r/artbusiness rules, stats, and what to post

This community is for talking about the business side of art. That means things like dealing with clients, contracts, marketing, social media, and merch production. The people posting here are artists who run or want to run a business around their work. Rule 2 makes it clear the sub is for artists only, and that posts have to stay on the business side of art. So this is not a place to show off artwork, and it is not a general art community. It is a working room where artists compare notes on the money and operations side of their craft.

The rule that decides most marketing outcomes here is “Rule - 4 No selling or advertising. No hiring or soliciting. No surveys or discord links.”, which bans selling, advertising, hiring, surveys, and discord links outright. Right next to it sits “Rule - 5 Promotion, pricing, social media in megathreads only.”, which says promotion, pricing, and social media talk belong in the dedicated megathreads and nowhere else. “Rule - 2 Keep it about the business side of art. For artists only.” narrows the topic to art business and centers artists. “Rule 8 - AI posts. All pro-AI posts will be removed.” is the strictest rule in the list, because it removes pro-AI posts and says posts written using AI to seek information will also be removed. “Rule 10 - No venting or complaining. Please go to r/artranting for all venting-related posting.” keeps the tone professional. “Rule 9 - Image Posting Guidelines” requires every image to be tied to a discussion topic. “Rule 7 - We cannot provide legal advice.” means contract and legal questions get bounced. “Rule 1 - Read the F.A.Q and search the sub before posting.” asks you to do your homework first. Finally, “Rule 3 - Be kind and courteous to all users.” and “Rule 6 - No witch-hunts, doxing or targeting of individuals/groups.” set the tone for how you treat people.

A good post here is a genuine discussion about the business side of art, written by you, in your own words, with no links and no product pitch. Ask a real question that artists can answer from their own experience, like how they handle a client situation or what they wish they had known about contracts. If you have learned something running a business that serves artists, share it as a plain story or a lesson, and let people come to you if they want more. If your topic touches promotion, pricing, or social media, put it in the right megathread instead of the main feed. Read the F.A.Q and search the sub before posting, because a question that has been answered many times will not land well. And keep your tone professional and kind, since this room is run for working artists, not for visitors.

Do not post any promotion or advertising, because “Rule - 4 No selling or advertising. No hiring or soliciting. No surveys or discord links.” covers it and “Rule - 5 Promotion, pricing, social media in megathreads only.” sends the rest to megathreads. Do not drop links or discord invites. Do not post anything pro AI or recommend AI tools for any reason, and do not write your post with AI either, because “Rule 8 - AI posts. All pro-AI posts will be removed.” says you can be banned for it. Do not vent or complain about clients or the art world, because “Rule 10 - No venting or complaining. Please go to r/artranting for all venting-related posting.” sends that to the sister sub. Do not ask for legal advice, because “Rule 7 - We cannot provide legal advice.” rules it out. Do not post images with no discussion behind them, because “Rule 9 - Image Posting Guidelines” wants every image tied to a real topic. Do not target or call out individuals or groups, because “Rule 6 - No witch-hunts, doxing or targeting of individuals/groups.” bans it. And do not post about topics outside the business of art, because “Rule - 2 Keep it about the business side of art. For artists only.” sets the boundary.

The AI rule here stopped me cold when I read it. It does not just ban pro-AI posts, it bans posts written using AI, and it says you can be banned for being pro-AI at all. That tells me this room is protective of artists in a very deliberate way, so if you show up with anything that smells like automation or a pitch, you are done before you start. The megathread system is actually a gift, because it gives you a sanctioned place to talk promotion and social media if you bring real value with you.