Artdomain Art Marketing Blog

Everyone loves Free Stuff - but the reality is that while the best things in life may be free…this does not genearally include artists websites. 

We are all getting used to being able to post pictures of our art for free all over the Internet on huge web services like Facebook, Myspace, Flicker and the likes, and when it comes to anyone asking for money to put artists work online, many artists are perplexed.  Why pay money for something that I can get for free?

That’s a good question but you need to be comparing like for like.  Yes you can post your art images in lots of cool places for free, and you can network like crazy with other artists via social networking sites, but what happens when you want to refer a potential art buyer to one place, where they can see all your art together, and make a purchase if they like?  Do you think they are going to want to see all the wacky applications you’ve put in your profile or who you’ve thrown a virtual cheesecake at, or which friend you have bought and sold as a pet?  Most art buyers will not want to wade through stuff to try to find your art work.  Worse still their opinion of you as a serious artist can be tainted by their encounter with your free online space.

Now anyone who has read some of my blog will know I’m a fan of using social networking site Facebook to promote your art to a larger audience, so I’m clearly not saying don’t use free sites.  My point is that if art is your chosen career path then think how any online representation fits in with this goal.  Does the way you are using it, benefit or detract from you as a professional artist?

There are quite a number of free online art galleries that an artist can join.  But again, if an art career is your aim, the question to focus on when deciding to join any online gallery is ‘will this be a positive contribution to my art career’.  Free online galleries have to make money somehow - fact - because it costs them to provide online storage for all those images and web pages.  The normal route for them is via advertising.  Again ask yourself ‘is having advertising around or near my art having any negative impact on my art?’  If you are happy with the answer then great.  If it is distracting attention away from your art, then not so great!

Also free online galleries can attract a mixed bag of art.  Ask yourself ‘does the art on display bring your art down to their level or elevate your art’.  If it is the former, then it may not be best to exhibit there.

In my opinion, your best bet is to use the free resources like the social networking sites, to drive buyers to an online location where a) your work is all there, presented well and in one easy to find location and b) they can buy from you online if they wish.

Don’t loose people who are interested in your art by making them trawl all over the internet to view your work, or fight through loads of irrelevant gunk, or loose the will to live trying to navigate a badly designed free website ! - make it easy for people to find you and buy from you.  This can be in the form of your own personal artist web site, or your own artist web pages at a quality online art gallery. 

What’s that?  Do I know of one? 
Well now you come to ask…..

Love to know what you think on this topic…post a comment…go on