Are collectors still buying art in 2026? Yes. And more of them are buying directly from artists.

In Episode 408, artist, curator, gallery owner and art business coach Sergio Gomez breaks down the Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2026, the annual report on art collectors worldwide by Dr. Clare McAndrew and Arts Economics. Based on a survey of about 3,100 collectors in 10 countries, Sergio shares the 10 collector trends every artist needs to know going into 2026 and 2027, and what each one means for your art career.

Sergio has followed this report for about 10 years. He reads it as an artist and as a gallery owner, and he turns the data into simple actions you can take this week, whether you sell at $200 or $20,000.

In this episode, you'll learn the 10 collector trends:

1. Collectors buy directly from artists: Why direct sales are growing, how collectors find artists in studios and on Instagram, and how to make it easy to buy from you.
2. Commissions are a real opportunity: How to make commissions an official offer, what to put on a commission page, and why a starting price helps.
3. Collectors buy at real-world prices: How to price with confidence using small, medium and signature pieces, and why to raise prices steadily as demand grows.
4. Instagram sells art: What to include in every post (title, medium, size), why to show work in a room, and how to add a clear call to action.
5. Collectors want proof: Why many collectors are cautious about newly discovered artists, and how testimonials, shows, press and consistency build trust.
6. Collectors do their homework: How to be easy to look up, from Google and AI search to an updated bio, art statement, CV and your story in plain words.
7. Uniqueness wins: Why to lead with originals, share your process, and tell why each piece is one of a kind.
8. Women collectors lead discovery: How to build relationships, host events and follow up personally.
9. In-person still matters: Why open studios, art fairs and local events close the sale that online starts, especially in the age of AI images.
10. Every generation is buying: Why painting is still a top medium, and why you should ask your buyers how they find and buy art.

Also in this episode:

• The 5 ways to position yourself as an artist right now: make it easy to buy direct, build proof, be ready for research, price with confidence, and meet collectors in person
• Why first-time buyers can become second-time buyers and, over time, collectors
• How to sell art online and in person without waiting for permission from a gallery

Resources:

• Free guide: the Collector Ready Guide with all 10 trends, the key numbers, what each means for you, and a checklist: [add link]
• Instagram Made Simple for Artists 50+, a course for artists who say Instagram is not for them: [add link]
• Join the Art NXT Level Academy, with weekly live Q&A, a private artist community and coaching: theartistnextlevel.com

Subscribe to The Artist Next Level Podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave a rating and review to help more artists find the show.

Hosted by Sergio Gomez, co-founder of Art NXT Level. Learn more at theartistnextlevel.com.

Get the Free PDF mentioned in the episode: https://www.theartistnextlevel.com/collectors-trend-2026

What happens when you spend decades putting your art dreams on hold?

In this episode of The Artist Next Level, I sit down with artist Rene Griffith to talk about her journey from growing up believing that art was something she couldn't pursue, to eventually moving across the country and building the art career she always knew was inside her.

Rene shares how travel continues to influence her abstract work, why she thinks abstract art can be experienced much like music, and how she approaches marketing as a way of connecting people with her art rather than simply trying to sell it.

We also talk about something every artist needs to hear: you don't have unlimited time and energy. Renee shares why setting clear goals, taking action, and learning to say no to opportunities that don't move your career forward can make all the difference.

If you've ever thought you're too old, too late, not good enough with technology, or simply don't know where to start, Renee's story is a powerful reminder that you can still pursue the artist you were meant to become.

Rene Griffith's Contact Information

Website: https://www.renegriffithart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rene.griffith/

If Instagram feels overwhelming, confusing, or like a full-time job you never signed up for… this conversation is for you.

In this live Q&A for artists 50+, we talked about what actually matters when it comes to using Instagram to grow your audience and promote your art.

We covered:
• The 3 posts every artist should consider pinning
• Reels vs. posts—and what each one is really good for
• Why carousel posts are worth testing
• When boosting a post makes sense (and when it doesn't)
• How often you really need to post
• Sharing sold artwork without making your feed feel like a sales catalog
• Cross-promoting between multiple accounts
• Why comment pods can hurt more than they help
• How to connect your Reels and create a content series
• And how to build a posting rhythm you can actually sustain

The goal isn't to spend more time on Instagram.

