As you may or may not know, I'm a gallery owner and I paint for a living, and it's the best job I can think of. I've had a lot of jobs, but this one is particularly rewarding and fun - it's one of the few careers you can have where you get up in the morning and say, "Excellent! I get to go to work today!"
But I'm often asked, "How in the world do I get into the business?" I have a few tips for those who are just starting out that might help. These are fairly general tips, but I think they'll be of particular help to traditional artists.

1. Make friends. Make art friends, and try to be wise about your selections. Your buddy might be a great artist, but if he doesn't know the business, he's not going to be able to help you much. Try to find people with experience and knowledge of how the art business operates, and they can give you advice or recommend your work to galleries and museums.

2. Start small. Literally, try to keep your work smaller, particularly if you're just starting out. People are a lot more likely to buy several smaller less expensive pieces than a whopping great oil from an unknown artist. By keeping the works small, numerous and cheap, you will also be able to expand the number of homes where your work hangs - the more homes that have your work, the more it will be seen, and that's great "word of mouth" advertising.

3. Organise a co-op. If you have friends who are good artists, you might consider lowering your initial investment by coming together as a group and sharing expenses for studio or gallery space; it's a great way to keep your costs down, and gives buyers a centralised location to view your work.

4. Undervalue your work and build up. Nobody can sell their work for the big bucks at first - you've got to build a name and reputation before you can command higher prices. If your work's good, the buyers will come for it, and you can raise your prices as you develop a market. But try to avoid "favours" and give-aways unless it can help you develop contacts or clients.

5. Consider alternate markets. Restaurants and other businesses like having art hanging on the walls, but they don't like paying for it. A lot of non-gallery businesses will be more than happy to hang your work on consignment - think of it as free publicity. If your work is sitting in your studio or home, it's not doing you any good.

6. Try to go "mainstream" subject-matter wise. Unusual and dramatic art is great, but it doesn't sell to the public. Try to avoid subjects that are gory, personal or erotic; they might be museum-quality pieces, but collectors don't want that kind of thing hanging over the fireplace.

7. Be proud of your work, but be humble. We have an expression around here - "You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar." You aren't the greatest artist in the world, and neither am I. If you're willing to be nice to potential clients, they're going to be a lot more interested in your work, regardless of whether it's the greatest art ever or not. It also makes it a lot easier to make the right kind of friends in the art world - alienating people is only going to hurt you, and thinking you're the greatest turns people off, no matter how good your work is.

8. Don't be afraid to show your work. Give people the URL to your DA gallery; make a scrapbook with contact prints of your work in it; make business cards - be as visible as you can.

9. Don't skimp on the details. Matted work looks better than unmatted work, and framed work looks better than matted work. Mats are cheap, and mat cutters aren't very expensive or difficult to operate. If you take the time to make your work presentable, it'll benefit you in the long run. Frameshops often have extra matboard and mis-cut frames that they're willing to sell cheap.

10. Consider festivals and short-term outdoor venues. It's a great way for an artist who's starting out to get noticed. Even if sales are lack-lustre at first, people are likely to remember you and recognise your name the next time they see you.

11. Expand your repertoire. Sticking to one subject, style or medium unnecessarily limits your potential to get collectors and galleries interested in you. If your work is always the same, it gets dull after a while, for you and for the viewer. The greater your ability to work in a variety of styles or media, the greater your potential for attracting a wider variety of people to your work.

12. Go places. Go to gallery exhibitions, visit museums, go to outdoor shows and talk to people. Most artists and gallery owners are happy to give advice, and it usually pays to heed it. Don't take your portfolio with you - uninvited "I want you to look at my work" is a sure way to appear pushy and arrogant.

These are just a few thoughts that might help you get started in the art world. I certainly can't claim to know everything, but I've tried to list a few things that will make breaking into the business a little less intimidating.