Many artists create because it’s their passion, and they love their work. However, there comes a time when the reality of paying bills and sustaining a comfortable life sets in.
While many artists pick up full-time jobs to cover their expenses, others are intrigued by the idea of turning their art into a business. If you’re the latter, a shift in mindset and an intense focus on marketing is necessary to make a lucrative business out of your work.
These three strategies can help you think like an entrepreneur and market your art effectively.
Understand What It Takes To Succeed
Your mindset is critical if you want to market your art successfully. When you decide to go from creating art for pleasure to making it for profit, it’s no longer always about what you like, want, or need. Instead, it becomes primarily about what potential buyers want, like, and need.
Educate yourself on the following as well:
Understanding what it takes to succeed online, in particular, is incredibly important as well.
Traditional marketing strategies are helpful. However, the business world is becoming increasingly digital. Knowing how to market, connect with customers, and run your business online is the only way to ensure you don’t get left behind. Start by studying the ever-changing nature of the digital world, the behavior of digital natives, and the importance of flexibility while marketing your art.
Understanding what success takes will help you think more like a business owner. It’ll also help you approach marketing with intent and strategy.
Lean Into Digital Marketing
As mentioned above, the world is becoming more digitally focused. This means digital marketing is a must. Without it, you won’t have as broad a reach, nor will you have as many opportunities to boost brand recognition and awareness.
Educate yourself on the basics of digital marketing first. After that, create a detailed digital marketing strategy. Include the following details:
Ultimately, your digital marketing channels should work together to give potential customers and fans a cohesive experience with your brand. It’s also essential to network relentlessly on your digital marketing channels and pursue other networking opportunities.
Network Relentlessly
Digital marketing can get any artist’s foot in the door, but networking can take you a step further. Genuine relationships with successful people in the industry can help strengthen your reputation as an artist and get the right eyes on your work.
Social media marketing is a tried-and-true strategy for artists and small businesses with a tight marketing budget. You can consistently post original content and take advantage of user-generated content from those who’ve purchased your art.
More importantly, social media is beneficial for not only increased traffic to your art website but also for networking. You can connect with other artists and partner with them to promote your work. You can join groups on these platforms and share your online portfolio, advice, and thoughts. You can spark and contribute to meaningful conversations with thought leaders, experts, and entrepreneurs in the art world.
Networking can also happen through crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing for any business involves getting feedback, work, or information from a large group. You can ask for feedback on works-in-progress and marketing content, opening up the opportunity to connect with fans and potential buyers.
Get into crowdfunding, as well, and it’s a win-win. You get your name and art out there while raising funds to put back into marketing or another aspect of your business.
Networking can get you and your business into doors that talent alone can’t. So, don’t neglect its importance.
Conclusion
To market your art as a company would, you must first shift your mindset to mirror an executive's. Then, lean into digital marketing and network relentlessly to turn your passion for art into a profitable business.
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in lifestyle, mental health, education, and fitness-related content. When she isn't writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.
If you are an emerging artist, you should think of creating a personal website along with profiles on social media platforms. This is very important as online presence is highly recommended if not obligatory for business, art, and sports. To present your art website to the masses, you have to promote and optimize it for search engines. This article explains how you can boost your website ranking and provides more details on backlinks as the most powerful method to achieve that.
Art website: first steps
Before bringing the website to the top of searches, you should create a stable base for it. It is necessary to select a reliable site builder and assign a suitable domain name to your art online platform. This sets up a decent base for future optimization of the website.
Select website builder
While there are many website builders these days, you should rely on the most convenient and credible ones. It is not enough to proceed with the one that appears high on the search results. You should take into consideration the pieces of advice of those people who have also used website builders for creating their art websites. The website building platform should guarantee that your website loads fast, you can select the preferred domain name, and apply search optimization activities without any constraints.
As a rule, most website-building platforms offer a set of predefined templates for art websites. You could select the preferred one and adjust it to your needs at any time.
Select domain name
To reinforce the optimization efforts for your website, set a clear and recognizable domain name. There are lots of services like GoDaddy and Namecheap where you can verify whether the preferred domain name is available. Also, you can buy the domain you like and reserve a place for it on the hosting platform.
The introduction of the .ART domains in 2016 was an ingenious way for artists to differentiate their websites, from the average website domain, and to emphasize their artistry. To search .ART domains, click HERE.
Art website advancement
As your art website is designed, created, and tuned up, it is the right time to apply SEO techniques to it. In particular, you should consider investing much time and enough resources in link building.
Gain backlinks
The fastest way to make your website highly visible on the web is to gain backlinks from other online resources. Various techniques allow you to do that in different modes, though the objective remains always the same.
One of the primary methods for link building is outreach to other websites via email or other communication tools. That might not always be easy, though you establish cooperation with different instances that way.
Another popular backlink-gaining procedure is by using an automated link building service on the web. Find a credible provider that has a large database of various online platforms and websites that would gladly link back to your website.
If you are keen on writing an article, you can also gain links via guest posting. This is a reliable approach to gain traffic to your art website as well as to increase awareness of your art brand.
Control on-page SEO
Besides link-building practices, it is also crucial to guarantee that your website functions properly. Use dedicated tools for controlling the page load speed on your website, cleaning up your website code, and checking other technical characteristics. This will help to make sure that users stay on the website for long after they find it on search results and follow it.
Analyze website performance
Your website ranking progress can’t be properly estimated in case you do not use proper analytic tools. One of the most popular and effective ones is Google Analytics, which is free to use. There you will be able to see all the characteristics and user behavior statistics on your website, Based on that data, you would be able to derive what could be done better on your website to boost its ranking further.
Create e-shop
Even though the art website optimization is crucially important, you should also consider creating your small representation instance on world-known platforms for selling art objects. These could be Etsy and Artspan - the art marketplaces offering creative people the possibility to set up their online storefronts.
Art platforms for creators have embedded optimization mechanisms that allow your art products to be visible on the web by embedding certain keywords. Also, you can insert backlinks to your website from there, thus linking back from credible resources and improving your website ranking.
Mary Hunter is a successful American freelance lifestyle blogger with advanced writing skills. She is currently working for linksmanagement.com. Mary has experience in editing, marketing, and her works appear in different publications and website articles.
Read more helpful art career and marketing articles in our archives HERE.
By Veronica Baxter, Guest Blogger - Visual artists must be prepared when negotiating a contract with an art gallery. This article will discuss how to prepare for the contract negotiation. Whether you are a new artist looking to get your work noticed, or an established artist trying to break into a new space, you will find valuable tips to secure a lucrative contract in an art gallery.
Have a List of Requirements and Questions Well Ahead of the Negotiation
Regardless of the industry, you should always know what you want during a negotiation. You need to confidently articulate what you want out of the business relationship to be taken seriously from a business perspective.
This means you’ll need to ask many questions.
Questions to Ask During a Contract Negotiation With an Art Gallery
The goal of asking questions is to get a concrete understanding of the business relationship from start to finish. Your questions should be designed so that the answers clearly define your responsibilities and those of the art gallery. Your questions should range across a wide variety of topics -- from marketing to logistics and beyond.
Marketing questions to consider:
Logistical Questions to consider:
Display Questions to Consider:
Arm Yourself With Knowledge of the Contract Negotiation Process
The artist with their head in the clouds is a frustrating yet persistent stereotype. Yet, there are plenty of successful artists who possess strong business acumen. The artist who can advocate on their own behalf during negotiations will be able to dodge this negative stereotype more easily and secure a better contract as a result.
Here are some must-know contractual tips:
Try To Get an Escape Clause
Escape clauses are essential in contracts with an art gallery. They allow either party to nullify the contract when a clearly defined term or condition is not met. Escape clauses are not to be confused with breach-of-contract clauses.
The difference is that both parties can agree to nullify a yearlong contract if, say, there are no sales after six months. In this example, neither party breached the contract; however, a specific condition was not met. Therefore, it is in the interest of both parties to nullify the agreement.
Push For an Arbitration/Mediation Clause
This clause stipulates that before either party resorts to a lawsuit, a mediator must be brought in to settle any contractual disputes. Both parties must hire a mediator. These clauses are important to bring up in negotiations because they are intended to prevent a costly lawsuit.
Make Sure the Indemnification Clause Works Both Ways
Indemnification clauses are designed so that if one party misrepresents themselves, their work, or if one party breaches part of the contract, then the offending party is responsible for the legal fees associated with any ensuing litigation. Sometimes these are one-sided and apply only when the artist breaches the contract. Negotiate so that the indemnification clause applies to both sides.
Come to the Negotiation Table Prepared
This article is far from exhaustive, but it is intended to get you thinking about the negotiation process in the way a lawyer would. You must ask questions to lay out the responsibilities of both parties clearly. The more detail, the better the deal. You also need to familiarize yourself with specific clauses and legalese that will lead to a fair and lucrative contract.
