Getting Your Art Out There: Social Media, the Internet, Your Art and Your Art Group
Does an artist need a website? Does he or she need to be on social media? Most artists just want to paint! What do you say? Or would you rather just be out there pounding the pavement trying to get your art into a gallery? How about an artist co-op?... Let's explore some artist promotional options.
Social Media Today
We've all seen it. Go to a restaurant and at one table a family are having dinner, yet all four are holding a phone, their fingers are flying, scrolling, commenting, liking and sharing. Or a table with a few friends sitting together, yet all of them have out their phones in hand and doing the same. Their food arrives and they barely set the phone down to eat!
Wouldn't you think that they would be discussing what is going on in each other's lives and around them?
Cell phones, perhaps a necessary evil in some ways, yet... how about social media to promote your art?
Although being on the internet and on social media has its issues - it is where most everyone in the world goes to for information. From "Where is the closest coffee shop" to "Things to do near me", to laughing at all those goofy cat videos, most of us use the internet every day. We just ALL need to manage and balance our time wisely when it comes to social media to avoid going down those "rabbit holes near me".
And on the internet, this is where many art lovers go to find out more about the art culture near them, the art shows they might attend, and the types of local art talent, art classes, galleries and creative opportunities available on their side of town and where they might go visit. Social media is where artists can build a following and let their followers know what they are working on and where their next show is.
- I see a social media presence as imperative to showing your art to the world. There is time involved - yes. But the costs can be very low if not free. Schedule some space in your day and/or week and stick to it when you develop your strategy.
An Artist Website of My Own
Every day at an art show, the gallery we are in, or an art meeting, we meet artists that will show us their art on their phones. This is great, we enjoy seeing their artwork. But do they have more than a gallery on their phone?
Artists that want to make art sales should have a website (and business card!) these days! The act of having a website online for your art is the equivalent of leasing a building space to display your art in your home town. The big difference (other than cost) is that the website address (URL - or link) can be seen worldwide while someone needs to walk through the door of the rented space.
Advertising that you have an art space - even on the internet means that it is up to YOU to find a way for people to find YOU. The artist will hand out those cards for someone to learn more about what they do and the internet is about linking to what you do.
Artists have many options in creating an online presence with their art store. There are options for free and low cost, and many are easy to set up, while others do take some skills. Knowing coding is beneficial but not necessary. As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for", but honestly, there are some good options without knowing any computer code.
Depending on what you want to get out of your art business will determine how far you want to go to have people discover, admire and to buy your art.
Having
an online presence is especially important when handing out your
business card (which you should have as well), so that someone knows
where to go online to check out your art.
- I can't tell you how many times I've been asked for a specific artist's business card, and the artist doesn't have one.
Often, when entering art shows, the artist is asked to enter their website URL so that the jurors can see and learn more about them too.
An Artist's Social Presence
Part of the process while getting your website built, is getting your social presence started. This gives you places (links) to post your signs or flags leading people (and Google) toward your website (link). The internet is all about links connecting. The more links that connect to you, the hashtags #, the mentions @, likes, comments, sharing, etc - the better connections to find you and your art.
I've been calling a social presence as the Big Five - the places to be as far as social spots, and they are:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
...and TikTok would make it the Big Six to many...
There are others but these have been where the bulk of people are. These are where artists are found, their fans and followers are and how they communicate with each other. There are art shows and events, invitations, and so much more - AND ideas!
Your social presence in many of these sites most typically start with your friends and family building as your initial fan base. Consistency is KING in posting, and there are ways to help. As with anything, the research must be put in to find what works best for you, your style of art and where your potential clientele are.
My Art Group Online
As stated above - go where the people are - on the internet, and in your local art culture right around you. Find the art groups and art shops and do the research to understand the fee structures, opportunities, volunteering requirements - everything. Find the group(s) that will work best for you and the time you have but honestly, not just how they benefit you but how you can be a benefit to them. Remember give and take?
Research keywords: art group, art society, art guild, artist community, arts center, art council, art alliance, art league, art cooperative, artisans, art creatives...
I see it as it is everyone's job in an art group to spread the word about the art group. This is no "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". I help promote my art group, the Prince William Art Society, which helps bring attention to the entire art group, the art shows we do, the fun we have, the good we try to do in our local community, and more. By helping PWAS, it helps me too. What do you do to help?
