The last few weeks, I’ve watched so many artists convince themselves their work isn’t selling because something is wrong with them. Their art isn’t good enough. They’ve lost their audience. Nobody cares anymore.
It’s not you. It’s January.
Numerous artists really don’t understand the January-February slump for art sales and think it’s personal. Although it’s true that art sales have been a lot slower generally due to many factors such as politics and the economic confusion, it can still feel really personal as we round the corner for a new year and sales just die. No one is buying, even gallery sales are down. Everything is quiet.
The Financial Hangover Is Real
Collectors just spent November/December (like most people) purchasing holiday gifts, traveling to be with friends (or the stress of having toxic familes or just being alone) and even splurge on gifts for themselves. There are so many holiday, gallery and studio sales going on that it is hard to not want to adopt original artwork when this happens. This all adds up. The truth is that not only collectors but people who do not collect art start looking at their credit card statements and making New Year’s resolutions to “spend less” or “save more.”
Art, especially original work, is the first thing to get cut. People are focused on groceries, rent, and tightening their budgets, and discretionary spending stops. That’s the majority of your potential buyers hitting pause.
LendingTree Study (2025): Retail spending drops an average of 22.4% between December and January, analyzing data from 1992-2025. That’s an average decline of $83.2 billion annually.
Department stores see the steepest drop: spending falls an average of 58% from December to January. Think about that for a second. Department stores carry things people actually need: clothing, household goods, basic necessities. If stores selling essentials see a 58% drop, it makes complete sense that art sales, which are purely discretionary, would drop at least 58% or even more during this same period.
Why Some Galleries Actually Close in January
It’s not just about slow sales. Brick-and-mortar galleries have overhead whether anyone walks through the door or not: rent, utilities, insurance, staff. For smaller galleries running tight margins, staying open during the slowest months can mean actively losing money instead of breaking even.
Smart galleries use this time strategically. They plan the rest of the year’s exhibitions, install new shows, handle maintenance, or attend art fairs. It’s a reset period before spring kicks in.
Nobody’s Paying Attention
Even if collectors had money to spend in January, their attention is elsewhere. They’re dealing with post-holiday exhaustion, getting back into work routines, battling seasonal depression, and wrestling with New Year’s resolutions. The cultural mindset isn’t “I want to discover beautiful art”, it’s “I need to survive this gray month and get my life together.”
Social media algorithms don’t help. Engagement drops across all platforms in January. Your posts reach fewer people even if you’re posting consistently. The game is rigged against you this time of year.
Tariffs Are Making Everything Worse
As if the typical January slowdown wasn’t enough, tariffs and price changes from late 2025 have created additional chaos for artists and galleries. Shipping costs are up. Materials are more expensive. International sales have become more complicated and costly, with collectors hesitant to buy when they don’t know what the final price will actually be or if their packages will even arrive without massive unexpected fees.
Artists who import canvas, paint, or other materials are seeing their costs skyrocket. Supply costs have jumped so dramatically that some companies have had to stop their business altogether. Galleries shipping work internationally are dealing with unpredictable customs charges. Collectors who might have purchased from international artists are now backing away, uncertain about hidden costs and delays.
The uncertainty alone is enough to freeze sales. When no one knows what something will actually cost or when it will arrive, the safest move feels like not buying at all. And for artists already struggling through the January slump, these added costs and complications are making a bad situation worse.
The Elephant In The Room
As much as people want to ignore the obvious, the world is kind of a shitstorm. No one knows what they’re doing, who is leading, how they’re going to pay bills, if they’ll randomly lose their job or their health insurance, or what is really going on with the stability of life and the political and economic dumpster fire that is happening. It really doesn’t matter what side you’re on for this article. It is really just the truth of the matter that the whole system is a mess.
There is a huge amount of uncertainty and violence. It is volatile and people are scared, which means people are holding onto their money more and are not purchasing things that are not based in survival.
However, there are those that find solace in art (myself being one of them), so there are still people purchasing art to make their life beautiful, to touch them, to give them hope, to support the arts which seems to be struggling on small and larger levels like government cuts. But not everyone has the luxury to buy art right now.
What You Can Actually Do
This slowdown is predictable, which means you can plan for it instead of being blindsided every year:
Build a financial buffer during your strong months. Spring, fall, and the holiday rush are typically when sales peak. Save enough from those periods to carry you through January and February without panic.
Use this time for strategic work. Develop new bodies of work. Plan your exhibition calendar. Update your website. Organize your inventory. Work on that project you never have time for when you’re actively selling.
Focus on engagement over sales. Share process videos. Write blog posts. Connect authentically with your audience without the pressure to convert every interaction into a sale.
Consider smaller, more accessible offerings. Prints, greeting cards, or smaller originals fit post-holiday budgets better than major purchases.
Remember this is temporary. March typically sees a rebound as tax refunds arrive and people emerge from winter hibernation. This pattern repeats every single year.
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It’s a Perfect Storm
Not only is it cyclical to have slow sales in January and February (the winter months tend to be slow and a little depressing), but add in everything happening on the world stage and you have a recipe for very little to no sales for the first few months of the year.
The seasonal January/February slump has always existed. The post-holiday financial hangover has always existed. But layer on top of that the political and economic chaos, the uncertainty about jobs and healthcare, and the general sense that the system is falling apart, and you get why this January feels particularly brutal.
Some collectors are still buying. They find solace in art but most people are in survival mode right now, holding onto every dollar they have.
This isn’t personal.
Use this breathing room to set yourself up for success when the market picks back up. And if you’re feeling discouraged, remember: this happens every single year, and every single year, sales come back.
