Helping artists quit the day job and scale past six figures.
The little team behind some of your favourite artists and the prints they sell.
Award-winning, five years, £8M in ad spend.
Is your art really the problem? Or is nobody seeing it?
Maybe my work just isn't good enough.
Maybe it's not!
Or maybe the work is good enough, just nobody's seeing it.
A lot of our artists didn't have a talent problem, they had a people problem.
What happened when you solved the people problem?
Well, this artist quit his job after month 1.
And this one after month 2.
And this one… I could go on all day.
But what if I want to make real money?
Not unusual. This one hit 20k a month selling prints.
This one usually does 50k months.
Okay but… that sounds too good to be true.
If that sounds too good to be true, watch this.
A screen recording of a real artist's Shopify, showing the dashboard before and after. Not a slide, not a mockup.
- Open edition prints
- Ad spend scaled from $1,500 to $10k a month
- Roughly 60% margin after printing and shipping
Bobby Founder, Bearhouse
If it still sounds too good to be true, no worries. I'll walk you through what we do below, then show you more results, reviews and videos from artists 👍
From a team of one to a team of four.
Right now you're running the whole thing on your own. Plug us in and there are three more people on it day in, day out. The ads, the design, the strategy. You're still the artist. We just build the business around you. You work directly with the founders. No middlemen.
Founder
Founder
You just focus on creating, we will focus on…
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01
Advertising
We get your work in front of people who actually buy art, on the platforms that suit what you make.
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02
Creative
We make the mockups, the ads and the words that go with them, tested across hundreds of artists and millions in ad spend.
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03
Your website
We rebuild your store around how people actually buy art, because it isn't like selling anything else.
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04
Pricing & fulfilment
We find the print partner that fits your prices, your markets and your margins.
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05
Scaling it
We push what's working, more spend and more markets, and keep an eye on the margin the whole way.
So what's the result?
Three months earlier, this shop didn't exist.
When we met he was just selling prints on Etsy, working a full-time job, with 15,000 followers and no site of his own. He wanted a steady living from his art. He didn't think it was possible.
Three months in, and all of it through his own shop, not a marketplace.
Why are we different? Because selling art is different.
A coffee machine solves a problem. You can sell the features, the speed, the better coffee. Art doesn't get that luxury. You're selling something a person has to connect with, picture in their home, and simply want.
- How do we tell the story behind the work and the artist?
- Which rooms help the right person picture it on their wall?
- How do we make sizing and framing feel simple?
- What print method, edition and price fit this artist?
That's the bit we've spent years figuring out.
Hear it from an artist.
Kate of Kate Fox Design on what changed after she started working with us, recorded in her own studio, in her own words, not scripted by us.
What artists actually say.
They've delivered on results from day 1.
We love working with Bearhouse! We would not have achieved the massive amount of growth without their direction and expertise. Would definitely recommend them to other artists and small business owners.
They've gone above and beyond to understand both me and my audience.
I've been working with Bearhouse Media for the past 3 months. They have been instrumental in creating targeted ads for my audience on Facebook and Instagram.
Throughout this period, Paudie has been my main point of contact, and his wealth of knowledge has been invaluable. He consistently keeps me updated on the progress and strategies his team is employing to target my customers effectively.
They ensure we are aligned on our messaging and goals for reaching our target demographic. They've expertly handled aspects that are unfamiliar to me, allowing my work to reach a broader audience.
Working with Bearhouse has been a pleasure, and I look forward to continuing our relationship!
The results they have helped my art business achieve have been fantastic.
I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the whole team at Bearhouse. They're an incredibly professional, knowledgeable and genuinely supportive team who have taken the time to understand my business and what I'm trying to achieve as an artist. They're a pleasure to work with, always responsive and full of great ideas, and I couldn't recommend them highly enough.
They don't just provide a service, they take the time to understand what my business actually needs.
I've been incredibly happy with Bearhouse and the support they've provided. Their communication is always clear, responsive, and straightforward, and they bring an extensive understanding of what it takes to support and grow a business. I've felt genuinely supported every step of the way and would highly recommend working with them.
