by Rebecca Sciullo | Mar 10, 2023 | Artist Blogging 101, Artist Websites, Learning, Your Artist Statement, Your Hub
All the Ways You Write about Your Art
Have you considered all the ways that you could potentially need to write about your art?
While preparing for my upcoming Art Marketing Round Table, I thought about all the different ways an artist might need to write about their ar
Reasons You Might Write For an Art Business
Artist Statement
Bio
Blog Post
Website Content
Press Release
Workshop Outline
Prepare for an interview
Artist Talk
Email Newsletter
Exhibition Proposal
Social Media
Grant Application
Forget Need…writing about your art is good for business!
But let’s forget about NEED for the moment. Yes, there are times that you will be asked or required to write something to do something for your art business. But, consider this. Writing is good for your art business. Writing about your art prepares you for speaking and answering questions about your work with interested collectors.
Join Me for a Free Art Marketing Round Table on Writing for Your Art Business
Dig in on this topic at an upcoming Art Marketing Round Table – Writing for an Art Business.
This event is FREE, but space is limited.
Register here!
by Rebecca Sciullo | Mar 8, 2023 | Artist Blogging 101, Artist Websites, Learning
Don’t be Your Own Best Kept Secret
Do you have a body of artwork waiting for the world to find it? Do you need to market your work but can’t take the leap?
In this post, I want to address something that I hear often from artists. That is the fear of putting yourself out there – whether creating a website to show your work, writing a blog post, or putting your work out on social media.
It can be scary for many people, particularly those (like me!) born before the advent of the iPhone, blogging, and social media.
Don’t keep your artwork a secret!
Don’t let FEAR keep you from sharing your work!
I’ve also struggled with this, whether it was pushing “publish” on my first blog post or presenting to a group of strangers live and then on Zoom.
But I’ve learned some things to make this easier for you.
First, did you know it is usually easier to present to strangers than people you know? So if you’ve been able to share some things with your friends and family and that went ok, it will probably be easier to share it with people who don’t know you.
You have to do it. You can read every book on blogging, marketing, or social media. Still, the only way to get comfortable putting yourself out there is to DO it – by getting uncomfortable!
The butterflies never truly go away for me. I still get them occasionally, depending on what I’m doing, whenever I speak live or on Zoom. I’m nervous because I want to ensure I bring value to the people spending their time engaging with me.
Make it Effortless
Having a system is the best way to take the stress of putting yourself out there.
Having a simple system to follow makes these activities that can cause you constant consternation easy. For example, if it’s a blog post you are writing, using a set system will get you in the habit of writing and sharing. If it’s a talk you must give, an outline and proper planning can give you all the confidence you need to start. Then, use that template for upcoming engagements.
Fear isn’t something to be ashamed of having. Instead, it means you care about what you are doing and the impact that your work will have on people.
For ideas about systems to use for your art business, join my email newsletter here.
by Becky Sciullo | Jan 19, 2022 | Artist Blogging 101, Your Hub
Consider the Appearance of Your Blog-Based Website
Before you get too far down the road with your artist blog, it’s essential to take time to consider the overall appearance of your blog.
The best approach is to keep it simple and allow your work to be the focal point. Sometimes artists add unnecessary elements that distract or cause people to bounce away. Examples of this would be a busy patterned background, music, adobe flash – anything that is distracting or makes your site hard to load are not beneficial to building a thriving home base.
Most blogging platforms will allow you to select a theme for your blog. This theme will set your site’s overall look, feel, and style.
Some platforms include these elements in a template. Most themes and templates allow for some customization, but you want to make sure you choose one that lends itself to your work and goals.
A suitable theme will have built-in elements that make it easier and quicker for you to do certain things. For example, some themes lend themselves to displaying work in a portfolio or gallery format, as one example of how you might choose a theme.
Choosing a theme can be overwhelming as you will typically have many from which to choose. Consider some of the following as you hone in on a theme or template for your site.
Here are some things to consider for your artist blog appearance.
Does it allow your work to be the focus?
Can you use a custom header that features your work front and center?
What kind of customization does it allow?
Do you like the layout?
Would you like your blog to have a sidebar?
Do you like the color schemes and fonts available?
Each blogging platform works a little bit differently. Below are links about themes and templates for some commonly used platforms.
WordPress.com – all about themes.
Understanding Squarespace Templates
Weebly Support – Themes
Wix Help – Themes
Get Help!
Would you like help getting started with an artist blog? Join my email newsletter for tips and programs on this topic.
Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash
by Becky Sciullo | Nov 3, 2021 | Artist Blogging 101, Artist Websites, Blogging
Is your Artist Website Ready for Holiday Sales?
Halloween is over, and thoughts have turned to Thanksgiving and Christmas.
