Most artists use Instagram, Facebook or Twitter to promote their work. What are the contradictory advantages and disadvantages of these platforms? But especially, how should artists use them?
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Among other platforms, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have become central marketing tools. Nowadays, the majority of entrepreneurs, businesses and institutions reach out to their audiences via Social Media channels.
Likewise, artists are increasingly using these platforms to reach out to collectors, show their portfolio, and to reveal the creative process behind their works. Indeed, these tools can be considered essential for creatives today.
They give artists a chance to take their visibility into their own hands by reaching out directly to galleries, collectors or even using their profiles to support applications to calls. Instagram is a fantastic tool for displaying one’s portfolio. Thanks to its simple format it is easy for people to look at an artist’s style, focus, progress and background. Facebook can help promote shows and Twitter can create an engaging space for dialogue among online communities of viewers made up of artists, curators, critics – experts or not – all over the world.
Unfortunately, there are extremely negative aspects of Social Media too. And these can represent strong drawbacks and are enough to put anybody off.
Firstly, the sheer amount of work which is necessary to continually keep on track with everything, posting on a weekly basis, sharing stories regularly, photos, information... Social Media marketing is a full-time job which requires constancy and dedication.
Also, the very visual and schematic way in which Social Media profiles appear make it easy to compare one’s own work with that of other artists – maybe at a later stage in their career, established, or with more funds. This can be discouraging for young, emerging artists, or art students.
Further, the fixed structure in which one has to fit to succeed does not work for every artists or all mediums. Sculptures are flattened and everything has to be displayed in tight regular squares. All this reduces artworks to a pre-determined format making it difficult for anyone to understand that there is more to an artist’s work than what can be seen on these platforms.
Additionally, the quantity of stuff on Social Media platforms can be overwhelming. The overflowing amount of photos, people, profiles, artworks can make them unnavigable. There are so many artists, and it is easy to get lost in the infinite sea of information.
Nevertheless, the advantages of these platforms are outstanding.
Primarily, they are accessible. For the artist they are free – all one needs is an internet connection to set up a profile. This makes it easy to connect to an audience, no matter where an artist is in their career.
Did anybody say NETWORKING? Thanks to the use of hashtags, they give an artist a very broad outreach. Artists can be looked up by whoever is interested in their work - through just a few simple clicks. This makes it easy for artists to get noticed, viewed by their peers, collectors or other members of the public. It can even enhance the artist’s presence in galleries, or exhibitions. This can help create those bonds which might even determine an artist’s career.
Lastly, it is the process, as well as the final result which is displayed on these platforms. Earlier this year Christina Quarles even showed her studio through the Tate’s Instagram profile, giving everyone a ‘private tour’. It was an innovative way of seeing her work, giving a lovely insight into her creative process.
This is probably the best thing an artist can do with these platforms. Indeed, Social Media channels can give artists a chance to showcase the amount of work which happens behind the scenes: the trials, the attempts and the dialogue necessary to create Art.
The potential benefits for Artists using Social Media to promote and display their Art are enormous - by far surpassing the negative aspects. Whatever an artist’s work consists of and whatever one’s way of balancing work with the use of these tools, the possibilities which come with communicating through these platforms are incredibly empowering.
If you are an artist, find the way of showing your own voice with your own balance – between art and connections, promotion and creation.
Cover image: Denise Duplinski, Old statue of young woman with smartphone in museum, 27 February 2020, Courtesy of pexels.com
Written by Zoë Rivas Zanello
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