the zero, you get a one. One is an expansion year. Good news for really anybody in business expansion year. So let’s talk about what’s going to be important for 2026 because the market is not collapsing. The collector psychology gallery behavior and pricing norms are shifting. They’re shifting. And I want to get you ready for that. I know everyone who’s listening wants to know where the art market is heading, because working harder is not going to save you. Working smarter and being more aligned is what’s going to get you more success in 2026. So 2026 collectors will not be impulse buying anymore.
Miriam Schulman: They’re going to be investing with intention. So you want to know what they’re looking for. And if you do or how to position what you do so that it aligns with what they’re looking for. If you do those things, you’re going to thrive. I promise that this is going to be filled with practical predictions, as well as what artists need to do right now to prepare. Prediction number one, which is collector habits, collector habits are will become even more values driven. So let’s talk about how we got to where we are now. So post 2024, economic shakiness has trained collectors to be more intentional, which means they’re going to be looking for or, you know, I’m not even going to say that they’re looking for this. I’m going to say that they’re going to respond better to ethical, identity based, story driven buying that will continue to rise. So that would include Jewish artists, Bipoc artists, LGBTQ, equal focus. And it doesn’t even have to be like necessarily a marginalized identity. But how are you? Very specific. So it could be very specific in terms of, you know, you’re an Italian American. It doesn’t have to be like you’re part of a group of people, and it doesn’t even have to be identity like that. It could be something else I’m trying to think of, like some of my other artists who it’s not so much their specific identity.
Miriam Schulman: I mean, it always does come back to who you are, though, and your origin story. So when I work with artists inside our messaging intensive, we always start there. I always start with, tell me about your origin story. Tell me about your parents. Tell me about your siblings. Tell me about your childhood. Tell me about your faith. All those things matter and everything connects. Everything relates. One of the things, though, when I’m working with artists that I notice is we do this messaging session and they come out with the most gorgeous art, a statement that really aligns with their values. And then what happens is they’ll go to their website and they’ll start doing headings and subheadings that are very generic, for example, like art that transforms your home rather than art that elevates materials into sacred spirituality. Do you see the difference? So all art is going to transform the home. How does your art transform? That is what’s going to be important. So when you go through those subheads in your website, you want to think about your specific messaging so that you can elevate it to really always be talking to your ideal art collector. Collectors. I’ve said this a million times. I’m going to say it again. This is going to be like my mantra collectors buy meaning, not medium. They want meaning, yes, it decorates their house, which is why we talked about home decor trends.
Miriam Schulman: But they’re not thinking about it necessarily as decor. They’re treating these purchases like personal alignment statements. Let’s talk a little bit about the data that I’m seeing in the market. So baby boomers are still buying. They’re still buying. So the youngest of the baby boomers would be around 62. That’s like my husband’s age, you know, through the 70s early 80s. But yes, the people in their 60s are still buying art and they’re definitely considered baby boomers. Millennials are becoming the fastest growing collector segment. So I’m 56. I’ll be 57 very soon. How old are millennials? They’re at least ten years younger than me. I think my brother’s ten years younger than me. He would be considered maybe a young Gen Xer. Elder millennial, so 40s, early 40s is probably the oldest of the millennials. So yeah, they’re definitely part of this economy. Millennials. Not only are they becoming the fastest growing collector segment, they demand art that has emotional resonance. It’s like non-negotiable to them. Gen Xers like me. Like I said, we are the most loyal and repeat buy focused. I right now I’m recording this during Black Friday week and I was considering like, what should I need? Pair of pants? What should I buy? And I have my go to brands like okay, J.Crew, Anthropologie. So I always go there first. And Taylor, I’ve been wearing Ann Taylor since the 90s.
Miriam Schulman: Like that’s that’s part of like people hear me say, oh, that’s part of what I say. Oh, in the 90s you’d find me in my tailor suits. So I still go to Ann Taylor. Oh my gosh, today while I bought something from Quince. But the thing is, because I’m loyal. Quince now gained a new buyer, not just a one time purchaser. And that’s the difference between building an email relationship with somebody and somebody just happening to find you on an Instagram post or LinkedIn or wherever it is based on the algorithm, because it’s based on the algorithm, they may never see it again. If you don’t add that person to the email list in order to build a relationship, they won’t know how to shop with you again. You better bet that Quince has my email address and will be emailing me all the time. Now that I’ve bought something I’m more likely to buy again. Same thing is true with your buyers. Whether you’re selling jewelry, coach, it doesn’t matter what you’re selling, whatever you’re selling Gen Xers where the most loyal demographic. Okay, so that’s anywhere between mid 40s to almost my husband’s age. So like 60. That’s what a Gen Xer is very profitable for you if you’re looking for high end purchases. So what does it mean for artists? Art without a story is just not going to cut it. Your artist statement matters more than your craft, more than your brushwork, more than that.