Veronica Baxter is a writer, blogger, and legal assistant operating out of the greater Philadelphia area. She writes for Yao Law, an entertainment and immigration lawyer in New Jersey.
by Guest Blogger, Katie Brenneman - An online portfolio is an artist’s bread and butter in this digital age. Maybe you’ve already put a lot of time and effort into building a beautiful portfolio or website showcasing your work.
However, it’s not exactly effective if no one is looking at it.
Unfortunately, you’re facing an uphill battle. Search engine algorithms will automatically skew toward more established artists. So, it’s time to step into the world of branding and marketing.
Thankfully, you don’t have to have a lot of experience in the advertising industry to make your portfolio stand out. Let’s cover a few quick tips on how you can boost your portfolio’s presence and get your work the attention it deserves.
If you already have an online portfolio, one of the easiest ways to get more visitors is to master the basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You’ve likely heard of keyword searches and how important they are to getting noticed. However, there are also things you can do to optimize your site internally, including
By making your portfolio a priority, you’ll naturally boost SEO. But, if you’re still struggling to attract visitors, take the time to learn the basics when it comes to keywords and what people are searching for, and you’ll see an even bigger boost in your digital audience.
Even if you’re not a marketing pro, almost everyone is familiar with at least one social media platform. Use that to your advantage to market your portfolio.
For example, Instagram is an ideal platform for sharing photos and artwork. It’s a great place to share pieces of your work and inspire people to head to your website or portfolio for more. It’s easy to use, but make sure you’re always optimizing your photos and sharing the right sizes, or they could end up looking blurry and unprofessional.
You can also use Instagram and other social media platforms to connect with potential fans and followers. It’s a great way to spark conversation and boost word-of-mouth interest in your portfolio.
While it’s true that everything seems digital these days and you should absolutely have an online portfolio, there’s still something to be said for print media. People still like tangible things, and something as simple as a flyer with a QR code that leads back to your portfolio can be impactful and interesting. Consider leaving flyers or brochures in places like
You can also choose to work with an existing publication that caters to art lovers or even other artists. Doing so will help you hone in on your target audience and can bring your brand and portfolio to life in a way that digital can’t always capture.
Whether you’re a budding artist trying to get your name out there or you’ve enjoyed a long career but need a marketing boost, use these ideas to boost the presence of your online portfolio, and engage with those who want to support you and your work.
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in lifestyle, mental health, education, and fitness-related content. When she isn't writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.
As an artist, you want people to see your work. After all, the more people get to appreciate your art, the more you can advance your career as an artist and ideally sell more art. One way to do this is by marketing yourself online, either on your own or with someone’s help. Read on to find out the top 10 marketing tips and trends you can use to increase your art website traffic.
#1 Master SEO Basics
Start by learning all the SEO basics. You need to know how to perform keyword research and how to use these keywords in your content. Learn about on-site optimization to further improve your website (e.g. proper navigation, creating a sitemap, etc.)
#2 Optimize Visual Content
Pay special attention to all the visual content you publish because it is crucial for you as an artist. Your images and videos need to be of high quality, but you should also add all the right details to them for SEO (e.g. alt tags for images, descriptions and keywords for videos). Don’t forget to add social sharing buttons to let your audience share your artwork elsewhere.
#3 Start Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is one of the best ways to get more backlinks to your website. If you don’t have time to do it yourself, there are professional writing services you can reach out to for assistance. When you publish your content on someone else’s website or blog, you can include a link to your own site which will guide their audience to you.
#4 Develop Your Link Profile
In addition to getting more backlinks, you should also develop your link profile by using both external and internal links in your website content. Internal links will help you keep users on your website longer while external links (especially to the sources of the facts or statistics you used) will help you look more reputable in the eyes of your audience.
#5 Utilize Social Media
Social media is essential for marketing you and your art. Create your profiles on different social media platforms and regularly remind your followers about your website. Don’t forget to use social media marketing techniques to successfully promote your content on those platforms (e.g. hashtags, tagging, locations, commenting, live streaming).
#6 Promote Word-of-Mouth
Word-of-mouth can easily spread the word about you, but instead of waiting for someone to start talking about you, you can promote word-of-mouth yourself. Reach out to your fans, followers and collectors of your work and ask them to provide a review or testimonial of your work. Then, you can post these on your website and share on your social platforms to get people interested in your art.
#7 Connect with Other Artists
Instead of relying solely on your own efforts and being a lone wolf, it’s a good idea to reach out to other artists like yourself and promote each other. You can partner with other artists to create unique art, host giveaways, and promote each other in different ways. Having these connections will also play a role in helping you advance your career.
#8 Engage with Your Audience
Engagement is important not just for your metrics but also for connecting with your fans. Encourage discussions in the comment section on your website and social media profiles, reply to comments, and so on. All of this shows that you are a friendly person who is happy to engage and connect with their audience.
#9 Make A Posting Schedule
To stay consistent, you will need to create a posting schedule for all the content you publish on your website or social media profiles. This way, you will always have a steady stream of content for your audience to discover and consume.
#10 Measure Performance and Improve
Last but not least, don’t forget to measure the performance of your web content and your website itself to improve your future digital marketing activities. Your updated strategy needs to have the necessary changes that will improve your metrics. Take into account everything – traffic, average session time, conversion rate, comments, social shares, and so on.
Wrapping Up
There are quite a few ways you can successfully reach a wider audience, but the most important thing is to be consistent with your marketing activities. Use the tactics in this article to help you generate more traffic on your website and find new fans and, ideally, buyers of your art.
Anna Medina is a specialist in different types of writing. She graduated from the Interpreters Department, but creative writing became her favorite type of work. Now she improves her skills while working for the writing services review websites like Best Writers Online with content of any type, but, mainly, assisting students all over the world.
LST participated in an article about designing an art gallery at home, offering advice on how people can find a style of art that fits their home. Reprinted with the Permission of Porch.com.
A gallery wall at home filled with beautiful artwork can make an empty room have warmth, color, and personality. There are many ways you can prepare your home art gallery to create a beautiful space you, your family, and guests will love. This guide from experts will show you some helpful tips on designing and preparing the best gallery at home. Read on to discover how to prepare your space and fill it with a range of artwork that is meaningful to you.
How can people find a style of art that fits their home?
“Our best advice is for people to visit as many art galleries, museums, online art gallery websites/storefronts, etc., to determine the style of art that they like. Usually, unless people are buying art for an investment, they will tend to buy art that fits their home decor, either in style or color scheme. Shopping around to as many outlets as they can, people are bound to find art that they can work into their home or make their home work with the art.”
Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery
What people should know about buying works of art at an auction?
“Whenever possible, preview the objects in person. Generally, you will be allowed to handle the items or have them shown to you, so you can see the back of a painting, or the underside of a desk, and even examine a vase under UV. If, when looking, you see something that you are uncertain about, ask. This is the safest way to be certain you are bidding on a lot that you will truly love. Just like people, some objects are very photogenic, and others, well, not so much. If you just can’t preview in person, send a proxy who you trust, or be certain to request a condition report for each lot on which you want to bid. You should never be shy about asking, and if you don’t understand all of the terms used in the condition report, ask about those too. Be certain you read the full description and condition notes carefully. Watch an auction of a similar format (whether live or online) at the house you wish to bid with, prior to becoming a bidder. Keep in mind that your bids will likely be subject to a buyer’s premium and sales tax, so know what these rates are so you can calculate your maximum bid well before the auction begins. And STICK TO THAT NUMBER! It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of auctions. If you bid and win the lot it is yours. You don’t want to be the victim of buyer’s remorse, and an auction house will not cancel your purchase just because you were too enthusiastic in raising your paddle.”
What are the key considerations for displaying your art in the proper way?
“There are two key considerations when it comes to displaying art to its best advantage: placement and lighting. You want to place art in a space that will accommodate it, leaving space around the art so it doesn’t feel crowded. Ideally, the art will be displayed at about eye level. We typically hang art so that the center-line of the art is 60″ above the floor. but this height can be modified based on personal preference. Lighting is critical. We recommend a warm or neutral LED spotlight shining on the art from above, at least 36 inches back from the art, and far enough above to allow the entire image to be illuminated evenly by the light.”
Xanadu Gallery
Connection Between Artwork and Hardwood Floors
“Artwork establishes the mood, energy, and personality of a room and so can the choice of hardwood. If abstract artwork in bold, bright color needs to be the focus consider a floor of natural hardwood (no stain) in oak. The bright, pure wood tone provides a natural setting and won’t compete with the modern energy of the art. For a room featuring a beautiful landscape in jewel tones consider a deeply stained hardwood in classic mahogany or oak. The vintage feel of the floor will set a mood of warmth and harmony, a perfect setting for the art. If the art is modern yet organic in layers of cream and white a monochromatic color palette for the walls and floor can set a calm but dramatic tone. Select a simple grained hardwood floor (maple or white oak) in a subtle shade of beige. The soft, simplicity of floor will add light and space to the room. Today there are lots of hardwood floor color, character, species, and finish options, take the time to select the right one to best reflect the personality of the space.”
