As an artist, it is not enough to produce works of art: you must also promote them. Although your journey as an artist is more about your inherent need to create and leave a mark on the world, this will not help you introduce your works to the art community.
To be successful as a professional artist, it is critical that you ensure that your work reaches the right audience and that the circle of potential buyers continues to grow. If you don’t make an effort to show your work, no one will be able to tell you how fantastic your work is, nor will they be able to buy it.
Promoting your art should not be overwhelming. You don’t have to do everything at once. In fact, one of the most important things about successful promotion is directing it to a specific goal you have in mind. This means that the first step in effectively promoting your art is to decide what you want to achieve.
If you are just starting your artistic career, then you might want to concentrate on building a reputation and a collector’s base in your local area. On the other hand, you may be ready to move to a national or international scale.
You may want to make your mark within the community that is connected to your medium, or to attract the attention of people who are interested in the subject matter in which you specialize – horse lovers have a natural connection to equine art, for example.
Evaluate your current position in terms of your artistic career and connections, and decide what goals you would like to achieve. Promote your art accordingly.
At Agora Gallery we understand that promotion is an important aspect of an artist’s career and that it must develop over time as the artist develops himself. Here are some tips from the experts at Agora Gallery as to what are the best strategies to promote your art effectively.
Use your portfolio to promote your art
When developing an artistic portfolio, you must have a double goal. You must develop your brand and be able to package your works. Your portfolio should be easy to submit when applying for competitions, easy to upload to your website and should serve to develop marketing material.
One of the most important elements of this is the visual reproduction of your works, as this is what will attract the viewer and make him/her take action.
Here are some general guidelines for developing your portfolio:
- Every high-exposure photograph should be well taken and captivating. Remember, when it comes to art marketing the visual part is the most important.
- Each image should be accompanied by a short and persuasive text. Details such as size, medium and title should be included, as well as a brief description of the work. One of the best ways to get a potential buyer’s attention is to tell the story behind the creation of a piece.
- The work should be accompanied by an interesting bio. When you get people interested in you, they will almost always be interested in your work as well. Don’t be afraid to share your story: your story, how your art developed, what inspires you most, and what you hope your art will give to the world.
Promote your art with a strong Internet presence
Digital marketing is becoming increasingly relevant in all industries, including the art world.
Digital marketing can take different forms:
- Online galleries like ARTmine are becoming the norm and provide an excellent platform to promote your art as they attract the attention of new collectors and art enthusiasts.
- It is essential that you have a website or a page on a popular website to promote art. This provides a simple and convenient way for your fans to find you online and view your latest work. Include the web address on your business cards, and in the emails you send in your subscription list.
- Social media has become a powerful tool for reaching new fans and keeping in touch with the ones you already have. Setting up professional accounts/profiles on pages like Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest is a great way to generate and maintain interest in you and your work as it evolves.
Oresegun Olumide, an artist originally from Nigeria, had not been very regular in publishing his work on social networks. However, once this hyper-realistic artist began to publish regularly, his works went viral almost immediately.
Art competitions can promote your works
For an emerging artist, art competitions provide one of the most effective ways to gain exposure within the art world.
In fact, competitions are known to help the discovery and exhibition of important emerging artists and can even, on occasion, propel their careers. These are some of the main benefits of art competitions:
- Art competitions allow you to show your work to your colleagues, and experts agree that this is one of the best ways to boost your performance. The feedback you receive will give you new insight into your art and allow you to grow as an artist.
- Art competitions showcase your work to gallery owners, curators and publishers, who can have a positive impact on your career. In fact, people who win art competitions almost always benefit from the gallery’s or organization’s extensive promotion efforts.
- Art competitions give your work invaluable visibility. Even if you don’t win, participating in the competition can bring you benefits just for showing your work. In fact, these competitions are considered one of the most effective and economical ways for artists to gain experience and improve their resumes.
Choose which skills to sign up for based on what would be best for your current career goals. If you are working on making a name for yourself and want to impress other watercolor artists (for example), then watercolor would be the most appropriate skill for you.
Similarly, if you want to take your career to a national or international level, then competitions with prizes that help you achieve this will be the ones to choose.
The Chelsea International Art Competition, sponsored each year by Agora Gallery, is an excellent example of an awards competition designed to help artists increase exposure of their work and develop their careers.
