Social media has started to play a significant role in artists promoting their art in recent years and has allowed artists from around the world to connect. Some of the most prominent of these are Facebook and Instagram, which can be used to share pictures, videos, and products you are selling. Many young artists use these platforms to share art updates and communicate with other artists, and share art advice and the process of how they create their artwork. This is a handy tool because people can share tips and tricks, support other small businesses, and find inspiration from other artists.
Olivia, an artist who refinishes furniture, uses her social media, specifically Instagram, to promote her artwork for sale at her small business. She posts different things she will be selling at fairs and uses it to share what she is working on. She states that “it’s easy to use, and you can set it up as a business account so you can see specific data [referring to how many people visit your profile],” highlighting Instagram’s unique features to help businesses on their app. Olivia's other experience from this app is that “Sharing my art has given me feedback on what people like, so I can take that and create other [products that they will enjoy],” showing that these apps can also allow you to judge if your product will be successful. Many of these features can be extremely helpful for small businesses to see how their product will form and make connections with customers both online and in person.
Mia is another emerging artist who uses Instagram to post and promote their art. She states that her favorite part of using this social media is, “The thing I like the most about Instagram is that there’s a large community of artists, and I can always look at other people’s art to get inspired! I’ve found that artists really support each other on the app, and I’ve made some artist friends through it.”
Many artists can connect through social media as well as network with companies and programs to further promote their art. Mia also explains that “sharing my art has made my art style develop a lot, and the main reason for this is probably that posting my art forces me to finish pieces and practice drawing more often than I would if I didn’t post my art,” highlighting another reason artists like to use this platform. Many people believe that posting daily holds them accountable for making progress daily on their work and setting goals for art improvement.
These two artists highlight some critical aspects of social media and the role it plays for artists in their businesses, and some of the benefits it can have. Many artists highly recommend starting your social media to promote your art, communicate with others, and interact with the online art community.
Links to Artist’s Instagram Pages:
Article courtesy of Isabelle Colantuonio