Vincent Van Gogh had it made. Act all freakin’ crazy, cut off your ear, get committed to an asylum, and then paint like a mo’fo. He wasn’t worried about selling his art– heck, it never occurred to him. He painted for the sake of the art, for self-expression, and just because he just HAD to. Passion, pure and simple.

OK, so I’m oversimplifying, and as for poor VVG, the guy led a tortured life. I’d like to skip the asylum and missing ear part. I’d also like to sell my art before I die.

But as I get into the marketing side of my photography, I’m learning that creating great art isn’t even a start. There’s so much to learn about online selling… banner ads, cost-per-click, bounce rates, email opt-in, social networking… aaaargh! And that’s just the web stuff.

There are bricks-and-mortar galleries, print media buyers, art shows, and who knows what else I’ll discover.

So here’s the question I throw out to the blogosphere (thanks Bruno LoGreco for introducing me to yet another web term.) As I try to wiggle into the art world, do I go in posing as someone with experience who deserves respect, or as someone who’s clueless and needs their help?

The real question is authenticity, and does it ever work in any business. I already know how it plays in the corporate world, where the weak get eaten at coffee break. So how about in the art world? Do talent and passion trump marketing savvy?

Let me know what you think.