Artists and Social Media

When you think about it, artists and social media are a match made in heaven. Even if people can not attend a gallery opening, they can still view, and hopefully purchase the artists work online. Additionally, gallery owners and curators can use social media as a means of seeking out future artists for museum and gallery shows.

Web 2.0, Artists and Social Media

As Web 2.0 technology continues to become more sophisticated, artists seek out social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter as a means of displaying, selling and getting feedback about their work. In doing so, the artist creates a more personal relationship with his or her fans. This technique is known as "crowdsourcing," and is a key factor in considering the relationship between artists and social media.

Crowdsourcing for Artists

Crowdsourcing is a means of using the collective World Wide Web intelligence as a means of evaluating a specific product. Given the visual nature of artwork, it's easy to see why crowdsourcing on social media websites can be a superb outlet for displaying an artist's talents. An artist can create a portfolio, take photos of his or her work, and then post them on a blogging platform. As new work is created, the artist can post alerts to fans on various social networking websites.

Many artists have found that this is a highly successful technique. For example,National Public Radio featured a story about an artist by the name of Coop. After a devastating car crash, he was unable to paint. Coop began taking photographs and displayed them on Flickr, where he received feedback about his work. Fortunately, he eventually healed and was able to resume his painting career. He now uses Flickr to display and receive feedback about photos of his paintings. Aside from being able to get feedback, one can probably assume that the online community served as moral support while he was healing from his injuries.

Blogging for Artists

The blog is a unique tool for artists. Not only does it serve as a place to display one's paintings, it also provides a venue to discuss the inspiration behind them. This is a benefit that is unique to the 20th and 21st Century. While many books describe the inspiration for the works of the great masters, in some cases the information is open to speculation. The opportunity to explore the emotions behind a painting and to hear about it directly from the artist adds a new sense of value to the work, which can contribute to the artist's legacy.

Selling Work Online

When used properly, social media websites might help put an end to the term "starving artist." For example, artistic bloggers can sell their work on sites such as Deviant Art. If you are really creative, and can transfer your work to a mousepad, this is yet another way to make a profit from your work. However, be sure to create a watermark for your pieces in order to protect them from plagiarism.

YouTube for Artists

While most people associate YouTube with music videos, it can actually be an excellent resource for artists. You can make a slide show of your paintings, and display them with a musical background that embodies their theme. If you have friends who are composers, you can combine your artwork with their music. However, as with all forms of social media, remember to share your posts on other website. At the bottom each YouTube video, you will see a "share this" icon, which allows you to post the video on your MySpace and Facebook pages. Be sure to do so.

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