Are You Ready to Promote Your Work?
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Beth E Peterson
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You're thinking about promoting your artwork, but aren't sure yet about it? At that point, I'd have to ask, WHY are you wanting to promote you artwork? Is it for personal satisfaction? Because you hope to make living at it? Because you have commentaries and things you want to say through your work?  Okay...and here's the added caution: Very few people indeed can make a living doing nothing but making art. Please don't build up dreams of being able to do so without also laying a heavy-duty foundation of cold reality under your feet...If it happens, great, but I've seen a lot of people get hurt by expectations that cannot be fulfilled. The only ones I've seen who can make their art into their living successfully are those willing to study and work just as hard at the business end as they are at the art-making end, or who choose a career (such as art education) that allows them to retain a focus on art. Now, if you are working completely and totally for your own personal satisfaction...and that's all... then you can get away with leaving yourself completely open-ended. You can then simply display pieces you like on a website, at shows or exhibitions, or perhaps through events such as charity auctions, as the mood takes you. That's perfectly fine and acceptable. But don't expect sales. Any efforts you make at promotion are simply so that you can enjoy other people as they are exposed to your work, but you may find that the hard work of really promoting your work is more aversive than the rewards you get from it. If that is the case, you'll need to decide how much you care about other people's exposure to your work. Another reason you may want to promote your work is if you feel strongly about a concept which you are trying to communicate through your work. There have been a number of artist for whom this has been a large consideration; in this case, one is less interested in salesmanship than in gaining public awareness for their work. Promotion, then, takes on an entirely different focus and flavor. If you are one such artist, you will want to learn how to gain media attention, such as newspapers and television stations. Sales are of less import than getting the concept across and into public view. Whatever your interest in promoting your own work, knowing why you are interested in gaining such exposure and then working to come up with appropriate and do-able strategies on how to attain your goals is of primary importance. |