Some artists still feel that to sell work or to try and market your work is selling out. That kind of attitude really doesn’t make sense to me. I have a degree to pay for and I would ideally like to be able to support my family doing something that I love. I did not spend all that time in college just to paint for the fun of it. That doesn’t mean it can’t be fun any more, I just want a purpose other than creative fulfillment to come from my work.
In that sense I need to sell my work. In order to sell my work I need to market my work. In order to market my work I need to think like a business person. The upside to that is it’s just one more area to be creative in. I can have fun with my business ideas and be unique and creative with my marketing strategy. I don’t have to look at it like a chore.
All the internet options came up in a discussion with the Sons of Turner tonight. Why do we need Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, et al? Joe explained it best when he mentioned that it’s like fishing. You can fish with one rod or you can fish with several lines in the water with different types of bait. Which way will you catch more fish? If you just want to make art as a hobby then one rod is all you need, but if you want to get noticed and reach the largest audience you can, then you need several hooks in the water. You don’t have to use the internet, if you can find a better way of doing it then go ahead. However, right now the internet is probably a person’s best bet at reaching the most people with the least amount of effort.
If people want to find something, they Google it. If your link isn’t there that person won’t know you exist. The best way to get your link on there is to be a part of multiple online communities.
Personally I want to use my work to express how I see the world. I want to show that expression to as many people as possible. I don’t want to stick it in my closest or hope that someone comes to me. I want to come to them. I want to make it as easy as possible for people to find my work.
