The Art of Self-promotion for Visual Artists

For some visual artists, the idea of self-promotion is near anathema. They have a hard time believing good will come from it and look upon it as it is akin to being like the cheery cheesy fellow on the left of this copy.

The facts are without marketing and promotion what you have is a pleasant hobby

This is the last in a series of blog posts that the professional and exquisite artist Lori McNee and I have written on the topic of whether artists should work with galleries, self-represent or do both. Once we agreed in this day and age artists should do both, we got to work.

Most of the prior pieces were collaborations between Lori and me. This one is solo as was Lori’s insightful last piece: 3 Tips for Artists to Promote Themselves & Their Galleries.

While this post is about self-promotion for visual artists, nearly all of what is offered would work for any creative person seeking to market themselves. The suggestions here are offered to help artists improve the art of self-promotion. The suggestions are brief as many could be worked into a full-length post on their own. As a matter of fact, such is the case and will be linked as you read along.

Self-promotion is a learned skill for most artists

It seems to me most artists I know are either extroverted expressive personalities that demand attention or they are introverts who shy away from it. From the outside, one easily can be fooled into thinking extroverts have an advantage in this department. Further inspection proves this is not the case. Many shy people are highly successful in visible careers. The late King of Late Night, Johnny Carson, is a perfect example. He was a quiet private man who eschewed the limelight when not commandeering the desk on The Tonight Show. Meanwhile, his alter ego Art Fern persona was an always hilarious over-the-top send up of what a pitch man could be.

I do believe there are some folks who have a better knack for self-promotion than others, and they are not always the extroverts. This is is human nature. We are not all equally blessed in the same ways. However, in the art business having the knack for self-promotion is not the key to success in growing awareness for yourself and your art. It is determination and ambition that drive career success for artists. This includes learning to harness the power of self-promotion.

Self-promotion and self-belief are twin traits

You might want to read my blog post: The Power of Believing in Yourself. Self-belief is a powerful trait that can help propel your career and keep it moving when it appears to everyone but you that you are against all odds. If you possess self-belief, it will help you be authentic and sincere in your self-promotion, and that, sprinkled with talent, will take you far.

Self-promotion and success go hand-in-hand

Most of us don’t mind someone who promotes themselves when we can see it is coming from authentic self-belief as opposed to braggadocio. This is especially true if we can see they have the talent to back up their self-belief. In fact, we are likely to want to see them succeed. Do we think less of Lance Armstrong knowing he was proud to be the most successful professional bike racer of all time? Do we despise the Rolling Stones who cockily strutted their stuff as being the world’s greatest rock n’ roll band? Did we think Picasso was out of if with outrageous and ego centric behavior?  When Jack Nicholson won the Golden Globe for “As Good As It Gets,” he said it was a license for ten more years of bad behavior and we laughed with him.

Do I think anyone reading this is on the level of the above mentioned greats? Of course not, but that should not stop you from learning from them, from being able to grab that scintilla of purpose that can be applied to you in your job as a visual artist. That is what you do as an artist anyway. You assimilate and emulate styles and techniques until you have one of your own. You borrow from the masters who have paved the path in front of you and use what you learn to go your own way.

Here then are some things that all fall under the area of art marketing that you can begin to do to self-promote your art and your career:

• Comment on designer's or galleries blogs, or other important folks who can influence your careeer. Making nice with other artists and commenting on their blog and Facebook is great for your ego, but it is not nearly as important as making nice with people who can buy your work or help your career. Find influential people and comment on their blogs or write them personal notes congratulating them or offering meaningful tips, insights or ideas. Lather, rinse and repeat.
  
• Make friends with a local media person who covers culture, entertainment, or even politics. Don’t try to approach them for a story. Approach them to try and help them and to get to know them just to know them. If you do, the residual effect is bound to be positive and worthwhile for you.
• Do something outrageous that you would never do. A great brainstorming technique is to take a large piece of paper and write as many ideas as you and your family and friends can think of to do. I guarantee you will come up with some good ideas to promote yourself.
• Start an art event for charity. It does not have to be elaborate. It can be in your living room, or at a local coffee shop. All you need is an idea, a few fliers and a little gumption.
• Print your art large on some unusual substrate such as metal or wood, clothing. Make it twice as large or twice as small as you have ever made. Then challenge yourself to find a way to promote what you have done.
• Seek help in high places. I wrote a post titled Six Degrees of You. Think about someone who, if they took an interest, could seriously help your art career. A museum curator, a top interior designer, a magazine editor, the head of your state cultural organization. If you can’t think of someone like this, especially after getting clues offered, then question yourself about how much being successful really means to you.
• Collaborate with another artist. Lori and I collaborated on this blog post series. Yes, we know many of the same folks, but there were many others who came to know more about us by doing the series. There is no reason you can’t do the same with other visual artists, or performing artists, poets or musicians. Learn to be inspired by someone and do likewise and look for ways to explore how to channel that inspiration to new work and new vistas for your art marketing efforts.
• Get a .com domain with your name on it. Your name, if it is at all common, is probably taken. So, get one with mynamestuidio.com or mynameartist.com, or mynamefineartist.com. Then start using it. Your name is your brand. People will remember your name far more than some amorphous company name.
• Write articles, or have them ghost written for you on entertainment, design, travel, dining, wine collecting, playing poker, or anything that interests you. Or, write about an art experience that is profound to you. Make sure it is clear you are an artist with a website and/or a blog.
• Use social media. Do I really need to tell you to get a website and blog and Facebook fan page? If you haven’t do not fret, there is still space available on the Internet and Facebook for you.
• Pay it forward. Get involved in ways to promote other artists. The good karma that will come from it will easily be worth the effort.
• Market Locally - Grow Where You Are Planted. Use the Internet's power of local marketing. Network. Get involved in your area, become part of the local chamber. Many chambers have social memberships. Volunteer at a local charity. Visit every picture framer in 50-mile radius. Ask each one how you can help them or if they have ideas how you can promote yourself.
• Use handwritten and hand-drawn marketing pieces. I’ve seen a terrific marketing piece that was printed to look like an elaborate brainstorming session that led to a great idea. Use a series of sketches to illustrate an idea that leads to a suggestion to contact you or visit your website.
• Believe in yourself. If you lack self-belief how can you expect others to believe in you?
• Be driven, no can want success more than you. Do not rest until you have the success you want. You are the captain of your ship. It will go where you steer it. You your own true North Star to guide your careers. It won’t all be smooth sailing, but if you persist the end result will be like a day at the beach.