I enjoy reading what you are posting here in the "plan" of how to market... all the different articles you write are well worth reading. My opinion is there is no "one" right way, but many avenues an artist that wants to market must follow. Finding the method that fits their personality and gets results.
I am an artist of 52 years... and I would say a professional being in galleries, in shows, art organizations, etc. for at least 45 of those years. I have tried everything that comes along that makes some kind of sense and did not cost me a fortune. I agree that putting the work out there in several ways is important.
Telling stories and making connections is another way of creating interest and longer term connections. Never stopping creating and learning ... continuing to progress in some way and putting ourselves out there... very important. Caring about the people we come in contact with that enjoy our work is probably "the" most important thing I have done. Staying in touch is the best. I do not worry about SEO ... and I mean the thinking of that plan. What I care about it showing my work in the places online and in real life that people respect. I love the connections I have made!
I do use many of the online places we see original art but I do not obsess about it. It is my daily job and I love that as well. I love using Facebook as one of the avenues to tell my stories and show my artwork... along with my website via newsletters and my blog... letting people know about my events, and what is going on in my life. I truly believe the ones that stick with me enjoy "knowing" the artist in some way.
Reminds of the Kevin Kelly article on 1000 true fans (https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/) which I interpret as creating stuff that people want and getting 1000 people to believe in it with their heart and soul.
Clint great article full of facts and the truth. I have been a professional artist for over 38 years and have had a website since 1996. The secret and challenge of being an artist is that you must make art, and lots of it, because there are no shortcuts. It is about commitment, day by day, year after year. Your mastery of a craft is directly proportional to the sheer number of hours you spend in the effort.
Believe me there are no overnights successes in the art world. It is a myth that as an artist if you will just be discovered by the right gallery or art agent, or have the right website and SEO it will pave the way to artistic success. Building your art career is a lifelong struggle. If you want to be great at something you need to put time in the studio with the materials in your hands. It is accomplished through dedication hard work and a love for what you are doing. Because love is an emotion you cannot fake and you cannot be great at anything without loving it! Life is full of challenges, and that is what gives meaning to life. There is little value in easy perfection. Do not do it because it is easy; do it because it is hard. You must embrace the struggle so keep on creating your art and do your best. Because that is the secret to having a long art career!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I plan on using this article in my conversations about SEO with my artist friends, and with those who try to sell me on SEO.
Clint, I can't completely agree with you about SEO. While it's not the most important thing online, it's essential to follow some SEO rules to be searchable on the internet.
For instance, when searching for "webpages for artists" or "websites for artists," FASO appears in the results around 30th place, which is not on the first page but still quite decent for a company that doesn't care much about SEO.
However, there's one thing you seem to ignore: People online are searching for specific art-related products like "Scottish landscapes in oil," "painted cats or dogs on linen," or "acrylic female portraits." Improving SEO for artists' webpages means making it easier for people to find the products they're searching for, not necessarily our names (this will come at some point later!).
Therefore, as artists, we shouldn't entirely ignore SEO. It would be unwise to do so.
It's important to note that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) doesn't solely rely on having the right keywords on our website. Many other factors play a crucial role in making it easier for search engines to find our online content. Therefore, it's wise to pay attention to those aspects and consider them while optimizing our artistic websites.
I enjoy reading what you are posting here in the "plan" of how to market... all the different articles you write are well worth reading. My opinion is there is no "one" right way, but many avenues an artist that wants to market must follow. Finding the method that fits their personality and gets results.
I am an artist of 52 years... and I would say a professional being in galleries, in shows, art organizations, etc. for at least 45 of those years. I have tried everything that comes along that makes some kind of sense and did not cost me a fortune. I agree that putting the work out there in several ways is important.
Telling stories and making connections is another way of creating interest and longer term connections. Never stopping creating and learning ... continuing to progress in some way and putting ourselves out there... very important. Caring about the people we come in contact with that enjoy our work is probably "the" most important thing I have done. Staying in touch is the best. I do not worry about SEO ... and I mean the thinking of that plan. What I care about it showing my work in the places online and in real life that people respect. I love the connections I have made!
I do use many of the online places we see original art but I do not obsess about it. It is my daily job and I love that as well. I love using Facebook as one of the avenues to tell my stories and show my artwork... along with my website via newsletters and my blog... letting people know about my events, and what is going on in my life. I truly believe the ones that stick with me enjoy "knowing" the artist in some way.
Reminds of the Kevin Kelly article on 1000 true fans (https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/) which I interpret as creating stuff that people want and getting 1000 people to believe in it with their heart and soul.
Clint great article full of facts and the truth. I have been a professional artist for over 38 years and have had a website since 1996. The secret and challenge of being an artist is that you must make art, and lots of it, because there are no shortcuts. It is about commitment, day by day, year after year. Your mastery of a craft is directly proportional to the sheer number of hours you spend in the effort.
Believe me there are no overnights successes in the art world. It is a myth that as an artist if you will just be discovered by the right gallery or art agent, or have the right website and SEO it will pave the way to artistic success. Building your art career is a lifelong struggle. If you want to be great at something you need to put time in the studio with the materials in your hands. It is accomplished through dedication hard work and a love for what you are doing. Because love is an emotion you cannot fake and you cannot be great at anything without loving it! Life is full of challenges, and that is what gives meaning to life. There is little value in easy perfection. Do not do it because it is easy; do it because it is hard. You must embrace the struggle so keep on creating your art and do your best. Because that is the secret to having a long art career!
Thanks for this!
Good explanation of how SEO works and how it is unlikely to work for us. Thanks
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I plan on using this article in my conversations about SEO with my artist friends, and with those who try to sell me on SEO.
Clint, I can't completely agree with you about SEO. While it's not the most important thing online, it's essential to follow some SEO rules to be searchable on the internet.
For instance, when searching for "webpages for artists" or "websites for artists," FASO appears in the results around 30th place, which is not on the first page but still quite decent for a company that doesn't care much about SEO.
However, there's one thing you seem to ignore: People online are searching for specific art-related products like "Scottish landscapes in oil," "painted cats or dogs on linen," or "acrylic female portraits." Improving SEO for artists' webpages means making it easier for people to find the products they're searching for, not necessarily our names (this will come at some point later!).
Therefore, as artists, we shouldn't entirely ignore SEO. It would be unwise to do so.
It's important to note that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) doesn't solely rely on having the right keywords on our website. Many other factors play a crucial role in making it easier for search engines to find our online content. Therefore, it's wise to pay attention to those aspects and consider them while optimizing our artistic websites.