Miriam Schulman: You know, it’s very interesting because this is this is something that’s just purely like art related and purely painting related. My husband was asking me, oh, but is it worth more so? And Mary Cassatt, their female impressionist painters, isn’t it that what they did is harder than the abstract expressionists like Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler? I said not necessarily, because when you’re painting something realistic, you can fall back on wowing somebody with your technical prowess. But if you’re doing something like abstract, everything becomes that much more important, like the color harmonies and the composition and all those things. And I always found that painting something abstract is actually much harder than painting something that’s more realistic, painting something realistic. If it looks like the thing, you get a lot of points. Abstract. There’s nothing for it to look like. You can only make something successful if it checks all the other boxes. Anyway, that’s a little art aside. But what matters now is your art has to have a story. And it doesn’t matter if it’s abstract art or representational art. Both can have a story. You are the one who has the story. You’re the one who creates meaning around your art. Your artist statement is going to matter so much more than the actual artwork. Whether it’s ceramics, it doesn’t matter what you create. Your story matters.
Miriam Schulman: The other thing is the emotional clarity around the way you talk about what you do is going to matter way more than the technical perfection. Somebody can be impressed that, yeah, that looks like a person that looks like whatever the thing is. But if there is not an emotional resonance behind it, you’ll have trouble selling it. Hey creatives, If you want 2026 to be your most focused and profitable year yet, listen up. I’m hosting my annual goal setting workshop, the session that helps you map out revenue, projects and clarity for the year ahead. It’s normally $97, but actually you can get it for free this month. And here’s how. All you have to do is buy a paperback copy of Artpreneur, the step by step guide to making a sustainable living from your creativity for yourself, or as a gift in December. And send us your receipt. And in case we haven’t met yet, I’m Miriam Schulman best selling author, 25 years as a professional artist and host of The Inspiration Place podcast. My students have generated hundreds of thousands of art sales using the system I teach. And in fact, this year we kept track and we sold over $400,000 worth of art in 2025. Now, if you want to join us so that 2026 is profitable for you to go to SchulmanArt.com/GOALS for the details and let’s build your 2026 on purpose. Prediction number two. This is about galleries.
Miriam Schulman: So boutique galleries will be downsizing. But the ones that remain are going to become more influential. So what do I mean by that. Well commercial real estate costs are going up. Labor costs are going up. That means that galleries in order to survive are going to need smaller footprints, perhaps. So galleries are going to shift to appointment only pop ups, private dealing and advisory models. So what does it mean for you? They’re definitely going to take on fewer artists, but they will invest more deeply in those they choose. But also I want you to notice these things. And this is stuff that we talked about in my e-commerce predictions, actually, was that the one I did last week? It’s not. Anyway, we’ll link to both the home decor trends and the e-commerce predictions in the notes, wherever you’re listening or watching this okay. All right. So I want you to know that you can do these techniques even without a gallery. You can do appointment only in your studio or at their home, which is even better. Like once you’re bringing your art to their home, that’s going to make a big difference. That’s going to really help you sell. And that’s not just for painters like I know I have, like I have fiber artists, knitters in my group. It’s kind of like the old fashioned Tupperware parties. Bring your stuff to them. They’re more likely to buy.
Miriam Schulman: Now, for somebody who makes knitwear, I wouldn’t suggest doing a one on one appointment like see if they might want a winter went wear a winter, a winter knitwear party where the guest gets maybe a percentage or a gift certificate or something like that. Okay. All right. Let’s talk about gallery owner behavior trends. So you’re going to expect galleries to emphasize professional artists who can drive their own traffic. They’re going to want artists with a growing email list. They’re going to want artists who have that narrative clarity. They want partners. They want partners. They want somebody who comes to them ready all the assets ready. They they know what their artist statement is. They have built an email list. They have those things. So that way the artists coming to them are not fully dependent on them to make the sale. They can help close the sale that way rather than be responsible for the entire process. Okay, artist, what does that mean for you? It means you’re not going to get gallery representation unless you bring an audience with you. They’re looking at what your audience size is and they’re looking at what your sales history is. The more you email, the more a gallery is going to see you as an asset to them. Just like I said, I buy things when they email me. I’m a Gen Xer. I’m basically your ideal, your ideal customer avatar.