It's to use the time you already have more strategically.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation and start making Instagram work FOR your art—not the other way around.

Get the course Instagram Made Simple for Artists 50+ at: https://www.theartistnextlevel.com/insta50

Let's talk about the topic most artists would rather avoid: MONEY.

You can be an incredible artist and still struggle financially if you don't understand the business side of your career.

In this week's episode of the Artist Next Level Podcast, I'm joined by Amber Reusch, CPA, entrepreneur, working artist, and founder of Dots & Digits Accounting.

We dive into some of the biggest financial mistakes Amber sees artists making today. But here's the big takeaway:

Understanding your numbers isn't about restriction. It's about freedom.

When you know what your art business actually costs, what you're earning, where your money is going, and what you need to charge, you can make better decisions—and build a career that actually supports the life you want.

🎧 Listen to the new episode of Artist Next Level and let's stop being afraid of the money side of being an artist.

Your art deserves a sustainable business behind it.

Episode Links:
Instagram, TikTok: @dotsanddigitsaccounting
Website: https://www.dotsanddigitsaccounting.com

Creative Growth Summit: https://creative-growth-summit.peachs.co/a/sergio-gomez

What happens when you give yourself permission to reinvent your life after 40?

In this inspiring conversation, Sergio Gomez sits down with photographer and artist Penny Fraser, creator of the Forty Over Forty Project, a five-year cultural legacy project documenting the stories of more than 150 women over the age of 40.

Penny shares how leaving a career in law and reconnecting with her creative side led her to a project that became much bigger than photography. Through intimate interviews, conceptual portraits, magazines, exhibitions, and community events, she is creating a living archive of women's stories—celebrating their resilience, transformation, accomplishments, and dreams.

Together, Sergio and Penny talk about reinvention, confidence, storytelling, resilience, community, and legacy—and what artists can learn from creating opportunities not only for themselves, but for others.

Penny also shares the lessons she has learned from listening to hundreds of women, the challenges of building a meaningful creative project from the ground up, and what happens when an artist stops waiting for opportunities and becomes an opportunity maker.

If you've ever wondered whether it's too late to start something new, this conversation is a powerful reminder: your next chapter may be the beginning of your most meaningful work.

Visit 40 Over 40 online: https://www.pennyfraserphotography.com

Instagram: @PennyFraserPhotography

Hosted by Sergio Gomez | Artist Next Level Podcast

In this episode of the Artist Next Level Podcast, Sergio Gomez introduces his simple yet powerful Three-Step Art Marketing Framework—a practical system artists can use to organize their social media marketing, create meaningful content, and attract the right audience.

Sergio breaks down the three essential stages of the framework: building awareness, building trust, and making the offer. He explains how artists can use these principles to structure their weekly content, strengthen connections with collectors and followers, and market their work with greater confidence and consistency.

Whether you're overwhelmed by social media or simply looking for a clearer marketing strategy, this episode provides an easy-to-remember roadmap that can simplify your marketing efforts and help you turn attention into engagement—and engagement into sales.

Margaret Johnson had been carrying a vision for 25 years — large-scale botanical paintings that brought together her childhood love of nature, her training at the Denver Botanic Gardens, and her roots as an expressive, intuitive painter. This episode is the story of how that vision finally came to life in Emergence, her solo exhibition at the Cannon Center Art Gallery in Boulder, Colorado, curated through the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art.

We talk about what it really takes to say yes to the biggest show of your career — including how Margaret worked through her inner critic, built a month-by-month studio schedule, and used a strategic marketing plan that included personal invitations to key contacts in the art world. One of those personal invitations led directly to a new opportunity to place her work. That story alone is worth the listen.

We also go deep on what it means to work with a curator who helps you see the threads in your own work across 25 years, the unexpected connection to Georgia O'Keeffe that began at a childhood dinner party, and what the studio feels like after everything goes on the wall.

If you have an exhibition coming up — or you're dreaming about one — this conversation will give you both the practical roadmap and the emotional permission to go for it.