Artists! Now is the time to take charge of your craft. Today’s world is the perfect environment for creative people to prosper. The days of the huge corporations managing and distributing creative content are slowly dying out. Due to the advent of technology and the creation of the Internet, independent Artists have a pathway to show, distribute, promote, and sell their work to a global audience. Why should corporations e.g. record labels, film production companies, publishers, etc. etc. control the market anyway? Why should they get to decide what content is released? Creative people, the time is now! Here are five free things you need to be aware of, even if you are the weekend rock n’ roller, or the Sunday afternoon painter. Concept board frames artist Sydney aims to convey the overall design vision rather than specify everything in exact terms right at the start.
I. Building an online network – FREE
As
an artist, I understand the personal battles artists go through within
themselves. “I’m not an Artist. I’ve never been trained. I don’t have
any talent. And how will anyone ever see anything I create?” I’ve said
and heard them all, but that’s not up to us artists to decide. Before
the computer revolution it was easy for artists to dismiss their own
endeavors by saying, “I can’t compete with other artists with such
little visibility e.g. films, records, books, etc, etc.” It was easier
to accept that we have no talent, nor any platform to exhibit our work
without incurring huge costs. That, however, was the past. Now with a
personal computer and an Internet connection, anyone can build an online
presence for free. Using free tools like Google profiles, one can
create an online profile with email (sign up for gmail account). With
the iGoogle setup one also has access to an entire set of office tools:
word processors, spread sheets, calendars, managing contacts, and
communication tools all for free. One can also link other sites to their
Google profile. This establishes the framework for a network e.g.
facebook, MySpace, YouTube, or any other free or paid sites. The
important thing to know is by linking all of ones sites into a network,
the higher their overall ratings will be in the search engines. Produce
your art. That is your job. Let others judge the quality, while you bask
in the pleasure of creation.
II. Show your Art – FREE
With
the internet, artists can showcase their work to the entire global
community. There are many free websites available for people to make
personal websites. They may not give you as much user freedom as a paid
site, but one can use that as a foundation to grow from. The total cost
of a paid site is around $50 (domain fee $10, and the cost of the server
provider $40/yr). Any artist can upload their work and get feedback
from people all over the world. The best advice I can give is to exhibit
your art through your personal network (as mentioned above). Then from
the network one can branch out and place their art in new network
communities e.g. online forums, music sites, etc. etc. The key is to
have a root connection to your personal network (personal website). This
insures the development of the artist’s independence and control of
their content. The artist must make sure that he/she is benefiting from
their work too.
III. Promote you Art – FREE
With the advent
of social software like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. an artist can
inform the community about new works that they have just completed. As a
matter of fact, full marketing campaigns can be developed using social
software to channel thousands of people to the artist’s content. The
same thing is being done by marketers in corporations today, using the
same software available to you. The only difference, and this is a HUGE
difference, is that the artist doesn’t have to share any of the rewards
with anyone else.
IV. Manage your network – FREE
The most
difficult issue for any artist to tackle is to find people who can
appreciate their work. So, how to tackle this immense task, especially
on the scale of the ever-expanding Internet? Fortunately the answer has
been solved by Google. There is fantastic a tool called Google
Analytics, which can be added from your iGoogle account. This service is
typically used in conjunction with a paid website e.g. your personal
domain. Most free social sites have a built in number of views somewhere
on their page. YouTube has a place under the insight tab that tells you
who was watching your content, and where. Further, it will provide to
you certain demographics like age and popularity. What valuable
information! For knowing that people in Eastern France love your latest
work allows you to tailor your promotion strategies effectively, saving
time, energy and money.
V. Earn money – FREE
Finally artists
can earn money to continue producing. In a nutshell, the artist places
ads on their network (Google AdSense). When people click on the
advertisement, the artist gets paid a commission. The important thing to
understand, however, is that advertisements cannot be placed on just
any site. Free sites usually have some restrictions, but if you have
your own domain, which I highly suggest you get, Google AdSense is
perfect. There are other similar services that may offer better deals.
Another way to generate money, after your network experiences a decent
flow of traffic, is by placing links or Ads for similar websites. The
cost is all negotiable between you and the other party. For example, the
artist who painted a picture of flowers might contact a local florist
about placing a link to their site. Lastly there are sites where
audiences can purchase your work for a price, usually it’s a profit
sharing deal (iTunes, Amazon, etc).
Remember this! Traffic equates
to money. The more traffic a site gets, the greater value the site is
worth. Remember that art applies to the business world as well. Once a
good understanding of online marketing is known, any artist can create
business relationships that haven’t been developed yet; the internet is a
virgin ground of opportunity. Now go produce your art.
Power to the Artists!
Jak Ahabdune is a supporter of the new age of technology and it’s impact to the common man. He is a frequent writer for companies that aspire to give business opportunities to anyone. One such company is 180 Films, an independent multi-media film company that specializes in promoting artists of all kinds.
The time is now to build your
network [http://www.180films.com] and allow yourself the pleasure of
being the one who produces your art [http://www.180films.com].
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