Miriam Schulman: I know what I’m talking about. Great example of this is Martha Brain. So when she was working with me through the Inner Circle, we overhauled her messaging and she was showing up and selling art through her email list, and she got two galleries within a month, two additional galleries. And that’s because they saw her as an asset, somebody who would be a partner with them, somebody who understands what they need to do, what they bring to the table. Prediction number three. These shifts are going to reward consistency, not frequency. So the post everyday social media era is dying. Which, by the way, if you’re not into social media, that might be good news for you. If you spent time building a huge social media following, and I know some artists who have done that and they are crying. I have one friend of mine who she has like over 80,000 followers on Instagram and she’s struggling. She’s struggling because not only it’s like the engagement rate that I’ve been talking about for years, like it’s down, it’s down. It’s like 0.2%. But what I’ve seen change is it’s not even showing it to your followers anymore. It’s using the algorithm. Like when I go on LinkedIn, LinkedIn decides what it’s going to show to me. Linkedin decides, God forbid I click on a post. I’m going to see 50 more of those posts within the next two days, and it’s a little hard to drain.
Miriam Schulman: I’m gonna have to figure out how to train my LinkedIn not to show me so many of the same thing, but my point is the algorithm is deciding what to show you, so posting every day isn’t going to help you. What I’m telling my artists to do and what I’m telling you to do, is you just want pillar content. So that doesn’t mean post every day you might want to have on Instagram nine pillar posts. You know, when you log into Instagram you see nine squares that you create. That’s really good for the whole year. So when somebody who’s an interior designer or a gallery person lands there, they can they can learn what you’re about. Okay, so that’s over. The market is going to reward artists who email consistently, make thoughtful collections. You create your art within a collection. Again, it doesn’t matter if you’re doing paintings, knitwear, whatever it is, it’s got to be cohesive and maintain a stable pricing ladder, meaning your prices make sense. So it’s not, oh, I use these materials and I like this art better, or I took longer to make this art. So therefore it’s going to be three times as much or I I’m not sure I really want to sell it anyway. So it’s five times as much. No no no. Your prices are consistent across the sizes. If you have art that you don’t really believe in anymore because you did it a long time ago, but you still have it, let it go.
Miriam Schulman: You don’t have to have it on everything on your website. This isn’t a garage sale. This isn’t eBay. This isn’t. Let’s see if somebody might want it. If you don’t believe it in anymore, neither will they. So if you can’t price it at your new prices, take it off your website. Also, high end buyers are going to avoid artists who discount constantly or post price hopping, meaning prices go up, prices go down, prices go up, prices go down. Keep it consistent. Hey creative, I Miriam Schulman quick question for you. Are you planning to just wing it in in 2026 and hope your muse pays the bills. Because say no, I’m just kidding. Not really. But also, no, we’re not doing that this year, right? I’m running my annual goal setting workshop, where I walk you through the exact processes I’ve used to grow a multiple six figure art business for over 25 years, the same ones my clients used in 2025 to sell over $400,000 of art. And you’re invited and this will work for you no matter what 2026 throws you. Now, normally it’s $97, but you can get it for free when you buy a paperback copy of my book. Artpreneur. The step by step Guide to Making a Sustainable Living from Your creativity anytime in December 2025.
Miriam Schulman: Whether you buy it for yourself or you buy it as a gift for another creative friend who is always saying, this is the year I get serious, but then they don’t. So grab the book. Email us the receipt at Miriam at TheInspirationPlace.net and you’re in. The details about the workshop and how to claim your gift are over at SchulmanArt.com/GOALS. Let’s make 2020 their year that you actually follow through. I want to give you like, some three pricing trends for 2020. Six small works can work, but what isn’t going to work is medium. So yes, you can have some small things in there, but it’s going to be very difficult to sell medium size. And so that’s going to be the issue. Number two large scale investment work. In other words 5000 and up. That category is going to grow as wealthy buyers diversify their assets as they want to invest in their homes. They have a beautiful home. They want beautiful artwork for their home. They’re not going to be taping a poster up. They’re not going to be going to HomeGoods and buying some cheap canvas. They want some original art on their walls. And number three is story price. Art piece is tied to identity. Heritage, place or healing are going to command the premium prices. I’ve been saying this for a long time and it’s true. This is what’s going to work.
Miriam Schulman: What does it mean for you artists? You need to raise your prices confidently, but most importantly, consistently. We don’t want you overproducing small artworks. People don’t want them. Then they don’t want those medium ones here, the met, neither here nor there artworks. They want big, go big or go home. And then you also want to curate. So this isn’t about churning out artwork and seeing what sticks to the wall. This is about curating thoughtfully. So not only will you have your pillar posts, you will have your I believe in this artwork. Okay, many artists by the way, raise their prices after getting press because it legitimizes what they’re doing. A great example of that is a Nick Duvier. She is a Miami Haitian artist, and she made publicity a cornerstone to her strategy. And now her art can be seen in the Miami airport. She’s doing such amazing things and she is commanding those beautiful high prices. All right, let’s move on to prediction number four. Really understanding what your brand story is. Ai alone is not going to fix your messaging problem. I’ve seen my team members who have tried to use AI to do things without prepping it. And I’ll look at it like, oh my gosh, what did you do? You have to prep the model properly? And that’s what I do with my inner circle clients. That’s what I do inside the messaging vault.