How to Create a Family Art Gallery with Kids?
“Art making lowers stress and improves focus for children and adults alike. Our society has turned the word “artist” into an intimidating label that has to be earned – but really, making art has benefits for everyone! Here are a few tips to make art-making time enjoyable for you and your family:
-Keep your supplies handy: create a dedicated corner stocked with essential supplies so that art time can be done in bite-sized doses. This makes clean up easier, too!
-Balance the arts and crafts: some projects focus on process and others on product. Mix it up!
To make a gallery at home, select pieces that have some elements in common. It could be the colors or the shapes, or anything that speaks to you. To “frame” your artwork on the wall, use brightly colored or patterned washi tape to create temporary “frames.” This way, the artwork can be changed out easily when someone creates a new favorite piece, but the washi tape “frames” keep the wall looking neat and sharp.”
Tips to Start Collecting Art on a Budget
“Follow/subscribe to your favorite artists, as many of them have studio sales or flash sales and sell their work directly, even if they also have gallery representation. Art prices are generally not negotiable – however you can always inquire about payment over time, and I’ve seen some artists offer sliding scale prices on their work or discounts for purchasing multiple pieces. If prices are “on request,” it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are expensive, so go ahead and ask if you are interested. Certain factors can result in more affordable art, such as the medium (a work on paper that has an edition of multiples might be more affordable than a painting), whether the artist is emerging vs. more established, the scale of the piece, etc. Shop around and look for art in lots of places! You can find affordable pieces online, in galleries, in cafés, and even in a flea market.”
Advice for proper illumination of artwork at home
“A combination of natural, ambient, and focused light provides beautiful illumination of your artwork at every time of day. LEDs are ideal for artwork lighting since they last longer than other light sources and don’t emit infrared rays, UV rays, or heat. The heat produced by halogen and incandescent bulbs can damage art over time. Unless you’re highlighting a vignette with portable lamps, the best artwork lighting is as invisible as possible to allow the art to shine.”
What are the essential factors to consider when shipping artwork?
“According to the art logistics experts at Fine Art Shippers, proper packaging with the use of high-quality art packing materials is the most important factor when shipping artwork nationally or internationally. Each piece should be professionally packed, and in many cases created in wood, to arrive at the destination in perfect condition. Another important factor is the experience of the company that is entrusted to ship art. It should be a reputable art logistics service provider able to handle art the way it deserves.”
What factors should you consider when decorating your home with art?
“When considering artwork for your space, it’s not only important to keep in mind the piece’s overall style, but the size and scale as well. A 48×60 dramatic bold print will have a different impact than a 48×60 serene watercolor with muted colors. Ultimately, the artwork in your home should make you happy and love to look at it, regardless of the style.”
How to blend artwork styles for an impressive display?
“Many people think that you need to hang with a theme in mind. I do not necessarily agree with that. You can hang a modern work next to any contemporary work, and it will look great. I see no reason why you can not hang a Picasso next to a work by Ellsworth Kelly, or a Warhol next to a Motherwell. Most important is you need to read the room, its decor and wall-size is a big factor.
I am a huge believer in empty space around the artwork. The work needs to breathe. Unless it is a series of works, I try to leave as much space around the work as possible. It’s true that too much space is not good either, you really need to eye it, but negative space around a work definitely makes that work stand out. Sticking to a single theme when hanging can make the room boring. I want to look at each work individually, and be intrigued by it.”
Tips On Buying Art Directly From An Artist
“Buying directly from an artist offers you so much connection to the work, the creative process, and to the artist directly. I get to mentor thousands of artists in selling their work online, and I can tell you, that purchase means SO much to them! When you find an artist’s work that you admire, first check to see if they have a website. If so, there may be artwork for sale on there which makes the whole process quite simple. If there isn’t any available work on their website, follow them on Instagram and join their email list so you can be amongst the first to know of any fresh artwork. Spend some time on their site or Instagram, reading about the artwork, enjoying the images just like you would if you were to see their work at a gallery. When you feel a special attraction to a piece of artwork, you can either purchase it on their website (I recommend sending an email to the artist letting them know how excited you are and to discuss delivery options), or you can inquire about the work on Instagram, over email, or via the submission form on their website. Your purchase is going to mean the world to them. As someone who has sold hundreds of paintings over the years, I can attest to this! It’s such a special connection between you and the artist.”
Emily Jeffords
Tips for Displaying Sculptures in Your Home
“Large sculptures can be the focal point of a room simply placed, free-standing in your space. They can be close to a wall or in the middle of the space to allow a view from all angles. Smaller sculptures can accent a table or shelf, a minimal, modern floating shelf can perfectly house a bold sculpture and make a statement.”
How to choose the right piece of art for your living room?
“When choosing the right art piece for your living room, a few things to keep in mind are size, color scheme, and style. What kind of wall space are you working with? Whether it’s one statement piece or multiple pieces, making sure your art decor is the right size will help ensure it’s a perfect fit. Incorporating artwork with tones that complement the color scheme of your space is also key to creating a cohesive and blended design. Lastly, consider your design style and the style of wall art you want to hang to complete your living room, and of course, make sure it is a piece that you love!”
How to choose the right size wall art?
“Although there is actually no right or wrong, and it ultimately comes down to personal taste, the main consideration for choosing the right size for wall art will be space available where to place the artwork. You can put a large artwork on a small wall and a small artwork on a large wall and it will look great – this may depend on the actual artwork. What really makes an artwork look effective on a wall is having sufficient space around it so that the artwork can ‘breathe’ and that the artwork balances with any nearby objects such as chairs, drawers, plants, and lighting.”
Printed Editions
Tips for choosing the right glass art for home décor
“One of the most fabulous things about collecting glass art is that glass is pretty tough, you can clean it with Windex, put it in a sunny window, and be assured that it will not fade or develop cracks. The history of the Glass Art Movement is fascinating, and learning a little bit about the story that unfolded beginning with Pilchuck Glass School provides a window into the world of studio glass art. You can search for podcasts, books, and Youtube videos as well as visit galleries and The Tacoma Glass Museum. Then you can decide if you want to buy glass art that shows a high level of skill, or expresses a concept from the mind of the artist. Glass art is gorgeously displayed on a coffee table, a fireplace mantel, bookshelves, floating shelves, or custom designed display fixtures.”
How does the content of art collections affect the mood and atmosphere of a home?
“Art is a continued experience. The unique content of the art people choose for their homes speaks to the interests and perspectives of the residents. In turn, any artwork people can identify with will make a home feel more like their own.”
How to match furniture to the art in your home gallery?
“The best way to match furniture to your home’s artwork is by choosing a neutral tone in the artwork and purchasing furniture in that neutral shade. This way your artwork will be the centerpiece of your room and won’t be competing with your furniture. Always think about what you want to catch someone’s attention when they walk into a room. If you have a bold-colored sofa and a bold painting, it will be too confusing and busy. Always let one piece of decor do the talking!”
How to use landscape paintings in modern decor?
“Modern decor is very much on-trend right now. Crack out the stemware because 2022 is the year that interior design lets timeless statement pieces SHINE. You will see the world of brilliant impressionistic landscapes paired with great pieces from popular modern furniture purveyors such as the Article of Herman Miller. It’s all about having you tie things together and let the colors and textures play. There are no rules, only what sparks joy. There is a reason that landscape artwork has consistently been the most coveted for decades. It inspires and brings in an element of life to your design space. If you let a knock-out piece of art that you love take the lead there is no going wrong.”
Amy at The Erin Hanson Gallery
What are the essential factors people should know about NFT Art?
“NFTs are similar to a certificate of authenticity, but digital and recorded on the blockchain. The problem with digital art is that it can be infinitely copied and you never know who the owner is. That’s why people were hesitant to buy digital art. NFTs solve this: They allow you to distinguish a copy from the original. And they prove, through the blockchain ledger, that you own it.”
MagnusClass
Essential tips for collecting regional art
“When collecting regional art, the artist, size of the piece, and medium are all important determine value. If it is your first piece ask questions of the gallery and most importantly, buy what you like.”
Tips on budgeting for buying fine art
“Much like budgeting for any other substantial purchase, take a look at your finances and determine how much per month you can set aside towards a fine art fund. It doesn’t have to be much, even an extra $100 a month would give you $1200 towards a piece of original art. Or determine how much per month you could pay towards a piece you love. A lot of people don’t know this, but many galleries are willing to set up a payment plan with you or use a third party, no interest financing service like Art Money which allows you to pay for the piece at no interest over 10 months. And start small. You don’t have to purchase a $5000 piece right out of the gate. Galleries will often have a wide range of price points for any type of client budget. Additionally, change your mindset. Begin to think of art as a necessity, not a luxury.”
