How to Use the Internet to Promote Yourself as an Artist

The "starving artist" cliché exists for a reason: no matter what kind of artist you are---actor, writer, painter, singer, photographer, dancer, etc.---earning a living is a struggle. Regardless of your talent and experience, which school you attended, or where you took an apprenticeship or internship, you will have to market yourself in order to sell your art. In fact, self-promotion is perhaps the most important way to turn your artistic passion into a full-fledged career. Thankfully the Internet has made it easier than ever to bring attention to your art form, if you know how to use it to your advantage.

But just how do you use the Internet to your advantage? Where do you begin? What are some of the most artist-friendly websites out there? Don't worry! The answers are only a paragraph away. Here are ways to promote yourself online:

Become familiar with online content: If you're reading this article, then you are already familiar with the Internet and have at least a basic understanding of how it works. But you may not be familiar with taking digital photos and editing them. Likewise, you may not know how to shoot video or record audio from your computer. If this is the case, now is the time to learn. Perhaps you're a writer, for example, who thinks there's no reason for you to learn how to record audio. Think again. Present a real threat to your competition by recording yourself reading your poems or short stories and then posting the files online. No matter what your primary art form is and whether or not you like modern technology, you must recognize that the most financially successful artists these days have some knowledge of how to promote themselves using different forms of online media. Reach out to new audiences in every way possible.

Join Associated Content: Associatedcontent.com is an excellent venue for visual artists and writers alike. Joining is an easy, quick, and free process. You can create slideshows of your art and photography and get paid each time someone looks at it. The website also pays upfront $3 to $10 for all sorts of writing (unfortunately they rarely, if ever, pay upfront for poetry and fiction) and pays for all page views. Even if your poetry, for example, does not fetch any upfront payment from the website, you get paid every time someone visits your content producer page. So regardless of what form and genre you write, it benefits you to share your page link with as many people as possible. You can also submit audio (like songs or poetry recordings) and video (like your short movies). Join AC today at: http://www.associatedcontent.com/join.html?refer=16739. Other sites you may want to join are ehow.com and Triond.com.

Start a blog: If you're a writer, then blogging should come pretty naturally. Simply open an account at a site like www.blogger.com and start typing. The most financially successful blogs usually have a specific focus (like fashion; for an example, visit www.paisleyandparasols.com) and include advertisements. Visual artists can post an image a day on blogs. Musicians might post their song lyrics, videos of themselves performing, or their touring schedule.

Create a MySpace profile: If you are musician, then you probably already have a MySpace profile with your songs and schedule of tour dates. Also be sure to have plenty of photos and even a video or two. Actors and other performing artists can use a MySpace profile in a similar manner. Writers and visual artists should post samples of their work and lists of links to their websites.

Use Facebook to your advantage: Think those photo albums are only for party pictures? Then you're not thinking from a promotional standpoint. The same goes if you think the 'Notes' application is only for sharing chain letters and surveys. You can upload any JPG under 5MB on the Facebook albums. Share your paintings, photos, scanned writing, and anything else you can turn into a JPG. If you're a writer, use the notes to share your poetry, short stories, essays, or whatever form and genre you prefer. The 'Notes' applications is also a wonderful venue for linking to your blog, website, or online portfolios.

Post to Flickr: Don't worry---Flickr isn't just for photographers. If it's a JPG, you can post it. That means you can take pictures of your artwork or upload scanned copies of your writing. For digital artists, simply save your work as a JPG and then upload it. Millions of people from all over the world visit Flickr everyday so update your photostream often and make sure that your photos are set to the public viewing for maximum exposure opportunities. Sadly, Flickr's free account only allows for 200 photos. Luckily an upgrade isn't too expensive (about $25) and you then have unlimited storage space.

Network on Linked In: Linked In is the perfect place to post your artistic resume, links to your blogs and websites, and have your teachers and colleagues write recommendations to vouch for your talent and work ethic. You also have the chance to write a summary about yourself. View it as an opportunity to briefly outline your artistic experience and introduce your artistic vision and goals.

Post videos on YouTube: If you are a performing artist or filmmaker, YouTube has obvious promotional value. Make a video of yourself singing, dancing, or acting or post your movie. If you're a writer or visual artist, however, YouTube's value may be less obvious. Writers can make videos of themselves reading or discussing their pieces whereas visual artists may try creating slideshows or tape themselves at work in their studio.