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Your artworks might not be appearing in the National Gallery any time soon, but have you ever thought of exhibiting them?

If you’re a nervous or novice artist probably not: exhibitions are the kind of thing ‘real’ artists do. But if you like your work and you are proud of it, then why not?

There are plenty of public spaces that are less intimidating than a gallery: coffee shops, pubs and community halls everywhere need something to fill their walls.

I guarantee that if you visit enough such places, you will eventually find yourself looking at the art they’ve got on the walls and thinking, “Well, my stuff’s better than that!”.

After that it’s simply a matter of having enough nerve to speak to the manager, and enough pictures in your portfolio. You’ll be in charge of your own framing and almost certainly the hanging too; a job lot of plain Ikea frames will do you fine.

If you don’t think your stuff is good enough to sell, or you simply don’t want to part with it - fine - you don’t have to. But a word to the wise: if you do price it up, ask friends for their honest opinion. There’s nothing easier to ridicule than a novice’s painting displayed at professional’s prices. Try to step back and see your work as others do, without the emotional investment you have (on the other hand, don’t sell yourself short. Think how much the materials cost you and what a fair price per hour for your work might be).

Ask the proprietor if they take a comission; few do, but it’s best to know straight up. They might even lay on a modest ‘opening’ night for you. After that, it’s a matter of trying hard not to spend every waking hour in the venue, listening to remarks the patrons are making about your work.

There are other options, of course. Here in Brighton, for example, we have the Festival Open Houses, where literally hundreds of private houses, shops, restaurants and pubs stage small exhibitions. If something like this happens in your area too, it’s an ideal start. You only need a few works because you’re sharing the space with others. It’s also a quick way of hearing at close quarters exactly what people think of your art, and seeing whether it sells.

If even that seems to scary, try a friendly internet forum, like…ooh, I don’t know, Drawanyway? Seriously, though, there are plenty of places to ‘exhibit’ your art online (if you have any favourites, let me know in the comments below).

Or, finally, you could try Dumpr.net, as I did to generate the image you see above. No-one but you will see your work, but you can certainly enjoy the illusion that the world is at your feet.