How to Incorporate Art Into Your Home Décor
“Buying the perfect work of art for your home starts with identifying the size that you need and setting a budget for what you are willing to spend (hint – you don’t need a lot of money to afford original art!). Once you have those two things in mind, you can begin to look for artists through local arts organizations or online through galleries like PxP Contemporary and on social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest. Notice what catches your eye whether it is figurative art, landscapes, a still life, or a colorful abstract piece. You can look for art with similar colors as your existing home decor, but ultimately, I’d suggest buying what you truly love rather than what matches your couch so that you’re happy to make the investment and so that you still enjoy the work even if you move.”
Tips to keep good records of your art
“We often suggest keeping a physical file of purchase invoices and a digital file of works. The digital file should include images of all works and a spreadsheet listing them by artist, title, medium, size, purchase price, from whom purchased, and current value. This document can be easily updated every couple of years or as needed by your insurance carrier. Scans of appraisals and valuation letters can also be kept here. Lastly, because some artists’ signatures are not easily legible, we suggest mounting a biography in an envelope to the back of each piece. A copy of the original invoice can also be kept here. This way if anything should happen to you or the digital files cannot be accessed family members and estate trustees will have a starting point and some knowledge of each work.”
Most common mistakes to avoid while buying art at a gallery?
“A common mistake when buying art is not knowing the artist well enough, or at all for that matter, which is important for determining the value of the artist’s work and cost for the art. The buyer needs to have an understanding of the artist’s career, both past, and future, in order to make the correct investment. Another common mistake is not knowing what type of art you want. When art buyers don’t know what kind of art they want or like, they end up buying artwork that really isn’t their style. Buyers need to know what type of art they like, and a reputable gallery will ask questions to get a better sense of the buyer’s personal tastes and direct them to the right art choice and investment.”
What are the different types of artwork according to the space of each house?
“Traditionally art lovers choose different styles for each room. For example, one of the most popular styles for a living room or dining area is a large abstract painting to display above a sofa or dining table. Abstract art adds an instant focal point to any space and is a great conversational piece. In a hallway or entrance, you can be a little more creative with a gallery wall that reflects your personality and interior style. As we all invest a little more in rest, we have also seen a big demand for seascapes in bedrooms with soothing blue and white tones, to enable you to unwind at the end of the day. We also love pairing botanical art to bathrooms to bring the beauty of nature indoors.”
Most common mistakes to avoid while buying art online
“The most common mistakes to avoid when buying art online usually come down to purchasing from trusted sources. There are a number of websites and online platforms to purchase artwork from but the quality of work sold may differ significantly. Disappointment can be avoided by purchasing original artwork directly from the artist, or gallery website. Purchasing art prints is a cost-effective way to obtain the artwork you love, and many emerging artists use online print companies and marketplaces to sell their work. If you decide to buy art prints online, be sure to purchase from sites that have a good reputation among customers and can show evidence of the quality of their prints.”
Tips to keep in mind before investing in art
“1. Do the research: They are many sources. Auction prices are now transparent, and you can check Artnet or Askart for ether artist’s last history of auction records.
Make sure you love the work and want to live with it, for many years. If not, maybe the piece is not for you.
2. Like stocks trading on the Stock market, there are rising and falling values for artists…so try to construct where the artist price curve is and in which direction it is going.
3. Don’t be penny-wise, pound fooling: Buy the most expensive, and best work you can afford. Usually, the artist’s best works will increase in value significantly more than lesser works.
4. Evaluating a work: Is it signed? Is it a good year for the artist in their career? Is the piece representative of the artist’s main theme of work? Often revise the artist’s style and approach. Check the provenance very carefully.
5. Evaluating an artist: Did the artist have museum shows? How much work is in public collections? Has the artist been recognized in the past? Why and why not? What galleries represented the artist? it is very difficult to make an artist famous if there was no interest or visibility in their past work, for many years.
6. Many leading collectors focus their interest on a special period, and thus, can grow an impressive collection in that specific sector.”
How to choose the Right Frame for your Artwork?
“Resist the urge to overcomplicate the framing process. Your goal is to showcase the artwork without overpowering it or distracting from it. In general, your best option will be to opt for simple and minimal. Slim boxy frame profiles in black, white, and natural wood finishes are versatile and stylish options that will enhance almost any artwork effectively.”
Pop Motif
What you should know before buying art from a new or unknown artist?
“When adding artwork by an unknown or emerging artist to your collection a possible increase in value over time should take second place in the decision-making process. It’s more important that you truly enjoy the piece. Building a relationship with the artist over time is another key factor. You are not only supporting an artist financially during a crucial time in their career but also giving them a huge mental boost. Be a good patron and share some photos with the artist showing their work in your home”
What are the benefits of curating an art home collection?
“Collecting art for your home brings many benefits. It will bring you happiness and joy every time you look at the works. It connects you to a moment in history or an artist’s story – and gives you stories to share with your friends, your relatives, and your professional networks. How you found the piece or why the artist created it and more. And collecting art may show your creativity and individuality and indicate that you support artists and creative expression while providing beauty for future generations.”
Tips in the cleaning and maintenance of art frames
“The best way to keep your frames looking their best is to dust them regularly with a feather duster or microfiber cloth. If your frames need a deeper clean, it’s best to take them off the wall for easier access and to help avoid any accidents. You can wipe them with a slightly damp cloth but avoid spraying any water or cleaner directly on a frame with a mounted picture to ensure that no moisture gets inside the mounting and damages the image. If you’re going to use cleaning products on your frames, it’s best to carefully take them apart and make sure you’re using suitable products for the frame materials. To maintain the structure and durability of your frame, make sure you’re using the correct hanging hardware for the type and size of your frame. Keep an eye out for any sagging or bowing, and don’t be afraid to reinforce your frame corners with brackets.”
Tips for making sure your art sings!
“-Hang art in groupings for a stronger visual impact. Several small pieces in an attractive group can feel more interesting than hanging art spread out or too far apart.
-Hang art in relationship to the furnishings that are under/around it
-Lighting! Always make sure you have enough light on your art to show it off properly.”
Seattle Art Source
Top tips to paint your own gallery wall art
“Create the art that makes you happy and avoid following fashion simply for the sake of it. Be true to yourself. Include a variety of mediums from ink sketches to watercolors and oils. This eclectic mix will stay fresh for longer. Add found art as well as your own. Work from other artists that are special to you will create a meaningful sanctuary for you too. Consider lighting such as warm spotlights or cool daylight LEDs. Lighting adds a lot to the mood of your gallery.“
Tops Tips for Sustainable Art Collecting
“Many artists now recognize the importance of sustainability. When considering investing in a piece of art, take time to search for pieces that have been created from recycled, or sustainable supplies. Another factor to always consider upon purchasing art is how it will be delivered to you. Despite the convenience of air cargo, planes emit a little over 53 pounds of carbon dioxide per mile, a primary greenhouse gas that contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer. A more sustainable method to consider when ordering items for delivery would be sea cargo, a suggestion that may be offered to the seller as it is usually cheaper than air cargo in many cases.”
Top tips for the correct treatment and maintenance of paintings at home
“When living with artworks of varying ages and mediums, it’s important to make note of the surface.: look for subtle cracking and lifting in oil paintings, as well as looking closely at a painting’s surface to see whether the colors seem yellowed. If you notice any of these changes, it’s advisable to have them examined by a conservator. In the case of gilded frames and objects, please be sure to instruct the cleaning staff not to clean them with any chemicals. Gilt surfaces should only be cleaned with microfiber dusters and delicate cloth.”
Ways to display art without putting holes in the walls
“There are a number of reasons you want to display art without putting holes in your walls. It might be that you’re renting an apartment and want to avoid damaging any surfaces. Perhaps you have an old home with brittle walls that are at risk of cracking. Whatever the reason, there are good options for displaying art without putting any holes in your walls.
-Command Strips: Command strips aren’t an ideal solution for hanging art, but they are a viable alternative to a hanger and nail. They’re also easy to find and are relatively inexpensive. There are some things you’ll want to keep in mind, however. Firstly, they’re less secure. Secondly, there’s also some risk that you’ll peel some paint off the wall when you remove the command strip, particularly if you remove it incorrectly. Overall, if your artwork weighs under 3 pounds and isn’t of significant monetary or sentimental value, command strips can be very useful.
-Leaning Art Against the Wall: Another method for displaying art without putting holes in your walls is to simply lean work against the wall. This can be a particularly effective approach if you have floating shelves or mantles, which pull the artwork up off the floor. Bookshelves and desks are also a great way to put the lean technique into use.”
You can find the original article HERE.
As an artist, you probably cringe a little when someone says the word "marketing." It just sounds so sales-y. But even if you think of yourself exclusively as an artist and not a marketer, there's no denying that marketing and selling are interconnected. Thus, if you're desperate for a marketing approach that is not sleazy or shouty, you should consider delving into video marketing. In this article, we'll share some tips to get you started with this strategy and help you get over your fear of marketing. Let's dive in!
What is video marketing, and why do artists need it?