They're super talented at what they do and make the process straightforward and jargon-free.
We've worked with Bearhouse for the past year to manage the digital ads and strategy for Hen's Teeth. We're delighted with the results so far, and look forward to growing the relationship over the coming year.
My monthly Shopify sales have pretty much doubled.
I no longer feel like I have to constantly be creating content and showing up on social media every day, as the ads are working in the background and consistently driving sales. At times, especially around Black Friday, we've even struggled to keep up with the sales they've generated.
They keep me updated on what's working, regularly switch up the content and remove anything that isn't performing. I feel completely confident leaving the ads in their hands knowing they have the expertise in an area I know very little about. Would definitely recommend Bearhouse Media.
‘Ireland’s Best Small Agency’
It’s nice to be recognised and all of us here at Bearhouse are very grateful to accept the highly sought after ‘Best Small Agency in Ireland for 2022’ at the prestigious Irish E-Comm awards.
The things people always ask.
Who do you work with?
Artists selling their own work online: prints, originals, commissions. We work with artists and nobody else, and have done for over five years. That's why we know what sells and what doesn't.
Do I need a big following?
No. Followers don't decide demand. An artist with 3,000 can out-earn one with 100,000. We'd rather you had some audience, because it shows people already want the work and it gives a new buyer a reason to trust you. But it isn't the thing that decides whether this works.
Do you help sell originals, or just prints?
Both, though most of our clients lead with prints, because they scale in a way originals can't. Originals then sell off the back of it, because the advertising brings more people to the site in the first place. For some artists, leading with originals works too.
Can they be limited edition or open edition?
Either, as long as you have the stock to keep up. Open editions are easier to scale indefinitely, so that tends to be our preference. But limited editions sell well too, and the scarcity does some of the work for you.
What do you need from me?
Three things. Your original art files, dropped in a folder and shared with us. A website to sell from, and if you don't have one yet, don't worry, we'll talk you through getting set up. And an advertising budget, agreed together and paid directly to the platforms.
Do I need Shopify?
No. We lean towards Shopify at the moment, because it does a few things better for selling prints, but some of our best performing artists are on Squarespace or WordPress. What matters is that the shop converts, not what it's built on.
What's involved in getting started?
Not much from you. The agreement goes out by email and is signed digitally, then onboarding is a short set of steps with instructions for each one. Most of the work happens on our side first: learning your customer, and getting pricing, printing and fulfilment right. By the time anything goes live, launch day is quick rather than stressful.
How do we keep in touch?
A private Slack channel with you and the whole team in it, so you have direct access to everyone on your account. A weekly video update covering what's working, what isn't and what we're testing next. And calls whenever you want one. No booking, no minimums.
What does it cost?
It depends on what you need, so we're not going to pretend there's one number for everyone. What we can tell you: it's a flat monthly fee, agreed before anything starts. It's separate from your ad budget, which goes straight to the platforms and never through us. And it's month to month, so if it isn't working you stop.
How long before I see anything?
It varies a lot, artist by artist. The one in the case study above hit a £62k month within three months. Tara put it as “they’ve delivered on results from day 1”. Others take longer. A couple of months of testing before things settle, which is normal rather than a warning sign. We’d rather show you what’s happening as we go than promise you a date.
Am I tied in?
No. Month to month, no long-term contracts. If it isn't working, you can stop.
How long have you been doing this?
Over five years with artists, and three before that as a general advertising agency, doing clothing brands, jewellery, that sort of thing. The artist focus came later, and stuck.
How did you get into helping artists?
Fairly randomly, if we're honest. None of us are artists. But we found it far more fulfilling than working with big brands, because you deal with the artist directly and you see what the work actually does for someone's life. Our very first client quit her second job, went full time on her art, moved countries, and a couple of years later hit a six-figure month. That's why we kept going.
What's the catch?
We can't help every artist.
Advertising only works when a few things are already in line: enough demand, a shop that converts, margins that carry the spend. Send your details and we'll tell you where you stand, and what to fix first if you're not there yet.