How to Start an Art Collection When You Don't Think of Yourself as an Art Collector

The words “art collector” can sound intimidating.

They can bring to mind private galleries, auctions, enormous budgets, or someone who can casually explain every artistic movement from the last three centuries.

But collecting art doesn’t have to begin that way.

Sometimes it begins much more simply.

You see a photograph and stop scrolling.

You walk past a piece and then turn around to look at it again.

You imagine it hanging somewhere in your home before you’ve even decided whether you’re going to buy it.

That may be the beginning of an art collection—even if you would never call yourself an art collector.

Start With What Makes You Feel Something

You don’t need to understand art terminology to know when an image affects you.

Maybe you’re drawn to the quiet of a landscape. Maybe wildlife photography reminds you of strength, freedom or an experience you never want to forget. Maybe bold color energizes you, while black-and-white photography makes you slow down and pay attention.

Those reactions matter.

Instead of beginning with the question, “What kind of art should I buy?” try asking:

“What do I want to feel when I see this every day?”

That question can tell you far more about the artwork that belongs in your home than any decorating trend.

Your First Piece Doesn't Need to Match Everything

One of the easiest ways to talk yourself out of buying artwork you love is to start worrying about whether it perfectly matches the sofa, rug, curtains and everything else in the room.

Your home will change.

Furniture gets replaced. Walls get painted. Styles evolve.

Artwork you genuinely connect with can move with you through all of those changes.

Look for pieces that feel like you, not simply pieces that coordinate with what happens to be in your living room right now.

You Don't Have to Buy an Entire Collection at Once

A personal art collection is allowed to grow slowly.

In fact, I think there is something wonderful about building one that way.

One photograph might remind you of a place you've traveled. Another might represent somewhere you still dream of seeing. A wildlife image may capture a quality you admire. Years later, you may discover something completely different that you simply cannot stop thinking about.

Over time, those individual choices begin telling a story.

Your story.

That is far more interesting than filling an empty wall in one afternoon.

Pay Attention to What Keeps Pulling You Back

There is a difference between thinking something is beautiful and wanting to live with it.

When you're considering a piece of art, give yourself permission to spend some time with it.

Come back to it later.

Look at the details again.

Imagine seeing it first thing in the morning or walking past it every evening.

If you keep returning to the same image when there are dozens of others available, pay attention to that.

Sometimes your collection begins with the photograph you simply couldn't forget.

Buy the Art Before You Earn the Label

You don't need five photographs hanging on your walls before you're allowed to consider yourself a collector.

You don't need an art degree.

You don't need a particular income.

And you certainly don't need anyone else's permission.

An art collection is simply a group of pieces you chose because they meant enough to you to bring into your life.

It can begin with one.

Let Your Collection Become Personal

The most interesting collections aren't necessarily the ones where every piece looks alike.

They're the ones where you can ask the owner about something on the wall and hear:

“Oh, there's a story behind that one.”

That is what makes collecting art personal.

Your walls gradually become less about decoration and more about experiences, memories, places, emotions and pieces of beauty you've chosen to keep around you.

So if you've ever found yourself lingering over a photograph, returning to an artist's work, or imagining a particular piece in your home, you may already be closer to becoming an art collector than you think.

You just haven't bought the first piece yet.

Picture Perfect Things offers fine art photography created from landscapes, wildlife, nature and places encountered around the world. Explore the collections and see which photograph keeps pulling you back.

Fine Art Photography by Tyeshia Barnes | Picture Perfect Things