Video marketing is utilizing videos to promote or market a product or service. In the case of artists, you can leverage videos to display your work, connect with fans, and, most importantly, convert them into regular clientele.
People love watching videos on the internet - whether it's for entertainment or educational purposes (or both). Not only does it allow you to share your work with the world, but it also builds a connection with potential fans and customers. So if your goal is to promote your art online in hopes that more people will see it and buy it, then video marketing should be part of your strategy.
Popular video content types of marketing your art
If your opinion about video marketing is complex because it’s challenging to develop content ideas, worry no more! Here are some video content types that you can use:
1. Meet the Artist
Introduce yourself and explain why you love creating art. Let your viewers know you as an artist and learn about your process. You can also share some exciting facts about your life that aren't directly related to art, such as where you grew up and why you started painting in general terms.
2. How-to Create Art
If you have a knack for teaching, this video content fits you. You can create a tutorial on specific art mediums (watercolor, acrylic, oil) or different styles (abstract, realism, etc.) and provide tips on creating a masterpiece.
3. Art Demo video
This video is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate your artistic techniques. Film yourself in action and post a time-lapse video for your audience to get a glimpse of how much hard work you put into your pieces.
4. Art history/theory lectures
If you are an art history/theory enthusiast, do a famous artist/movement course. You can introduce your favorite artist and how impactful their influence is to you.
5. Behind the Scenes
Filming behind-the-scenes will give viewers an inside look into your creative process - from inspiration, sketching ideas all through production time until finished work is displayed at galleries/exhibitions, etc.
6. Q&A Session
Allow viewers into a more personal side of you by doing a question and answer session where you talk about anything and everything. You can answer questions about your artwork, hobbies, or anything else that comes to mind.
7. Tools/Art Supplies review
Introducing the art supplies or tools you use can be valuable for artists looking to purchase new materials. Showing how you work with different mediums and tools can influence people in deciding what might work best for them.
8. Documenting exhibitions or events you are participating in
Attending gallery openings and exhibitions is a regular occurrence for many artists, so why not film it and turn it into a video? Doing so gives viewers a virtual experience of what it's like being at one of these events while indulging them with the inside story of the featured art collection.
9. Artist talks/interviews
Get insights from other artists about their creative processes and inspirations. You could talk about how they got started in the industry. If two people are working together (like a collaborative piece), interview each other, and discuss how they combine efforts for the project.
Video creation tips for effective marketing content
1. Choose a topic relevant to your artwork and create content that adds value to your target audience.
2. Make videos that are short and sweet. The attention span of internet users is shorter than ever, so you want to capture their attention within the first few seconds.
3. Include interesting visuals. Don't just rely on talking head videos. Display your artwork, studio, tools, etc., to keep viewers engaged.
4. Include a CTA (call to action). Ask your viewers to do something after watching your video. It can be anything from visiting your website or social media page, subscribing to your channel, or leaving a comment.
5. Be yourself! The way to connect with viewers is to be genuine and authentic in your content. Let them see the real you, and they'll be more likely to stick around for more.
6. Make sure your videos are high quality. It means editing your footage to get smooth and free of glitch videos.
7. Use keywords in your description box when uploading videos to YouTube so that they'll have a better chance of being found by the search engines and people who are looking for content related to those topics.
How to share your videos online?
Once you've made your video, it's time to share it with the world! Here are some tips for promoting your art through social media and other platforms:
1. Facebook
There are a few methods to share your videos on Facebook. You can post a link to the video on your timeline, post it as a status update, or share it in a group or page.
2. Twitter
You can post a link to the video, embed it in a tweet, or post a video tweet. Use relevant hashtags so that your video will show up in searches.
3. YouTube
Uploading your videos on YouTube can get more views since it's the second-largest search engine in the world. Plus, including links to your videos in blog posts and other online content contributes to driving traffic your way.
4. Instagram
To share a video on Instagram, you can post a link to the video, embed the video in a post, or post the video as a story. You can also use relevant hashtags to help people find your videos.
In conclusion, you can use video marketing to share what you're selling online and encourage individuals to appreciate your art (and ultimately buy them). An artwork is an end-product of hard work and talent; thus, it deserves a formidable marketing strategy. And video marketing can be your passage to growth in sales over time instead of just getting some one-time customers.
Roxanne Panibio is a PR Outreach Specialist at VEED.IO. She's an avid reader, mostly found with a book in her hand. When not reading, she enjoys watching crime mystery movies to satisfy her inner detective.
Every January here at the Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery we post an article with ideas and suggestions for artists to kick start their New Year’s art marketing goals. Our mission as a gallery is to help artists advance their career goals and market their art.
Many of these ideas have been presented in previous “kick start” posts but they are basic, however, consistently implementing them is not. They are essential for artists as a means to market themselves and their art successfully.
1. Evaluate & Update Your Website
For artists who are looking to advance their art careers and increase sales, it is important for them to have a modern, professional, up-to-date website to display their art.
For those of you who already have a website, if you haven’t reviewed it in a while, now is the time. When was the last time that you went page by page and link by link through it? We all need to do this to find broken links, pages that do not load quickly, graphics, images and other items that have moved or been deleted, along with pages with misspelled words and similar issues.
The presentation of your art is as important as creating it. Take some time to review your site and make any necessary changes and corrections. Make sure all of the images on your website are sized properly and have a low resolution (a resolution of 72 helps your site load more quickly and protects your art from being copied by unscrupulous people). The images should also be color corrected if necessary, as some cameras and lighting do no always capture an artwork’s true colors. There are many free programs on the internet for this.
Also, do you have better images or graphics to replace what now exists on your website? Do you have new artwork that you just have not had time to photograph and add to your website? Do it.
While checking your images, make sure that they are labeled and tagged properly with good image descriptions. Search engines will only index your images if they have descriptions. By doing this, your images will show up in the image search results and when the images are viewed, viewers will be directed to your art website.
For those artists that don’t have a website, now is the time to take the next step and get one. The annual cost to purchase or renew a website domain is typically less than $20. The cost of basic website hosting can be as low as $3-$4 per month. A website is an investment artists need to make a priority.
2. Rewrite/ Update your Artists Bio and Statement
A well-written biography and/or artist statement is also essential for artists and now is the time to review and update them. An artist does not have to be an accomplished writer to create a well-written biography and artist statement, but it is necessary for an artist to have at least one. It is also important to know the difference between a biography and artist statement as many artists mistake one for the other. Please read our article “Comparing an Artist’s Biography to an Artist’s Statement” for clarification.
Also, update your CV by adding any new exhibitions, new awards and/or new publications or other pertinent information that has taken place since the last time it was updated.
3. Use Social Media
Social media is a part of our everyday lives and is an important platform for all artists to employ in order to help market themselves and their art. Why is this? In our opinion, it is easy to identify and connect with the art community when using social media.
It is also an effective medium because it is a visual and simple way in which to present your art. Particularly now, Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin, Instagram and even Twitter provide artists with opportunities (if targeted properly) to reach viewers who were previously unreachable.
Read our articles “Top 10 Reasons Why Artists Fail with Social Media”, “Using the 70-20-10 Rule to Succeed at Social Media Marketing” by guest blogger James Baxter, and “How to Write Social Media Posts That Sell Art” by guest blogger Frank Hamilton, along with various other social media articles on the LST website, for further advice and instruction on how best to use social media to grow your audience reach.
4. Press Release Marketing
Press release marketing is a low-cost way artists can market their artwork to a wider range of potential viewers, particularly when they have an award or exhibition to announce. There are many “Free” press release websites, which take, publish and market an artist’s press release copy. One such site is PRLog.org. PRLog’s free press release submission includes a PDF version to send to your mailing list, a search engine optimized page, hyperlinks in the content, and the option to select location/industry and tag listings. In addition, companies like Star One Public Relations offers press release distribution services for as low as $10.00 for distribution to 70+ press outlets. Read our article “Successful Press Release Marketing for Artists” and 6 Benefits for Press Releases for Artists to help guide you in these efforts. Also check out our article “5 Ways Artists Can Promote Their Art Online” for more ideas.
5. Start a Blog
Artists should seriously consider starting an art blog as a way to attract and direct additional interested viewers to their art websites. An art blog is a great way to expand an artist’s target audience. It is also an effective platform to help artists market their art.
Read our articles “Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Have an Art Blog” and “How Artists Can Attract Readers to an Art Blog” in order to fully understand the power of a well-executed art blog.
6. Have Your Art Portfolio Reviewed Professionally
A professional Portfolio Review provides an artist with an evaluation of their art and a critique of how their art is being presented to others. Usually, during a portfolio review, the reviewers provide artists with additional ideas on how they can effectively market their art.
Much like art competitions, a portfolio review is an additional way in which artists can have their artwork evaluated and measured against other artists. While some artists don’t see this as valuable and can sometimes find it discouraging, it is a way to help artists improve their presentations and their craft.
