One problem many artists have is how to get their art more noticed and increase their visibility. When you are an artist who has worked your socks off to create great art, the popularity of your work can bring tremendous rewards. Let us take a look at a couple of things that are making you think to yourself; “My art doesn’t get noticed.”
A combination of things like; below average or outrightly poor quality art, creating unoriginal art without any unique features, ineffectively or not actively promoting artwork online, avoiding building networks with other artists and creative professionals like art directors, plus failure to put out art to public spaces like art shows, art fairs, and art galleries all contribute to an artist’s art not getting noticed.
Artists need to understand that it takes sometimes the equivalent of the effort it takes to create art to make it get noticed but the rewards are invaluable when patronage increases from the visibility gained. Let us discuss in more detail, some of the possible reasons why your art may not be getting the attention you desire and what you can do to gain visibility.
The Quality Of Your Art Might Be Poor
One of the reasons why your art isn’t getting noticed is probably because the quality of your art is poor. Sometimes this might not be obvious to you the artist. You might need to open your art to criticism from your peers, some art professionals and even fans to identify areas you can enhance. You can select a few and directly ask them to honestly critique your work then be open to receiving their feedback and use their ideas to improve your work.
I personally believe there is room for every type of art and by saying this, I mean you do not necessarily need to change to or copy another artist’s style to improve the quality of your work. You need to improve your technique as well as your knowledge of the Elements of Art, Colour Theory, and other fundamentals to improve the quality of your work as an artist.
It’s important to improve your skills and techniques continuously, as well as to create art that is visually appealing and well-crafted. Improving your art is not a one-off event. Rather, it can be a complex and ongoing process, as it involves a combination of practice, skill, talent, and personal style.
Set aside time to practise regularly each day or week to work on your art, and try to challenge yourself by working on different techniques and styles.Experiment with different materials and techniques to help you find your own style and give you a better understanding of what works for you.
Learn from others. Look at the work of other artists and try to understand what makes their art successful. Look for tutorials or take a class to learn new techniques and approaches to art-making. Stay open to new ideas to get a fresh perspective on your work. Keep an open mind and be willing to try new things. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new materials, techniques, or styles. This can help you grow as an artist and improve the quality of your art and make your art get noticed more.
Ineffectively Or Not Actively Promoting Artwork Online
If you desire as an artist to get your art noticed, you have to start seeing your art as a business and start being intentional about promoting your artwork online and offline. When a business owner opens a shop or an office, they do not sit there and hope people come in to buy goods or patronise their services. They get the word out and let people know they are open for business.
Many artists do not put enough effort to promote their art and erroneously think their art would magically get noticed by millions around the world.
There are many ways to promote your art effectively. You can build an online presence by creating a website or at least an online portfolio on a site like Dribble or Behance to showcase your work. You can also use social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, to share your art, engage with potential customers and even drive traffic to your website or portfolio.
Develop An Artist Blog & Build An Email List
A tremendously great way to share your work with a wider audience, document your creative process and connect with other artists and art enthusiasts are by developing your own artist blog. A blog can be attached to your artist’s website. It can also be developed as a standalone via a content management platform like WordPress, Blogger, and Squarespace.
Some artists achieve this through vlogging which is by creating and uploading videos instead of writing articles. YouTube is a popular platform for artists who vlog. Serious artists combine both blogging and vlogging.
Start writing articles on a weekly or bimonthly basis and upload them on your blog. There is a multitude of topics you can write about like your artist journey, behind-the-scenes looks at your creative process through producing a previous or current art piece with images of your artwork, discussing a professional artist topic you might have expertise in or you have troubleshot in the course of your art practice or even musings on the art world and more.
The secret to successfully growing a blog or vlog is consistency. You must create and upload content on a regular basis whether it is articles or videos.
Engage With Your Audience
Once you have some content up, start promoting your blog to get more traffic and engagement. Encourage comments and discussion, and be sure to respond to comments and questions from your readers. This is the way to build a community around your blog and it is an important part of getting your art noticed.
When you do not engage with your audience, you appear stuck up and they might eventually lose interest in your work. Make out time to engage or hire a virtual assistant to help you do this.
Start Building An Email List
Introduce Email While you are building your website and expanding your presence on social media, utilise email marketing and build an email list of fans of your work that can eventually turn into potential customers in future. This is an excellent way of keeping engaged with people who love your work.
First, think of a lead magnet to send them as a free gift. It can be a digital high-resolution copy of your artwork they can print and hang on their wall, a set of two or three printable greeting cards made from your art, or something else. You can’t run out of ideas as an artist.
After they sign up for your email list, send them updates about your new art releases, upcoming exhibitions, and special promotions. This builds loyalty and grows your presence getting your new works in front of fans regularly.
Do Not Neglect Promoting Your Artworks Offline
Activities on your computer or phone are not enough to get your art noticed. In addition to promoting your art online, you also need to promote your artwork offline.
You will need to physically participate in local art events. Before you start any of these activities, design and print a clean, professional business card specifying your speciality as an artist. If you are an illustrator, painter, or potter, specify it on your business card and hand it out to contacts. For events, you can design flyers & posters about the services you render and write your contact details with your website and social media contacts.
Look for art fairs, exhibitions, and other events in your area where you can showcase your work. This is a great way to get your art in front of new audiences, get noticed and potentially make sales.
Additionally, networking with other artists is another good offline promotion strategy. Attend artist meetups, join online communities, and seek out opportunities to collaborate with other artists. This can help you build relationships, learn from others, and potentially reach a new audience.
Competitions, Artist Grants, Press Releases, Collaborations And Public Opportunities
There are numerous other ways to gain more recognition as an artist and make your art more noticeable. They cannot be exhaustively discussed.
Participating in competitions is a surefire way to do so. I, however, do not recommend paying any entry fee to participate in contests. There are countless free, credible art contests available online. Platforms like Instagram have tons of art contests every month. Creating artwork and submitting it with the required hashtags for the contest, attracts attention to your own profile where your art is showcased.
Artist grants not only offer artists the freedom and opportunity to pursue their creative projects without the constraints of commercial demands and grow their art practice but winning grants also provide artists with exposure and recognition which can lead to new opportunities and increased visibility for their work.
Press releases are written documents that provide information about an artist or an upcoming event, such as an exhibition or performance. A well-written, properly formatted, grammatically accurate press release with a clear and compelling headline, providing only the most important information about you as an artist or your event, when targeted to the right audience, can be a really useful tool for promoting your art and reaching a wider audience.
On the last note, seek collaborations with other professionals or organisations as well as public opportunities like charity work or decorating public spaces, to prove your expertise. By doing this, many artists have been catapulted into visibility.
In Conclusion
It’s normal to want recognition and appreciation for your art, and it can be frustrating if your work isn’t getting the engagement you’d like. Remember that likes and engagement are just one measure of success, and it’s important to focus on creating quality art that you’re proud of and that resonates with you, rather than shifting your focus to seeking validation through likes and followers.
Be consistent and persistent in your efforts to promote your art. Keep in mind that getting noticed as an artist can take time and effort, and it’s not always easy. Don’t be discouraged if your art is not getting the attention you desire right away. Keep working on your craft and actively seeking opportunities to showcase your art, and you may eventually get the recognition you deserve.