How to Use Trends In Your Art (Without Losing Your Soul)
The Thrill and the Burnout
Have you ever felt like you should be creating what's 'popular' to grow your following? Torn between following trends to sell more or making art that feels like you? I have, and it almost cost me everything.
Early on in my art business, I decided to focus on creating trend-driven art. I believed it was the best route to success.
At the time, it seemed like I had made the right choice. I was able to achieve financial freedom, travel, and support my family. And every Etsy order notification seemed to confirm it. I was making hundreds of thousands of sales.
But little did I know that this dream would turn into a nightmare...
The constant pressure to keep up to create the next popular thing started to suffocate me. I'd wake up with a knot of dread in my stomach. Thinking of even picking up a pencil filled me with exhaustion.
After a few years of working like this, burnout caught up with me, and it completely consumed me. I'd become so focused on what sold that making art had become a chore. I lost my love for creating and nearly quit my art career altogether.
If you're struggling with this too, I have good news: There is a better way, and it doesn't have to be like this.
There is a way to find balance. You can use trends to your advantage to grow your audience and make more sales. And you can do this while still creating art that's fun and feels right for you, without feeling fake or burning out.
I know so many other creatives struggle with this same challenge. And I want to share the system that worked for me, so you don't have to go through the same struggle of trial and error.
In this blog post, I'll walk you through the step-by-step process I developed. You'll learn:
- How to identify your core artistic values and niche. This makes it much easier to pick the right trends and create work you actually want to create.
- How to decide how much of your portfolio should be trend-focused based on what type of artist you are.
- How to use my simple 3-Question Framework to pick trends with confidence. You'll learn how to put your unique spin on them and solidify your brand instead of diluting it.
But before we jump into the how, let's talk about why this is important. There's a hidden trap in blindly following trends. Understanding this is key to making this system work for you.
The Trouble With Trends
It is easy to assume that trends are the golden ticket to success. If you create what’s popular, you’ll sell more, right? While there’s truth to that, it’s not the whole story.
Many creatives get excited about the idea of going viral. They jump on every trend, hoping one will be a big hit. But all that chasing can end up with burnout, creative stagnation, and a weak brand identity.
If all you ever do is follow trends, then it makes it harder for you to stand out from the crowd. You become a follower, not a leader. Your work starts to look like everyone else's.
On the other hand, completely ignoring trends can also hurt your art business and growth.
Maybe you make beautiful, unique art, but it doesn't connect with what people are looking for right now. Or maybe you want to attract people within your niche, but because you never use trends, you’re finding it hard to be discovered.
Ignoring trends completely is like planting a delicate, shade-loving fern in a sunny, arid garden bed. Your art might be stunning, but if it doesn't fit the current 'weather' (what people are interested in), it might not get seen or do as well as it could.
So, what can you do?
Well, instead of changing our art to fit trends, we could make trends fit our style and what's important to our art.
Of course, you get to decide if a trend can even fit your style or niche. That's totally up to you.
If the big new trend is maximalist florals, that might not fit your simple, cutesy animal prints. But there are so many trends coexisting at the same time. Maybe there is one that you can work with.
So, let’s see how we can use trends in a healthy, smart way to reach more people who might love your art.
How I Integrate or Skip Trends In My Creative Business
Sometimes, we need a little help to decide which trends to embrace and which ones to ignore. So, I want to share with you the system I developed that's helped me get a more structured approach to do just that.
Let's break it down.
Step 1: Define Your Creative Type
Before chasing any trend, you need to know who you are as an artist. What makes you excited to create? What stories do you want to tell? How do you want your art to affect people?
Knowing your art 'voice' helps you figure out which type of artist you are. Think of it as a guide for dealing with trends. To keep it simple, let's put artists into three main types:
Independent Artist
This is the classic artist archetype. They create art to express themselves, and what they create comes from their own experiences and passions. They sell to people who connect with their stories or the meaning behind the art itself.
Who they sell to:Mostly collectors and fans.
Commercial Artist
This includes surface designers, book illustrators, medical illustrators, concept artists, animators, and graphic designers, etc. They make art to meet a specific need, often for companies that use their designs on products.
Who they sell to:Businesses (B2B licensing), print-on-demand customers, and individual customers (B2C).
Hobby Artist
If you make art just for fun, you're likely doing it to relax or feel good. You're not trying to sell much, just enjoying making it and maybe sharing it with friends and family.
Who they sell to:Individual customers (B2C) and family/friends.
Think for a moment. Which type sounds most like you? Knowing your main artist type is the first big step to using trends well, and it will affect how you approach the next steps.