In 2022, we hope you will make at least some, if not all, of these suggestions part of your art marketing efforts. By implementing these recommendations, artists can experience increased traffic to their websites, find more people interested in their art and ultimately, sell more of their work.
However, as with any marketing program, it is important to focus your efforts. All artists should view the marketing of their art to be as important as the creation of it and an art-marketing plan needs to be well planned and performed consistently in order to be successful. Check out our article “5 Tips for Creating an Effective Art Marketing Strategy” by guest blogger Wendy Dessler, for more suggestions.
A new year can be a fresh start for artists with their planning and executing an effective art marketing strategy. Even if you haven’t previously implemented any of the above suggestions, it is never too late to start.
Good luck and have a creative, successful and prosperous 2022!
This article is written by Guest Blogger, Y. Hope Osborn – reprinted with permission from Fusion Art.
"Blessed are the weird people: poets, misfits, writers, mystics, painters, troubadours for they teach us to see the world through different eyes." - Jacob Nordby
If you are like me and your art education consists of a lifetime of hobby photography and expression through a multitude of avenues not typically connected to art as it is to artisan, you may balk at the idea of writing an artist statement or biography. You either avoid those competitions or grants where they are required, or you throw something together afraid of your own writing because you remember all those red ink pen marks in English class.
Artist Lisa Golightly wrote, “There is no ‘right’ way to make art. The only wrong is in not trying, not doing. Don’t put barriers [such as a red pen] that aren’t there—just get to work and make something.” There are a lot of good guidelines Fusion Art and Light Space & Time provides in their blogs and newsletters, and I could get into those, but this is about the importance of writing the artist statement and bio. Get to work and make something.
Think like artists’ Georgia O’Keeffe, “… Making your unknown known is the important thing” and Jacob Nordby, “Teach us to see the world through different eyes.” Think of your artist statement and biography as an extension of you and your art. How you write about you and your art is important because they show the juror or curator that you are an intentional artist. This is not a whim. The juror or curator wants to see what true artists like yourself can do, making your unknown known—who you are in your life in your bio and teaching us to see through different eyes—how you see the art in your artist statement.
“Every artist was first an amateur.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I am not a ‘typical’ artist with a degree or a lifetime of experience to introduce myself in a bio. However, I have all my life been interested in photography and crafting things. I also had the tenacity to get a masters’ degree though it is in writing nonfiction. Make what you have been doing as a person and as an emerging artist work for you, because if you are truly an artist, you have done something all your life to prove it, even if in a different medium. Show your audience of art lovers, curators, and jurors who you are as a person, including your quirks, your loves, and the latest, and you connect with them personally. Introduce us as if someone else is introducing you before you go on stage.
"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light, and shadows." - Jim Jarmusch
Art lovers, jurors, and curators want to converse with you over your art in your artist statement. Georgia O’Keeffe “found [she] could say things with color and shapes that [she] couldn’t say any other way—things [she] had no words for,” so it can be difficult to write an artist statement. Did the sun glint off a stained-glass piece hanging in your window? Did the wind stir windchimes making you feel alive or sad? Find those keywords about yourself that represent you and your art. We want to know the essence that comes from you both in general artistry and specific art. What do you feel? What do you know that we don’t know? Leave room, though, for the art enthusiast’s imagination. Welcome them into yours as a pitstop on the way to their own.
Your bio and statement are important for opening doors. It introduces you to the general art lover, juror, or curator, and other artists. Think of it as something that influences beyond this art competition or this experience. This is what they might discover of you in our web-fueled world, and it may just be your ticket in for you to get a call about another opportunity.
Think of the artist statement and bio as the third leg in a three-legged stool of your art. Your art falls flat if we don’t know who you are and what you are about as an artist. Forget the red marks, make your own art education, tell us who you are, and you will stand tall among fellow artists.
Y. Hope Osborn is a photographer, digital artist and writer. She helps artists and other creatives with writing, editing and revising their artist statements and bios. Hope can be contacted through her email or her website, where you can also see her photography and digital art.
By Rodney Laws, Guest Blogger - Every industry was affected heavily by the outbreak of COVID-19, and art is certainly no exception. So much of the art world has typically revolved around in-person demonstrations and sales. Museums and galleries have always worked through bringing in foot traffic, with money made through selling entrance tickets, refreshments, and gift-shop items. Then there are street performers (caricaturists, for instance) who have always made money through tips.
At the moment, the continued need for social distancing (along with the lingering fears concerning travel) means that even those places that can afford to open are finding it hard to attract interest. The artists, though, do have options, and they have drawn upon them (no pun intended) to keep afloat during the past year. By operating online, they can still make money doing what they love.
Trying to succeed exclusively online as an artist presents a very different challenge, though. The tactics required for reaching the right people (and ultimately prospective clients) are largely distinct. In this post, we’re going to look at four solid strategies an artist can use to grow their brand and attract some interest online. Let’s get started.
Use a combination portfolio and store
Taking client work is often the typical way of making a living as an artist, since you have clear creative direction and set terms. It is simply a matter of receiving and fulfilling a brief: you don’t need to worry about the commercial viability of what you are producing. But that doesn’t mean that should be the only way in which you make money. The more routes you have to profit, the more stable your financial situation can become.
Due to this, it is a great idea to build an ecommerce store that’s also your portfolio. You don’t even need web-design skills to create such a store these days. If you already have an art blog in WordPress (the platform that dominates blogging), you can install a free plugin called WooCommerce (take a look at this WooCommerce review) and start selling products.
Whenever you make a sale, promote it through the blog side of the store: this will reinforce your value as an artist in the eyes of prospective clients. In addition, whenever you pick up a notable client, add their testimonial to your store homepage: this will reassure potential buyers that you’re truly as good as they think you are. It’s a win-win situation.
Get into the habit of asking for referrals
You can’t add testimonials to your store if you don’t have any testimonials, and they don’t tend to appear spontaneously. If you don’t ask for them, you won’t get them — so get into the habit of asking for them. Do this carefully, of course: don’t bug people, come across as desperate, or push them to shower you with more praise than they think you deserve. Just ask politely.
It is a good idea to fold the feedback-collection process into your general client-handling sequence. When you’re wrapping up a project and ensuring that all the details have been handled, you can have an automated email go out to provide a survey (HubSpot has some good tips on this process). You can even throw in some kind of basic incentive to prompt a reply: 10% off their next commission and/or purchase, for instance.
Share your process on social media
People who don’t understand what goes into art can easily end up undervaluing it. You are likely familiar with the common effort to “pay” artists in “exposure”. It is commonplace to joke about at times, but it is a sad indication of how little people understand the difficulty of producing high-quality art. They assume (for some reason) that most artists live frivolous lives of luxury — and those who don’t, well, they should just be grateful to get some attention, right?
To help people accept the complexities of what you do, and show just how good you are, you should combine your blogging efforts with social media comments concerning your process. You don’t need to engage with social media in general, just offer some commentary on how long certain pieces of art take you, sharing progress on art you are currently working on, the decisions you need to make along the way, the obstacles you need to overcome, etc.
In addition, when you have a piece you are particularly proud of, you should enter it into some online competitions, both through social media and other sites. It won’t cost much, and the risk is minimal: if you don’t win, it won’t matter, but it will give you something you can talk about it through social media and get even more attention.
Join a forum of like-minded artists
The best artists tend to support one another because they know that great art should be appreciated and supported and the internet is full of fantastic communities that can help you promote your services. This is something that can go unnoticed due to the assumption that artists will all be hyper-competitive, eager to undermine one another. Not so.
In truth, there is plenty of demand for art, and those who produce it often end up spending some of their money on commissioning it as well. Artists can collaborate on pieces through which they can all profit, and expand their audiences through building professional associations. You also need to remember that great artists never stop learning. However much you’ll learn from your new community, the existing members will learn just as much from you.
And when someone out there expresses interest for art in the exact style that you’ve mastered, you’ll find that other artists will often point them in the right direction, knowing that you’ll do the same for them in return. Put your trust in community spirit. You won’t regret it.
Rodney Laws is an ecommerce expert with over a decade of experience in building online businesses. Check out his reviews on EcommercePlatforms.io and you’ll find practical tips that you can use to build the best online store for your business. Connect with him on Twitter @EcomPlatformsio.
By James Baxter, Guest Blogger - Social media marketing for artists includes a specific set of online actions, which provides their fans and followers with the necessary information about the artists, as well as promoting their creativity using the same resources. Such actions can significantly enlarge the target audience due to the popularity and convenience of social networks.
Art and social media can be combined. Thanks to the current development of the Internet and computer technology, an artist can be promoted using Social Media Marketing (SMM) on various social networks. SMM makes it possible to determine which social networks are the most effective for this promotion. However, you should use these online platforms wisely to achieve the desired result.
Today, a sufficient number of different marketing tools are used on social media. The most popular among them are branding, reputation strengthening, and label creation. Obviously, the more widespread a social network is, the easier it is to promote an artist and his or her work. Every artist knows that creativity can be further shared. So, posting of relevant material is one of the most useful formats of communication with the target audience.