With news of shortages on the rise, holiday shoppers will reportedly get started earlier than usual this year. So make sure your artist website is ready. Here are some things you can do to make the most of the 2021 holiday shopping season smooth rather than chaotic.
First, Get Your Web Pages Ready
Update your How to Purchase page. If you don’t have one, devote a page to holiday shopping providing information such as cutoff dates for sales. Alert your customers trying to receive their order on or before December 24th of important dates for that to happen. Make sure you keep in mind shipping carrier deadlines. December 15th is a pretty good bet if shipping within the US, but make sure you research your particular situation. You could format this page in a Frequently Asked Questions format.
Make sure all of your work is listed on your site and up to date. And, if you are using a shopping cart, make sure the buttons are working.
Consider offering gift cards, which can be done through providers such as Square, or you can create your own.
Then, Prepare Your Blog Posts
Your artist blog is a perfect place to promote your products and services this holiday season. Here are some examples of the kinds of posts you can share to help your readers and maximize holiday sales.
Share new work to stay top-of-mind as people are browsing the internet for gift ideas.
If applicable, highlight different price points that might accommodate different pricing levels.
If there is any way to draw upon seasonal elements, do it. For example, if you create functional pottery, show images in holiday settings. For jewelry artists, highlight your creations paired with festive outfits.
Don’t forget customary campaigns like Black Friday and Cyber Monday and write some blog posts around these themes.
Share pertinent shipping dates in a blog post.
If you have a large local or regional following – consider highlighting local events that your followers may be interested in attending.
Don’t forget a plan for thanks and seasons greetings. At Thanksgiving, post a blog thanking your customers, followers, and fans. You might even want to send cards or offer a small token of appreciation for larger clients, but even a blog post will do. Just do it. You can do the same for Christmas and the New Year.
Get Ready for Art Sales
For all of these ideas, prepare them in advance! You will likely be too busy to focus on them when the time comes for them to post.
Share Your Ideas
Do you have an excellent idea for a holiday blog post? Share it by sending it to becky@artisan-advantage.com.
Photo by Artboard Studio on Unsplash
by Becky Sciullo | Aug 3, 2021 | Artist Blogging 101
Writing for Your Artist Blog
One of the things that artists think about when it comes to blogging is whether or not they are a “good enough” writer to add a blog to their website. So I like to stress during the Build a Dynamic Web Presence webinar how and why to overcome this fear.
Fear not! Writing a blog is not writing a dissertation or a paper for your English literature class. Yes, you want it to be free of error, but otherwise, be comfortable writing as you would speak. The goal is to converse authentically with your reader, so there is no need to be something you aren’t.
Some Encouragement for Writing
It gets easier over time.
If you make the blogging process a habit and commit to writing a little bit every day, rather than trying to do it all in one afternoon, the process will become effortless for you.
Writing helps your art business.
The bonus of writing a blog for your art business is that you WILL become a better writer. This will help you in other areas. It will get easier to articulate about your work. And, this comes in handy whether asked a question about your work in person or if you have to sit down and write or update an artist statement.
Homework
I like to give the following homework assignment when presenting to groups.
Over the next five days, write about one piece of art each day. Select the piece, set a time for a specific amount of time – fifteen minutes is a good increment – and write what comes to mind about the work. Do this for five different pieces for five days, and you could surprise yourself with the content you create and how it gets easier every day.
Want to share your homework with me? I’d love to read it. Send to becky@artisan-advantage.com.
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
by Becky Sciullo | May 19, 2021 | Artist Blogging 101
When you are ready to build a blog-based website as the center of your art marketing system, it’s important to understand all of the parts of your site. Your blog header is a fundamental component of your overall design.
What is Your Artist Blog Header?
You’ll find the header at the topmost part of your site, introducing visitors to your site and establishing their first impression. It typically contains things like your name or logo and a navigation bar and usually remains the same throughout the website. Most platforms will give you the ability to customize your header one way or another. Below is an example of a simple header.
How to create or add a header to your site.
When creating your site, it’s important to understand how to make the best header, which is typically the first thing people see. For an artist, either the image itself will pop visually, or you can keep it simple to focus on the pictures lower on the page. Here are some links on working with your header for popular artist website platforms:
Weebly
Wix
WordPress.com
Squarespace
Best practices for setting up your site header.
Don’t overanalyze it too hard.
Make sure it is drawing in or grabbing attention.
If you are going with a solid header, use some expressive type not to be too boring.
Sliders can be used for rotating through different images.
Tools to help create your site header.
You may need to resize or want to create a custom graphic for your header. Canva is a good tool for this purpose.
Tiny PNG – You may want to compress an image so that it loads faster. Tiny PNG is a great tool for this purpose.
If you’d like more information on the basics of setting up your blog-based website, follow this Artist Blogging 101 Series or join my email newsletter.
