There are many personal sites sharing art and photography online; but, most of them do not sell any of their works. This is usually because it is a tough market to crack and when you are starting out it is the last thing on your mind. I am a firm believer in concentrating on the art first and the selling second because no-one is going to buy art and photography unless it speaks to them.
Setting Up Your Own Website
The best place to start as a creative person online is to set up your own website. Fortunately, art and photography are perfect for the internet because it is mostly a visual medium. You have a few options when it comes to having a website online:
- Free sites such as WordPress.com and Blogger.com provide blogging sites.
- Publish a profile/s on existing photography and art websites.
- Buy your own domain name (like this one) and some hosting.
The last option may be the most expensive but it really doesn’t cost much. Generally a domain name will run at about $10 or less per year and hosting can be quite cheap for basic packages.
Promoting Your Art and Photography
If you want to sell your work you have to promote your art and photography online. This will mean blogging about your current and past projects and definitely a Twitter and Facebook presence. People are just as interested in the artist as they are by the art. In fact, many people will be more interested in the artist so be yourself and have fun.
Connecting with Other Artists
The Internet is all about being connected and it is a great opportunity to check out other artists, comment on their sites, and hopefully receive comments from them. Joining a community is a great idea as it will allow you to share ideas and perhaps even collaborate.
Online Art Marketplaces
Selling art online is a little different than selling anything else. While you will do well to set up a small store on your website, you might also want to sell them through dedicate sites. I have been working on a project personally for a while now called “Art Auctions” (art-auctions.com.au) while not exactly an auction site like ebay it will provide artists, photographers etc. an outlet for their works.
Try, Try Again
The key to selling and promoting your creative side online is persistence. You won’t succeed straight away but after a while you begin to have an online presence. It is best to combine online art and photography strategies with offline ones like exhibitions. If you are unsure of something, ask, people like myself with a lot of experience promoting online are usually happy to answer blog comments… after all, we want people to see our work as well.
So while it would be nice to sell a lot of art and photography, remember, it is all about sharing your thoughts and ideas. Good luck with your creative aspirations!
Related articles
- China pushes global art auction sales to $11.5B (cbc.ca)
- Networking Websites For Photographers (portraitsbyladys.wordpress.com)
KJ Halliday is a writer and artist from Australia. His work is published online on kjwriteleft.com and he also writes for numerous other online publications including Refuge Island, Online Business Thought and KJ Takes a Blog.