Step 2: Define Your Niche – Your Trend Filter
Once you know your core artistic type, it’s time to zero in on your niche.
Your niche is your special blend of theme, subject matter, style, medium, and audience you serve. And you can think of it as your ultimate filter for trends.
Knowing exactly who you create for and what your unique artistic territory looks like is key. It helps you decide if a trend is a real opportunity or just noise. This is especially important for you if you fall into the Commercial Artist category.
It helps you answer the big question: "Does this trend even belong in my creative world?"
A well-defined niche keeps you grounded. It makes sure that even when you use trends, you do it in a way that feels authentic and strengthens your brand identity rather than diluting it.
Figuring out your niche is important for your whole art business, not just for trends. It affects everything from making art to selling it. It's so important that I wrote a whole post about finding a niche that's fun, feels right, and can make money.
If you're still figuring out your niche, I really suggest reading my guide, "How to find your art niche: The ultimate guide," before you go to the next step.
Step 3: To Trend or Not To Trend–A Type-Based Approach
Now that you know your creative type and niche, let's talk trends. Whether you follow them or not depends heavily on which artist category and niche.
So, let’s dive into each category:
Independent Artists:
Your originality and ideas are your biggest strengths and your unique selling points. You probably don't focus on one small niche, and you don't want to change your work to try and appeal to the masses with trends.
However, you can use trends in a powerful way to get your art in front of more people. For example, if you make art inspired by folklore and old traditions, and suddenly something like Yule becomes trendy, you could use that trend to get your work in front of people who love your folklore art.
You could also choose to go against a trend if it doesn't resonate with you. Your audience might like that you have a different view and enjoy your counter-perspective. This can be a powerful way to stand out even further and strengthen your place within your niche.
Suggestion: Maybe focus about 10-20% of your art time on trends you carefully choose (or go against).
Commercial Artists:
You often cater to larger niches, working in a business-to-business model. If you want your art in a big store (selling clothes, home items, etc.), big companies must cater to what “most people like” to be sustainable. To attract these companies to license your work, you need to follow trends and appeal to larger audiences.
Even "niche" or "edgy" stores have surprisingly large audiences, so don’t feel like you should abandon them completely. If a trend fits your style and values, making art related to it can bring in more clients, even with these smaller niche stores.
Suggestion: You might aim for 50-70% of your art to relate to trends.
Hobby Artists:
You make art for fun! Trends are totally optional. If a trend looks interesting, try it! If not, don't stress about it. You are freeee!
Based on your artist type, use these percentages as ideas to start with and write down what percentage of work you want your art to be trend-based. Change them based on your own goals. Think about how using (or ignoring) trends might help or hurt your collection of work.
Step 4: How To Follow Trends Without Losing Integrity
Okay, now you should have a better idea of who you are as an artist, your niche, and how much energy to put into trends. Next, you need a quick way to decide if you should use a trend or skip it without overthinking or feeling like you're missing out (FOMO).
Here are my simple 3 Alignment Questions to ask yourself whenever a trend catches your eye:
1. What are my values?
Does this trend align with my core beliefs?
If it clashes, then it's a clear no. You don't want to create something that goes against what you feel is right.
Let's use a couple of “polarising” examples for the sake of clarity. Try to notice how you feel about each of these trends:
(I can't answer for you because we all have different values. Here’s how I might react)
I don't eat meat, and a trend about BBQs often focuses a lot on meat, which clashes with my values. My first thought is "no thanks". But maybe I could do a twist and focus on vegan BBQ (going against the main trend).
Example 2 (Y2K - Year 2000 Style is trending):I like the idea behind it, like nostalgia, playfulness and self-expression. The look really isn't my style (it feels too modern for me), but it still sparks my interest. Maybe I could adapt parts of it to my art.
Example 3 (Tarot Cards are trending):I love history, folklore, and seeing the world through a lens that allows for a bit of magic since real life can be tough sometimes. Everything about it is fascinating to me, and it’s a trend I would be happy to explore in my art.
At this point, you should know how you feel about a trend. You might be turned off, not care either way, or feel interested.
Any reaction is okay! If a trend has a red flag for you, you can just say no right now, and it is perfectly okay. I know a few people who would not touch a tarot deck with a 10-foot pole. And if that’s you, that's ok! You don't have to, and it won't ruin your business if you skip it.
But if you do want to explore a trend and put your own spin on it, ask yourself the next question...
2. What can You offer?
Even if you're not totally sure about the trend, can you add your own unique touch? Can you make something different that your audience would like? Can you mix parts of it into your current style? Or could you make something that goes against the trend to show a different viewpoint?
