This week, we discuss how to attract a following for your art - a topic that was prompted by a question from Maureen, who wrote:  “Could you discuss the challenging task of selling artwork? It’s all very well to produce a good selection of work, maintain a well-designed website, upload to Saatchi (or wherever) and add the best hashtags until you’re blue in the face! However the stumbling block in my case is clearly apparent. I, like many other artists, have no great following. Building a following takes years for the average person. I’d love to hear your thoughts.”
We actually agree with Maureen - all those things mean nothing without a following and yes it takes years to build a big following - but it doesn’t take years to start attracting new people to your work and it doesn't take much for you to start selling paintings. In this episode, we share how we each developed our audiences, particularly via Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Our tips include choosing one or two platforms rather than trying to do everything; showing up consistently; acting like a pro even at the very beginning; focusing on sharing things that are of interest to others rather than just selling; engaging with others; and above all - being yourself.
Mentioned:
Ira Glass: The Perpetual Struggle to Find Your Creative Voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAMbguAg1zM
"Ted Hughes: an unauthorised Life" by Jonathan Bate: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00W0TMW7S/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
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Credits
"Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License