Some painters, photographers, and sculptors are trying to sell their works of art by simply advertising themselves using social networks. However, it is not the only way to attract the attention of their admirers and potential collectors. The opposite situation can happen when artists are reluctant to promote their creativity and only the most curious fans can find out something about their recently created masterpieces.
In the both cases, the artist’s profit and potential can be dramatically affected. Earning money is essential for art development, and this is the main task of promotion in social networks. So, how to market your art? It is necessary to find a balance between sales, self-promotion, and honest communication with the target audience. Let’s consider the 70-20-10 SMM rule that can help you become a successful artist.
70% of Content Should Build and Maintain Your Brand
The vast majority of your posts should tell your story and build your recognizable brand. In this way, you can show your personality from another angle. Imagine what you would like to know about your favorite artist: this can give you some useful ideas. Perhaps you have a great sense of humor in addition to your artistic talent. For instance, you can upload an amazing video about what has inspired you to create a perfect artwork.
You can also post photos as you paint a picture or create a sculpture. If you travel from time to time, you can create an album of journey sketches. Likewise, an experienced writer can share an informative article about their amazing life experience. In short, tell people what you feel before, during and after finishing your creation. The main point is that sharing this information can create a special relationship between you and your followers and fans.
Share Information about Others in 20% of Content
This part of the content is not that voluminous, but it means a lot for building your social network and forming valuable relations. You sometimes may want to collaborate with other artists. Use that 20 percent to establish new connections with relevant people and promising artists in related fields.
If a painter or sculptor you know has organized an exhibition, tell people about it. You can also familiarize fans with a side project of your agent or promoter. If you visited a significant art event in your city, tell your followers what you think about it from your personal and professional point of view.
Everything you share with your audience should not be random and accidental. You have to sincerely believe in what you are talking about with your audience. Remember that this is not an advertisement, but a real desire to share something good and needful for your fans and to help your fellow artists gain exposure for their work. Pay it forward by helping others, and goodness will surely return to you.
10% of Content Is For Self-Advertisement
Ads on your social media pages should not take more than ten percent of your total content. Some artists start to shout out about a new work of art seven days a week using social networks. But it is hardly imaginable that somebody will pay attention to it since social media is primarily a communication place, not an advertising platform.
Of course, if you managed to create something special, be sure to announce it. But instead of asking your audience to buy a piece of your artwork, inquire of your fans and followers what they liked the most about it and why. Use this feedback to grow as an artist and to target potential collectors and buyers. Also, use social media to direct fans to your website to see more of your art and hopefully buy a piece of your artwork.
Conclusion
You should try to use social media for promoting your art in a meticulous way to reach your target audience. More so, if you want to use such online opportunities effectively, you need to be a sincere, engaging, and understanding professional in your field. Your target audience will see your personality and feel a much greater connection with you. Finally, do not forget to thank your fans for all their support of you and your art career.
James Baxter is professional ghostwriter and editor at write my essay, who loves sharing his experience and knowledge with readers. He has been working as a SMM specialist at the art gallery for a year. He is especially interested in marketing, blogging and IT. James is always happy to visit different places and meet new people there.
The Coronavirus pandemic is affecting all of us. For artists, like everyone, it has led to the loss of income and cancellation of events and opportunities. No one’s lives have gone untouched by this pandemic but there are many things that we, as artists, can do while we are self-isolating. Below are 10 things artists can do to remain creative, positive and inspired during this time:
1. Continue Creating Art
This is the most important thing an artist can do. Although being stuck at home can be challenging, all that extra time can be an opportunity. Use it to jump-start your creativity. Start a new piece of art or try to finish one that has been giving you trouble. Just continue to create!
2. Evaluate and Update Your Website
At the beginning of every year, we always recommend that artists evaluate and update their websites. For those that have not had the time to do so, this is the perfect opportunity. Keeping your website current, with your current work highlighted, is essential for artists, now more than ever as people will have more time on their hands to surf the internet looking for positive things to view.
3. Evaluate and Update Your Portfolio
Similarly, like evaluating and updating your website, we also recommend artists evaluate and update their portfolios.
4. Review and Update Your Biography & Artist Statements
Life is ever changing and it is important for artists to keep their biographies and artist statements up to date. Also, update your CV by adding any exhibitions, new publications or other pertinent information that has taken place since the last time they were updated.
5. Maintain and/or Grow Your Social Media Presence
Just because you are confined to the house doesn’t mean you can’t show your art to others. Keeping active on social media is a good way to connect with other artists as well as collectors. Keep your art in the forefront of their minds so that when this is over, or even before, you might be able to generate some sales.
6. Take a Virtual Museum Tour
It is important to remain inspired and active during this time of self-imposed (and for some forced) isolation. Museums from around the world are now offering online virtual tours. Visit these museums and be inspired to create more art.
7. Reach out to Friends and Family for Support & Ideas
Physical isolation does not need to also be social isolation. Keeping in touch with others is what is going to get us through this. We need to stay positive and we need the support of friends and family to do so. Reach out and run idea for a new painting by a friend or family member. Get feedback on a piece you’re currently working on and share it once it is completed. This will not only keep you inspired to keep working but will give your family and friends something to look forward to.
8. Take an Online Art Class
Many universities, art teachers and websites are offering free online art classes right now. From Art History to painting, drawing and photography classes, there is something for everyone to get inspired, continue creating and maybe even learn something new.
9. Reach out to Your Collectors
If for no other reason, just to touch base and wish them well. Perhaps send an email and invite them to see your new work on your newly updated website (see point #2 above). They are already fans of your work and perhaps it might inspire them to purchase a new piece, particularly if you decide to offer a discount or limited-time sale.
10. Research & Apply for Art’s Grants & Small Business Relief Programs
Many organizations are now offering grants for artists and small business relief programs. There are many that are geared specifically for artists and the arts community. Apply for any and all that you think you might qualify for. The worst that can happen is they can say no.
We at the Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery are also affected by this pandemic. Like so many others, our lives and livelihoods are being drastically affected by this global crisis. Our income is dependent on entry fees and during a time of financial crisis, disposable income is reduced. Thus, the gallery’s income is exponentially reduced. Nevertheless, we are committed to continuing our work of helping artists to continue to market their art to a worldwide audience.
How are we doing this? We are continuing to host our online art competitions and exhibitions. We are continuing our marketing and promotion efforts for artists. We are continuing to support and encourage our artists to keep positive and keep creating. And we will continue to be here for all of you as an outlet to share your talent with each other and the world because we must all stick together and support each other in this time of crisis.
In that spirit, although LST was scheduled to increase entry fees by $1 starting with the 10th Annual “Landscapes” Art Competition (opening for entries on April 10th), due to the Coronavirus pandemic - we have postponed the increase in entry fees until June 2020.
While LST continues to have one of the lowest entry fees around, we still recognize that artists have a choice of art competitions and exhibitions to enter and that money is tight for all of us right now. We value and are humbled by the loyalty of our artists and we are committed to maintaining our loyalty and support of them.
Thank you again to all of our artists for being such an important part of our gallery! Stay safe and healthy!
At the beginning of every New Year, we post an article with ideas and suggestions for how artists can to kick start the new year. Now that the year 2020 has begun, it is time to review the past 12 months and make plans for how best to tackle your art career goals in 2020.
Have you set up your art marketing goals for the New Year? If not, the following are 5 things you can do to kick start 2020 and improve your chances of success.
Many of these ideas are elementary, but consistently implementing them is not. They are critical for artists if they are to market themselves and their art successfully.
1. Evaluate & Update Your Website
In today’s art world, in order to be taken seriously, it is essential for artists to have a modern, professional, up-to-date website to display their art. The annual cost of a domain is typically less than $20. The cost of basic website hosting can be as low as $3 per month. A website is an investment artists should make a priority in order to be taken seriously.
For those of you who already have websites, when was the last time that you went page by page and link by link through it? If you are like most people it has probably been a very long time! I think that if you were to do this with your website you would find broken links, pages that do not load quickly, graphics, images and other items that have moved, along with pages with misspelled words and similar issues.
Is this how you want your website visitors to see your art? Take some time to make these corrections. Also, if you have pages that do not load quickly due to large image files or due to flash and music features, these items should be corrected or removed as people do not have the time to wait on your pages to load. Otherwise, if not corrected you will be losing these valuable visitors to your site.
Make sure all of the images on your website are sized properly and have a low resolution (a resolution of 72 helps your site load more quickly and protects your art from being copied by unscrupulous people). The images should also be color corrected. (There are many free programs on the internet for this.)
Do you have better images or graphics to replace what now exists on your website? Do you have new artwork that you just have not had time to photograph and add to your website? Do it.
Also, while checking your images, make sure that they are labeled and tagged properly with good image descriptions. Search engines will only index your images if they have descriptions. By doing this, your images will show up in the image search results. When the images are viewed, viewers will be directed to your art website.