You embrace the trend: If you are happy digging into some traditional bbq, you can go for that without changing the theme.
You dislike this trend: As a vegan artist, maybe you could draw yummy vegan BBQ food, showing a different side of the trend.
Example 2 (Y2K):You embrace the trend: You immediately start looking through your storage boxes, looking for your old flip phone to use as reference.
You dislike this trend: "What is all this scrunchies and pink nonsense?" You have happy memories of being a goth girl in high school in the year 2000. Do you remember what that was like? Can you create a gothy Y2K for your people?
Example 3 (Tarot):You embrace the trend: You want to dive in and create your own deck inspired by herbalism and the mythical creatures of Scotland. And nothing can stop you.
You dislike this trend: Fortune-telling isn't something you can get behind. Plus, your style is modern and youthful, and you create content mostly for stressed-out college-age women. You mull it over for a while. Maybe you could create a "Self-Care Tarot Deck"? It would look like tarot cards but focus on positive affirmations and mental wellness rather than traditional tarot readings.
3. What do I create?
Does this trend fit my brand and the kind of art I make? Consider your existing style, subject matter, and target audience. If the trend feels forced or out of place, it's probably not a good fit.
For me personally…
It is completely out of the question. My brand is timeless, inspired by fantasy and art history. So BBQ spatulas and ketchup have no place in it, no matter how popular they might be.
Example 1 (Y2K):I love playing with color, so I might play with a more playful collection that uses bright Y2K-inspired colors in heritage designs. But I wouldn’t go as far as drawing flip phones.
Example 3 (Tarot):I can integrate more celestial and tarot themes in my designs, as this feels like a natural evolution of my art.
(I actually did use the tarot trend, and it went well! But your choices might be different and still be successful. I have a friend who designs cute BBQ patterns for fabric and party stuff, and she does great with it.)
Ask yourself these three questions for some current and upcoming trends. Let them help you decide if you should use any of them and how to make them your own.
Step 5: (Bonus Step) - Create Evergreen Pieces To Protect Yourself Against Trend Fluctuation
So how do you maintain a steady income without frantically chasing every trend under the sun? The answer lies in creating "evergreen" pieces.
I could talk about this topic for hours, but here is what you need to know right now. Trends come and go, tastes and values change all the time, but there are a few things that stand the test of time.
Think about the seasons changing, the weather, traditions, animals, and everyday things people do. These other activities have been around for 100s of years, and they’re here to stay for 100s more.
Evergreen art stays relevant no matter what's trendy right now. They give you a stable base for your income.
You might worry that too many artists are already making art about these themes. That can be true. But it is also true that the demand for them is also very high.
Companies often need more and more designs like these each year because they are popular and a safe choice for them – which means they can be a safe choice for you too.
The important thing is to bring your own voice to these evergreen themes you're drawing. If you want to stand out from the crowd, then you need to bring in your own twist and lean on your originality.
So how do we find Evergreen Trends?
Look at the calendar: What big events happen every year? Think about holidays (big or small), the changing of seasons, or big sporting events. Even your own daily life (like horse riding, reading, cleaning, gardening, doctor visits) can spark ideas for evergreen themes. The key is that these things happen regularly every year.
Find common themes within your niche: What topics or events do you always see where your ideal customers shop or hang out online? For example, if you make art for babies and kids, evergreen themes could be birthdays, age milestones, boats, fairy tales, dinosaurs, woodland animals, or space.
Create a list of evergreen themes within your niche and start to develop a portfolio of designs that you can sell all year round. This means that even as trends shift, you will still have a safety net to provide you with a steady income.
(P.S. If you want to learn more about evergreen themes, my surface design course has a list of over 140 ideas, organized by month, to help you start! [link to waiting list])
Make Trends Work For You
So there you have it – the system that pulled me back from the brink of burnout and helped me rediscover the joy in my art while still growing my business. Remember that knot of dread I used to feel? It's gone! Now, I'm excited for what I get to create next, knowing I have a way to navigate the ever-shifting world of trends without losing myself in the process.
You don't have to choose between success and your passion. By knowing who you are as an artist, defining your special place (niche), and using the 3 Alignment Questions, you can decide how trends fit into your world, not the other way around. You can leverage their power strategically, connect with a wider audience, and maybe even find unexpected inspiration, all while staying true to yourself.
Don't just read this and forget it. Right now, think of one current trend you've noticed – big or small. Grab a notebook (or open a new doc) and use the 3 Alignment Questions: Does it align with your values? What unique spin can you offer? Does it genuinely fit your brand and art style?
Take that first step today towards building a creative practice that's both thriving and deeply fulfilling. You've got this!