Friday, March 10, 2017

Art on Social Media

The new issue (April/May issue #114) of International Artist Magazine includes a feature about sharing your art on social media.



I begin with an overall piece of advice: Try not to worry too much about the numbers of likes, views, or followers. The quality of the interaction is more important than the quantity.

Even though using social media can be a great marketing tool, I think of it more as a community-building activity. It’s good to engage with the platforms that connect you with people that you find enjoyable. 

If your time on social media improves your art or inspires you as a person, it’s worth doing. If it feels like a chore or a waste of time, don’t bother with it. The number of followers will grow as an indirect consequence of creating content that inspires and connects others. 


The article in International Artist has a chart laying out 72 strategies for dealing with each of the Big Six: YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, and Instagram. I recommend cutting those pages from the magazine and sticking them on your studio wall.
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You can read those tips at my earlier blog post: 72 Tips for Sharing Art on Social Media

4 comments:

Laura G. Young said...

"If it feels like a chore or a waste of time, don't bother with it."

So true.

Many approach social media as if it's just another form of advertising...and miss the point entirely.

We really are living in an age that, when looked back upon, will make the explosion of informational exchange created by the printing press seem almost a feeble whimper by comparison.

Capt Elaine Magliacane said...

So is this the March issue or some other? I looked at the table of contents and didn't see this listed, the March issue has an article from you on Casine painting... but I didn't see this article listed.

James Gurney said...

Capt, Sorry, I should have said: it's the April/May issue #114.

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Thank you for the notice. I look forward to reading the article.
Social media is very limited on my part. There are times when I forget I have Twitter.
On Facebook, I end up hiding posts because there are too many I've chosen to follow that network their business through FB. The situation feels to me like the difference of wearing a tee shirt with your logo on it to the party versus setting up a booth and hoisting a big sign.