Am I doing enough?
In this age of social media, am I doing enough to stand out as an artist?
Time really flies. It was almost two years ago that I made an attempt to start this blog, but really didn’t do anything with it. Now I’m going to use it as a journal of sorts, translating the content of my social media posts to English, since my audience over there is primarily Spanish speaking.
Sounds like a bit of work, translating everything from one language to another, but at the same time, it keeps me on my toes and it allows me to connect with my non-Spanish speaking audience. It’s part of one of many things that seems to be the norm for artists today, promoting their work and playing the social media game. Seems to me that, besides having shut-up-and-take-my-money artistic levels (which is already a given), one also has to be a master of the internet. A one-man-Army if you will. Which leads me to the subject of this blog post.
It has never been easier and harder at the same time to have “exposure” for your work. In the digital age, where everything is just one post away from making it available for anyone. It's obvious that there is an overwhelming supply of content that could make anyone doubtful of posting anything, in fear of getting lost in the sea of Instagram posts, or the tsunami of tweets and re-tweets... which begs the question:
Do I spend more time practicing the craft or do I need to plan out what kind of post should I be making?
It could almost be considered like having a second job, producing all of this material, recording, editing, writing and posting everyday, on top of working on your art. If you are a freelance artist, I’m fairly certain that you are already involved in this routine, feeling an obligation to post something every couple of days (if not daily). Otherwise, feeling like you are letting people down. You could just ignore this and only concentrate on producing the best art you can. Eventually, people will come knocking down your door wanting to buy your stuff and asking for merch and commissions, right?
With discipline and perseverance, this can happen in the future. But unless you are Kim Jung Gi, the truth is that it’s better to be "out there" while keeping a balance between your art and your life. What I’m saying is, adapt and try to take advantage of what is at your reach. Don’t be fearful, be fearless and organized. There are plenty of examples, artists that are already making this a part of their careers. People like Proko, Artgerm, Ross Draws, Bobby Chiu; and more recently young but talented artists like Dan Ekis, Ethan Becker and Mohammed Agbadi. They are all aware that sharing the knowledge and connecting with your audience is key to gaining terrain in this business, other than just posting art for the likes.
There are several ways that help me to successfully ride the social media wave, and they might be helpful to you too.
Preparation: Take the time to plan out your activities not just weekly, but daily. By doing this, you can set up a special time of the day to post your content and spend the rest of your time working on your art. Fortune favors the prepared.
Personal Projects: Set out time each day to work on personal projects. You know you. Do what you love to draw, sculpt, paint or write the most, for yourself, in addition to what you are doing for your regular clients. Create them around a specific theme or idea that you like or that you would love to share with the rest of the world. Do you love zombies? Why not make a sketchbook around what zombies would do each day of the week? Do you love food? Why not draw what each ingredient of your favorite recipe would look like if they were human? Finish these projects. This way you will always have something to look forward to and you will never run out of material. It is often that these types of projects are the ones we put much effort into and what makes our art different from the rest.
Do what you can with what you have: If you are already working on a project, think of what ways you can use it as your own content. Show your progress, post works in progress and share it on Twitter. Take out your phone and record a bit of the process. Upload it to your stories on Instagram. Why not add your thoughts on the process and edit? Now you have a Youtube video.
Start today: Don’t wait until you have the right camera or the perfect mic because that is not what is important. The art and the connection with people is what matters. You can work out everything else on the way. Don’t waste more time, just start.
Art is meant to be seen. Sharing the way you create your work is an excellent way to connect with your audience. You don’t have to show everything if you don’t want to, but remember: sharing is caring.
These are just a few ideas that have worked for me. As with everything, use what works for you and get rid of the rest. But again, start ASAP. A year from now, you’ll wish you had started today.
What other things do you do to get exposure for your work in order to stand out?
I’m gonna try writing these posts regularly and to practice what I preach. I will start uploading content to all of my regular networks, plus a few new ones. If you dig this post and would like to read more content like this, please consider subscribing to my social media networks. Soon, I will add a couple of different ways to deliver exclusive content and extended versions for all of you guys.
Thanks for reading. See you next time.
- Esau