When I post something, it goes out to my friends and family. I do not reach YOUR friends and family - your fan base on your own social sites, unless you do the likes, shares, etc.
By YOU helping to share, like, comment, reposting YOU are not only helping the art group, but helping yourself, especially when you can additionally add your links and your own hashtags to a post as well.
For the Prince William Art Society, adding hashtags like those listed below are ways to help tag and search for more info about each hashtag.
#PWAS #PrinceWilliamArtSociety #PWCArt #pwasartstore #SupportLocal #virginiaart #virginiaartists #PWASOnlineArtStore #PWASArtGroup 🎨📸🖼🖌and if it is more about me, I'll add #DonnaLiguria #DonnaLiguriaArt
Take advantage of your art group's opportunities in the way of committees, art shows, volunteering and what is available on their website. Joining an art group, the artists can build connections, partnerships and collaborations that help open new avenues to you that perhaps you hadn't even thought of.
- For the PWAS members, there is an Artist Showcase which is a personalized artist page for an annual $25 fee.
- There is also a PWAS online Art Store where all members are welcome to show one piece of artwork for sale. Additionally, there is a private Facebook PWAS Chat group for members only where art discussions, polls, sharing of art news and show opportunities are posted. If you are not online, you miss out.
Art Galleries, Artist Co-Operatives, Artist Collectives
Getting
art into art galleries may depend more on the scale of gallery you are
shooting for and where. Smaller town and city galleries may be far
easier than the big city spaces...but like most things it depends on you
and your talent, your drive/goals and the 'who you know'.
See How to Get Your Art in a Gallery: A Step-by-Step Guide
Art
Galleries, like a "vanity" gallery, tend to take a higher percentage of
the art revenue sold. The expectations of an art gallery would be the
professionalism in presentation, operations, quality...etc.
There are many Artist Co-ops in most communities and being cooperative means that all artists have to work, distributing the labor evenly and fairly.
"An artist cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is an autonomous visual arts organization, enterprise, or association jointly owned and democratically controlled by its members. Artist cooperatives are legal entities organized as non-capital stock corporations, non-profit organizations, or unincorporated associations. Such cooperatives typically provide professional facilities and services for its artist-members, including studios, workshops, equipment, exhibition galleries, and educational resources. By design, all economic and non-economic benefits and liabilities of the cooperative are shared equally among its members. Cooperative members elect their board of directors from within the membership." - Wikipedia
See Should You Consider Joining a Co-op Art Gallery? and Start a Co-op Gallery: 8 Tips
Artist Collectives are "An artist collective or art group or artist group is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the needs of the artist; this can range from purchasing bulk materials, sharing equipment, space or materials, to following shared ideologies, aesthetic and political views or even living and working together as an extended family. Sharing of ownership, risk, benefits, and status is implied, as opposed to other, more common business structures with an explicit hierarchy of ownership such as an association or a company." - Wikipedia
Of
course, the grander an art district and the art culture is in your
area, the more artists are vying for wall space in the locations and
shows advertised. And in some of the art spaces, you will need to apply and go through a selection process to be included, while also paying a monthly fee and volunteering. Explore all of the art options available to you and how the traffic (foot and car) is around said spots.
Art Fairs
Art Fairs and Popup Shows can be a good way to sell your art, but the time and work involved, the equipment needed, and many other details including vendor fees and the weather can make and/or break the artist/show. Also, having a helper or an art partner with you to share the work may help with the "solo or duo" art fair. It's a lot of work, but many artists do quite well.
Or being in an art group at an art fair means that your art showing space may be smaller, you'll also pay a commission, and you will need to help setup and take down, but workload and costs are minimized/shared. The art group may have their own tent and equipment, lessening your start up costs.
See How to Art Show and Lessons Learned
Nonetheless, a social media presence and a website are still quite beneficial in the promotion of the show you are attending so that all your family, friends and followers will know to come visit you.
As said earlier, all of it is building links, connections, doing the research, exploring your options, trying this thing or that, and finding where you fit. What works, what absolutely does not, not only where your art sells, but where do you LEARN MORE at, and hopefully have fun too?
The main point is - start somewhere. Today.
What would you add to the points I have here? What works for you?
Local Art: The
Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in
PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern
Virginia. Visit
us at any of our local art shows and our monthly meetings - held on the
4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center 12298 Cotton
Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm.
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
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