Miriam Schulman: Whether you do that through the inner circle or through the accelerator, or which I know you don’t know what the accelerator is, don’t worry, I’m not selling it to you right now anyway. So but however you get my messaging session, that’s what I do with you inside the messaging session and it’s included. So I’ll just tell you quickly it’s you can buy it separately or it’s part of the inner circle, and it’s part of this new tier that I’m offering now called the accelerator, which kind of is for people who don’t quite feel they want to make the time investment, or they don’t feel that their career or where they’re at artistically is ready for an inner circle time investment. So the accelerator sits in between the Artist Incubator and the inner circle, and it gets people ready for that next step. All the things that we’re talking about today okay. So let’s talk about first what’s changing. So yes, AI like I said, is ubiquitous. But collectors are going to know when content sounds robotic. And it’s not so much whether you use AI or not, it’s whether or not it’s generic. That’s the difference. That’s the difference. The art market will not reward generic content. Not anymore. Not anymore. Can’t just say art. This art’s going to transform your home. Because you know why? Every single artist out there can say this. Art will transform your home.
Miriam Schulman: How does your art transform the home differently than any other artist? You need to know that answer. That’s what you need to know. So if you learn how to blend the efficiency with AI, with a deeply understood origin story that connects all the dots of what you do and why it should matter to your collectors, that’s how you’ll win. So artists, you need a memorable voice. You need clear story pillars. Yes, you need to regularly communicate via email and you need the signature narrative. This is why I built the messaging Vault, and this is why I’ve been shifting a lot of my programs to message over the mechanics. It’s that important. Prediction number five hybrid studio experiences will become the new luxury high end collectors. They want access to something nobody else can have. And they want intimacy. They want that VIP treatment. So what does that mean for you. So you can introduce like we I think we talked about this last week. Zoom studio visits virtual catwalks through your process behind the scenes storytelling that feels exclusive. And what does that mean for you? Well, if you want to sell four figure and five figure art, you need to stop hiding. You need to show the process. You need to show the person, and you need to show the passion. Not just I love creating art. That’s not going to be enough anymore. Yes, it’s passion, but why does it matter? And not just why does it matter to you, the artist? Why does it matter to your collector? You have to know the answer to that.
Miriam Schulman: Here’s some ideas for you, my listener. You can do an open studio over zoom. You can create a collector circle, kind of like a VIP list. You can do a virtual first look preview, maybe. Hey, click here if you want to sign up to get a virtual first look. So it kind of puts them onto a segmented list to make them feel really special. Or like I said, VIP email list segments. Same idea. It’s just how do you want to call it? Hey, creative. It’s Miriam Schulman now. December always makes me a little bit reflective. Was this the year you wanted it to be. Or did life? Kids work, Instagram, laundry and your inner critic derail you again? I see you, I’ve been there, but I’ve built something to help. It’s my goal setting workshop. It’s the same process I’ve used for decades to turn my ideas and my art career into real, dependable income without burning out and without giving up the joy. Now, usually it’s 97. In fact, you can buy it for $97, or you can buy Artpreneur in December 2025. And if you do, the workshop is my gift to you. Buy it for yourself or for the creative friend who deserves a vote of confidence.
Miriam Schulman: Just email us your receipt and we’ll get you inside. Go to SchulmanArt.com/GOALS to get started and let’s walk into 2026 with clarity, courage and an actual plan, not just wishes. Let’s pull all this together. What artists must do in 2026. So here’s your marching orders. I’m going to give you a seven step plan. Number one email weekly. Number two, prioritize narrative over novelty. Number three, pitch yourself to the press, whether that’s podcasts or print magazines or blog posts. Whatever it is, pitch yourself. Number four. You need to create fewer but better artwork. Number five build a collector circle like a VIP list. Number six raise your prices. Consider raising your prices 10 to 20% for 2026. And finally, number seven AI alone is not going to fix your messaging problem. So you can use AI as a research assistant or a brainstormer, but not necessarily a ghost writer. So that’s it for this week. Let me know what you think. Let me know in the comments or tag me. I’m at Schulman Art s c h u l m n a r t or take a screenshot using your phone and tag me. Share it. Share it with some other artists. Spread the love. They want to learn how to do these things too. They’ll thank you for it. All right, my friend. So that’s it for today. I’ll see you the same time. Same place next week. Until next time, stay inspired. Bye for now.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to the Inspiration Place podcast. Connect with us on Facebook, at Facebook.com/SchulmanArt, on Instagram, at @SchulmanArt, and of course on SchulmanArt.com.
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