Art Markets and Fairs are Exhausting

24 Oct 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:53

In this short YouTube monologue, Lennon explains that many artists barely break even after accounting for market fees and travel costs associated with art fairs, leading to exhaustion and a feeling of stagnation. He argues that the problem isn’t the size or prestige of galleries and markets, but the broken system artists are playing within. Lennon presents two options: continue leveling up within this flawed system, or create a new approach by owning the audience, running personal sales cycles, and setting one’s own rules. He positions himself as an experienced guide, noting eight years of helping artists transition from in‑person sales to online personal‑brand‑driven sales, and invites viewers to follow him for further help.

Chapters

For a lot of artists, by the time that you've finished your market or your fair and you've sold a piece of work, and then you calculate the gas and the market fees, like you've barely broken even and it's exhausting. And a lot of times it feels like you're not even moving forward. When that happens, most artists think that bigger galleries or better markets are the answer. But the problem isn't the level of these things, it's the game that you're actually playing. You got 2 options. You can either keep leveling up in a system that's broken Or you can build something where you set your own rules, where you run the sales cycles, where you own the audience, where you're able to reach out and be in touch with people whenever you want to. The exhaustion is real. It's not failure. It might just be a sign that it's time for something different. And if that's you, I hope you'll hit follow. My name's Lennon. I've helped artists for the past 8 years who sell their work in real life take those sales online by building a personal brand that they're proud of, that feels true to them. I'd love to help you do the same.