2. Rewrite/ Update your Artists Bio and Statement
Review and update your Artist Statement and Artist Biography. An artist does not have to be an accomplished writer to create a well-written Biography and Artist’s Statement, but it is essential for an artist to have at least one. It is important to know the difference between a biography and artist statement. Please read our article “Comparing an Artist’s Biography to an Artist’s Statement” for clarification.
Also, update your CV by adding any exhibitions, new publications or other pertinent information that has taken place since the last time they were updated.
3. Use Social Media
Social media is the perfect platform for artists to employ in order to help market themselves and their art. Why is this? In our opinion, it is easy to identify and connect with the art community when using social media.
We also think it is an effective medium because it is a visual and simple way in which to present your art. Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin, Instagram and even Twitter provide an artist with opportunities (if targeted properly) to reach viewers who were previously unreachable.
Read our article “Top 10 Reasons Why Artists Fail with Social Media” along with various other social media articles on the LST website.
4. Press Release Marketing
Press release marketing is a low-cost way artists can market their artwork to a wide range of potential viewers. There are many “Free” press release websites, which take, publish and market an artist’s press release copy. One such site is PRLog.org. PRLog’s free press release submission includes a PDF version to send to your mailing list, a search engine optimized page, hyperlinks in the content, and the option to select location/industry and tag listings. In addition, companies like Star One Public Relations offers press release distribution services for as low as $10.00 for distribution to 70+ press outlets. Read our article “Successful Press Release Marketing for Artists” and 6 Benefits for Press Releases for Artists to help guide you in these efforts.
5. Have Your Art Portfolio Reviewed Professionally
A professional Portfolio Review provides an artist with an evaluation of their art and a critique of how the art is being presented to others. Usually, during a portfolio review, the reviewers provide artists with additional ideas on how they can effectively market their art.
Much like art competitions, a Portfolio Review is an additional way in which artists can have their artwork evaluated and measured against other artists.
6. Start a Blog
Artists should consider starting an art blog as a way to attract and direct additional interested viewers to their art websites. An art blog is a great way to expand an artist’s target audience. It is also an effective platform to help artists market their art.
Read our articles “Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Have an Art Blog” and “How Artists Can Attract Readers to an Art Blog” in order to fully understand the power of a well-executed art blog.
In 2020 we hope you will make these suggestions part of your art marketing efforts. By implementing these recommendations, we believe artists will increase traffic to their websites, find more people interested in their art and ultimately, sell more of their work.
However, as with any marketing program, it is important to focus your efforts and they need to be well executed and performed consistently in order to be successful.
Good luck and have a creative and successful 2020!
Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery (LST) is pleased to announce the unveiling of a new logo in honor of our 10th anniversary. The gallery’s website underwent a complete redesign in 2018, refreshing and upgrading the overall look and feel of the website. However, the main logo was not updated at that time.
Founded in 2010, the year 2020 marks the gallery’s 10th year in existence. To celebrate this milestone, we are unveiling a new logo and developing a refreshed and modern brand identity tied to LST’s mission of identifying and “helping today’s artists market their art” to a worldwide audience.
According to Gallery Director, C. David Hoffman, “It was time for the LST logo to get a new look. We have kept the well-known elements of the gradient blue background but have upgraded the color scheme and incorporated the ‘LST’ acronym into the logo. The result is a sleeker and more contemporary logo relevant to the direction we are taking the gallery.”
As one of the longest running online art galleries and the first to offer “themed” online art competitions and exhibitions, LST already stands apart from its competitors in terms of the benefits of the marketing and promotion provided to its winning artists, the value of its pricing and the quality of its exhibitions.
As we embark on a new decade, updating and refreshing the LST logo and brand supports the Gallery’s commitment to providing quality and cost effective competition and exhibition opportunities to new and emerging international artists and its mission of finding new and innovative ways of identifying talented artists and helping them to successfully market their works to the art world.
Throughout 2020, the gallery will be continuing to celebrate this milestone anniversary with new and exciting opportunities, promotion and helpful marketing articles for its artists, including a very special anniversary exhibition in June, which is the month the gallery launched.
We would like to take this time to say thank you to all our artists for being such an important part of our online art gallery. We are only as successful as our artists are and we look forward to the continued success of all our LST gallery artists in 2020 and beyond.
by Frank Hamilton, Guest Blogger - As an artist, you want to be able to promote your art with all the tools available at your disposal. The smartest and most cost-effective method is through the use of social media.
Pinterest is a visual social media network that allows users to discover, engage, and share new interests. It is one of the best social media platforms for artists because of its visual nature.
Below are six (6) tips for promoting your work on Pinterest.
1. Make your Pinterest account a Business page
Creating a business account on Pinterest is one of the first ways to promote your art on the platform. This gives you access to indispensable features that the regular account does not have, such as the option to advertise, and analytics.
Being able to advertise your artwork enables your art to reach a broad audience. Analytics is vital because it helps you get proper feedback and gauge what art lovers or Pinterest users find interesting. With this feature, you can view your daily & monthly viewers, daily impressions, and monthly engaged followers.
To create your business account on Pinterest, go to your account where you will see the option to convert your account to a business account if however, you do not have a Pinterest account go to “business.pinterest.com.”
2. Pin your Artwork
Your pins are an essential part of your Pinterest account. You must utilize all the functionalities available to you, which includes a proper title and description.
Getting a lot of views, re-pins, and comments are vital if you intend to reach a broad audience. Reaching a wide audience is paramount to getting more traffic on your website.
A helpful tip when pinning your artwork is your Pin should be tall, not wide, this enables your art to be fully visible at a glance. The recommended ratio for the art you pin should be 2:3.
3. Use Appropriate keywords in your title or description
Pay attention to the keywords you use in the title and description of your Pin. This goes a long way to make sure your work is displayed when Pinterest users are searching for your kind of content. It is important to note that when you use keywords, make sure you do not use spammy keywords.
Before you use any keyword, do your research. It is crucial to decide on the appropriate keyword(s) before you create any content.
An excellent way to decide on the best keyword is to type "art" or other relative words in the Pinterest search bar. Pinterest will bring up a lot of alternative keyword suggestions that are commonly used when people type the word art. This way, you will know the best keywords to use.
4. Add a Call to Action on your Pin
This is a direction/instruction you give to Pinterest users to help decide the next step or action. It is essential to include a call to action when creating your Pin. You can add a call to action either on the image or on the description.
Depending on your goal, your call to action should be structured in a way that users can easily understand and follow. For example, if you want users to get redirected to your website to view your art, you need to add a call to action button that redirects users to your website.
5. Engage with your community and other Pinterest users
Building and engaging with a community on Pinterest is one of the best ways for users to view your art. To build a community, you need to follow other users and lovers of art; this will encourage other users to follow you back. Also, comment and engage with users that re-pinned your art, ask for customers' thoughts, suggestions, and feedback on your art.
6. Pin consistently and at peak times
Consistency is critical if you want to promote your art on Pinterest. Pinning your art or repining other users' images daily drives views to your page. This also helps your board rank high in your desired category on Pinterest.
Pin also at peak times, which for U.S based pinners is in the evening and weekends. You can also pin in different languages by making use of tools such as The Word Point or Google translate. This makes sure your art reaches a broader audience.
Conclusion
Pinterest is a smart way for anyone serious about promoting their art to utilize. It is a very visual social media platform and provides a lot of functionality, which helps with promoting your art.
Frank Hamilton is a blogger and translator from Manchester. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.
This article is the first of several “Guides to Promoting” on social media platforms the we will be posting. In the coming weeks, look for additional articles for promoting your art on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Join our mailing list to be informed of new helpful art marketing articles and our online art competitions.
Google reports that over 50% of their searches are made from mobile devices. A mobile device in their eyes includes smartphones and tablets.
In addition, during the past year, Google will now rank websites based on whether or not they were mobile friendly. 37% of Light Space & Time’s traffic comes from mobile devices. This percentage is below the 50% level that Google claims, but it is still more than 1/3 of our sites’ traffic, which makes it significant. Luckily for us, we run a WordPress website and were able to use a plugin in order to make our site mobile friendly.
Is your art website mobile friendly? If not, it should be. The growth of mobile computing is undeniable and the numbers continue to increase. An interesting sidebar to these numbers is that the growth of mobile searches has not taken away from the number of desktop searches. The number of mobile searches has increased while the number of desktop searches has remained unchanged. Here is Google’s link to test to see if your website is mobile friendly or not. We also suggest using the following tool: Website Planet's Responsive Checker.
If you care about traffic and the demographics of the people visiting your art website, then your site should be set up for both desktop and mobile computing. Most new sites have this capability. If yours does not, it may be time to think about either switching to a new site or taking the necessary steps to make your existing site mobile friendly.
Remember, a successful website is all about page rank and visitors. To exclude a large and increasing amount of traffic due to not being a mobile-friendly site makes little sense today and will make even less sense in the future.
