A few weeks ago, someone messaged me after months of following my work on Instagram. 'I really want something original on my wall,' she wrote, 'but I have no idea where to start.' I hear this more often than you'd think — and I completely understand the hesitation.
The Difference You Can Feel
There's a world of difference between a mass-produced print and an original artwork. Not just in price or exclusivity, but in how it feels to live with it every day. A print is beautiful. An original is alive. You see the brushstrokes, the layers of paint built one on top of another, the places where the artist hesitated and then pushed through. That story hangs on your wall alongside the colours.
In 2026, this shift is everywhere: people no longer want interiors that look like showrooms. They want homes that feel like theirs. And nothing makes a space more personal than a piece of art you chose yourself — not because it matched the sofa, but because something stirred in you the first time you saw it.
Where Do You Start?
The very first step is simpler than you think: go look. Visit an open studio, wander into a gallery, scroll intentionally through the work of artists who catch your eye. Notice what holds your attention. Which colours draw you in? Which textures make you want to reach out and touch? That instinct is your best compass.
Many people believe you need expertise to buy art. That's a myth the art world has been too slow to dismantle. You don't need a degree in art history. You don't need to know what impasto means or who Mark Rothko was. You just need to know what moves you.
Starting Affordable
Original art doesn't have to be expensive. More and more artists — myself included — offer work in different sizes and price ranges. A smaller canvas or a work on paper can be a wonderful first purchase. The Affordable Art Fair, now in fifteen cities worldwide in 2026, shows that the market for accessible original art is booming. Small-scale works have surged 66% in popularity over the past year alone.
My advice: don't buy the most expensive piece you can afford. Buy the piece you can't stop thinking about. That might be a thirty-centimetre canvas that fits perfectly above your bedside table, or a study the artist made in preparation for a larger work. Those pieces often carry just as much soul.
Buying Directly From the Artist
One of the most rewarding ways to acquire your first work is directly from the maker. You hear the story behind the piece. You see the hands that created it. And honestly — as an artist, I can tell you there are few things more meaningful than the moment someone buys a work for the first time and says: 'This belongs in my home.'
That direct connection makes your purchase something more than a transaction. You don't just get a painting. You get a story, an encounter, a memory.
Trust Your Instinct
My biggest piece of advice? Don't wait until you find the perfect piece for the perfect spot. Buy something that makes your heart beat faster and find the spot afterwards. The wall adapts to the work, not the other way around.
Curious whether there's an original piece of mine that belongs with you? Browse my collection or send me a message — I'd love to help you take that first step.
