Can we make art less intimidating?

Mar 4

***Let’s get deeper into the psychology of art collecting…***

One of the most consistent things I have noticed in my work is how many people love art deeply while quietly assuming they are not very good at engaging with it. They hesitate before asking questions, and apologize for their taste. They wait for permission before speaking their mind (that permission is never going to come!)
This has never felt like a failure of curiosity or intelligence to me. It feels like a failure of access.

In my career, I always favoured working in spaces that actively resisted the idea that seriousness required elitism.

From early gallery work to co-founding Artwrk.ca, I have experienced and explored what happens when people are welcomed into the art conversation rather than tested by it.

Artwrk.ca was created as a response to what I was seeing over and over again. People wanted to discover artists, understand pricing, and live with artwork in their homes, but they felt unsure about how to begin. An online platform became a way to remove some of the barriers that had nothing to do with the art itself. Clear information. Direct language. A sense that curiosity was enough to get started.

Before that, my time at Bau-Xi Gallery reinforced something important for me. A gallery does not need to be exclusive to be respected. Bau-Xi made a point of welcoming people as they were. Visitors did not need to perform knowledge or signal buying power in order to be taken seriously. The work was strong, the artists were championed, and the conversations were grounded in real life.

What mattered most was that the artists were treated as working people, not distant figures. The artwork was discussed in terms of how it lived in the world. How it might feel in a space. How someone might build a relationship with it over time. The seriousness was there, but it was never out of reach.

That experience shaped how I think about collecting at a foundational level. I do not believe collecting is about status or elitism. I believe it is about expressing your personality, and allowing taste to form slowly and honestly. (at whatever budget feels right to you)

Why does the art world feel intimidating, and what can we do about it?

The art world can feel intimidating because so much of its language is learned informally. People assume everyone else received a manual they somehow missed. When questions go unanswered or interactions feel opaque, it reinforces the idea that art is only for those who already know.

I do not think the answer is to simplify art or to strip away its complexity. Complexity is part of what makes art meaningful. The answer is to make room for learning without shame. To let people encounter work without pressure. To trust that confidence grows through exposure and experience, and to validate art viewers that they are welcome to whatever opinion they decide to share about that work.

Much of my work now revolves around this belief. Whether I am working with artists or speaking to audiences about collecting, I am interested in creating conditions where curiosity feels safe and engagement feels enjoyable.

This is not about convincing people to buy art quickly. It is about helping them understand how collecting actually works, so that when they do buy, it feels grounded and joyful rather than fraught.

So where do we go from here?

If you are an artist, I hope this gives you some insight into how I think about collectors. I care deeply about who buys your work and why. I believe collectors are built through understanding, not urgency, and that long-term relationships matter more than short-term wins.

If you are someone who loves art but feels unsure how to enter the world of collecting, know that you are not late. You are simply at the beginning. Looking, learning, and asking questions are not preliminary steps. They are the work.

And if this way of thinking resonates, share it. Save it. Pass it along to someone who loves art but has not yet found their footing.

When more people find confidence and joy in collecting artwork, artists sell more work. When artists sell more work, they are able to keep making art in their studios. The ecosystem grows not through scarcity, but through participation.

That is the version of the art world I believe in. One shaped by trust, generosity, and the understanding that more curiosity leads to more connection. More is more is more.