The cliché of an introverted artistic genius, cut off from the rest of the world in their underground studio, is far from reality – today more than ever. As a freelance photographer, retoucher, painter, sculptor or any type of artist, it is part of your job to make the world know of you and your existence! Self marketing can sometimes be tricky, and for many people is outside of their comfort zone. But it is an important ingredient for your success as an artist.
We have gathered five common mistakes that you as an artist should avoid.
1st Mistake: Copyright issues
To start, let’s recall an intriguing story about copyright: Judith Gérard copied a self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh, and signed it with her name. An unknown art seller erased her signature and put it up for sale as a real Van Gogh. By coincidence, Judith found it in a gallery, but no one believed that it was hers.
“It can be copied easily, can’t it?”
Artists, especially those who work in a digital field, can tell you a thing or two about copyright doubts.
Indeed, doubts and hesitations are natural as there is a lot at stake for the art buyer. For this reason, a buyer’s concerns should be heard and taken seriously.
Therefore, providing transparency and security as regards your artwork’s copyright is crucial to gain the trust of potential buyers. The most secure and valuable way to do so is to digitize and create an NFT of your artwork. An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a kind of digital copyright guarantee and investment instrument in one. On our website you can learn more about NFTs and their benefits for you as an artist.
2nd Mistake: Constant changes
In interpersonal relationships, we trust a person when we know how he or she is. With relationships in the art world, it often works in the same way. An artist who shows deep devotion to painting impressionistic sea views will confuse potential art buyers if they start making abstract sculptures one week later. Wording, corporate design, websites and other means of promotion should stay consistent over time. This way, buyers can identify strongly with an artist and their work, and will be more likely to purchase a piece of art.
3rd Mistake: Not having a target audience
A common mistake that digital artists make is trying to address “everyone”, and not clearly defining who they want to appeal to. As a photographer you can, for example, focus on restaurants who need appetizing pictures of their food. Or, as a designer, you might focus on corporate design for banks. Adjust your wording, visual presentation and services to your clients’ needs.
4th Mistake: Working alone
Building corporations and networks with colleagues from a similar field can take your artistic career to the next level. The greater the number of artists who participate in an exhibition, the more people will be aware of it. The same principle applies if you offer broader artistic services; for example, as a designer you could team up with an online marketer and offer mutual recommendations. Even in today’s fast paced and digitized world, word of mouth is a powerful tool for gaining new clients and partnerships.
5th Mistake: Missing out on competitions and grants
Find a competition in your artistic field and apply for it.
The time and energy that you put into entering an art competition often pays off in many ways. Beside the financial support, you also gain recognition as an artist, and in this way gain new fans, patrons, clients or collaborations. A further artistic benefit that you can use on your résumé is that your art has been quality controlled. We at 4ARTechnologies give away the 4ARTaward. Stay tuned to see the winners!
At 4ART, we always want to promote new artists. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like to cooperate with us!
About the author:
Alina Archelrod
Superpower: telling exciting stories.
She always loved painting and drawing. In high school, she often made pencil portraits of her classmates. “Unsurprisingly, I studied art history and art education.” Today she works from Berlin and now goes to the beach only to sunbathe.????️
“See life as a game” is the best advice anyone has given her.
