In 2009, social media was just taking off. Most artist, writers, musicians, comics: You name it where on MySpace. It was different then AOL. You could actually share your own work with more then one or two people in a chat room you knew. It showcased talent. It had a lot of technical issues but the just of it was that. I looked at it then in two ways. One, I had a place to show folks what I could do. Or was good at. Two, I thought it was a untapped market for local businesses because a lot of folks would get on it an show the local party scene. No one in I knew running a business in real life, would listen to me.


It frustrated me to no end because my fathers tavern business was being reopened. An I was being kept out of the business decisions. So I made the business a page anyway because their customers where right there. Then handed it over to do what they will with it but at least customers could add them. It did okay, but could have reached more customers. Since I was a silent partner. I kept my mouth shut an focused on my own identity.


I wasn't sure wanted to get re caught up in the party scene just to promote a business I was being excluded from. Since I had experienced what marketing a real website was like, saw it as traffic. A mini website. I looked at it just like I would a game.


I'm a gamier.


I played Ever Quest II for a long time to relax. An really looked at MySpace as sorta a joke. Or as a game. How many locals could I get to add my families business today? It was free advertisement! Who doesn't love that? So I'd add folks I knew locally to it.


But in my own space: I'd add my internet buddies. Non-locals I knew. Spoke to. Or had a interest in my writing. Art. Ect and I'd add content to ever day just like I would have a website. For me, it was just brushing up on my skills. An like I said, I sorta treated it like a game: just like in game reaching for the next level. How many readers could I get today? Could I make it to the top of the list writing. I wrote about my opinions. Life experiences like my near death. Grief. My views. I wrote poems.


It was a good artist outlet for me.


All this was going on as I was recovering from a illness. While my daughter was ill. I had to be at home, I didn't really want to run a website again but it offered feedback an a challenge. I did make it into the top 20 or so a few times. People where interested in my work. As the real life business opened, I went back to just artwork. Posting it. I was offered a spot in the local art show. Featured on the front page of the newspaper an exploring what was happening in the art world on the web. But as a person that had went to school for programming: I hated MySpace. The amount of bugs, spam an computer virus on it just didn't make worth messing with for long.


I migrated to Facebook.


I knew it was going to be difficult because I choose to join it with my given name. Not a handle, but I wanted that business to do well an my art to as well. I just wasn't going to do art under a handle name. I was serious about it. So I migrated my online friends, the local scene, an added everyone I think I have ever meet before. Opened a artist page for myself, a one for the business: to get them both off the ground. But it was overwhelming having that many folks that where so different then each other in one place. My online friends made fun of my real life ones. My real life ones mocked me for online ones. An frankly: I just got fed up with it sorta.
I didn't want to be what they call today: An “influencer”.


Although I had it. I also had real life stalkers. Ex's boyfriends bothering me on public display. People trying to use it as a way to hook up. Stealing artwork. I was extremely frustrated because I had two different types of “audiences”. A really over intellectual one, national an then party hardy local folks. It clashed. I felt criticized a lot for knowing so many different types of people. Which truth is, it's a good problem to have. Andy Warhol invited celebrities an homeless people to his openings but I felt stuck in a weird place all through it. Like I was being torn in several directions at once socially. But in my mind, this was the best way to establish myself as an artist. An the cheapest free advertisement anyone could ever get for a business. It landed me several jobs because I used my Facebook page as a way to document my progress as an artist.


I really did need to get back to “work”.


I wanted that work to be in art, preferably one that use my business, management & computer skills as well. An in 2011 I found it. Or they found me. They used my Facebook page and portfolio on Imagekind as a measure for if they thought I could do that job: Not just my management & career history. It proved I could do art. Sell art. Manage different groups of people.


It opened up opportunity for me.
One to grow as an artist, in another genre.


So when I tell you being on social media is important. I'm not kidding. This was what was happening to me putting myself fully out there. Creating content: Artwork and for just understanding how important is was going to become just projecting to other folks who you are: Interacting with them. Few businesses had even fully caught on. The one I went to work for did to a small degree but even they didn't take it as serious as they should. They had a page, but ignored folks on it. Didn't put out as much content as the could have daily on it. .


You can not sell something to others if they never see it.
Social media became a way to get traffic to online websites.


I didn't even have one of my own: While all this was social media was exploding I didn't even need one to get my art listed on search engines. Or sell art. Or get my name out there. When I went to work for them: Most of my work as a photographer was only seen by one customer at a time because I worked for companies. Having the experience I do on the internet saw this as a wasted opportunity. For me, them and my studio. I've done probably around 5000 photo sessions. Most of, never shown publicly. When I ran my studio, I started getting in the habit of asking each customer for consent to use their images I created to show others. I opened a simple facebook page of the local studio. I'd go home at night, an post the days best work an tag my customers to show them off. My sales increased 30k an would have kept climbing had the company not folded. It folded because they didn't understand the power of the internet. How to compete on it. Or social media.


I didn't slow down as an artist. Or on social media: I just posted on a different page, under a company name. I used it like I would have liked to seen our family business using it or the company I was working for. If the company I worked for had used it like I had: They might not have went bankrupt. Studios of the company that did, where going up in sales. Studios, that just relied on the companies website & social media pages didn't. They had a following: They just didn't pay as much attention to it as they should have.


So, yes: You need to be on social media.


But is it going to have the impact it did back when social media was exploding? Yes an No. The organic reach is not the same as it was back in 2009-2013ish on Facebook. Which is the platform I'm specifically talking about today. In five years or so it's changed. People aren't particularly fond of people just using it to sell to them. They've stopped just adding anyone. An they don't particularly want to just see you run ads of your business on it. They will delete you, unfollow you if you don't have anything interesting to add to their feeds. Or if you fail to interact with them personally. The attention span on Facebook is different.


They don't open things often to read.


So the kind of content that has always worked with websites, isn't a sure win on social media. It's a hit or miss with a general audience. So it's getting more an more important for you to know who your audience is. For me, it was easy promoting the studio. It was specifically my customers from there. It encouraged a bond between us. So, I really didn't work on my artist page until the studio closed. I had no reason to. I didn't have to add them to my personal profile. Or show them my other art work. They where interested in interacting with me, the story of the studio an me highlighting their involvement with it. They liked it simply be me getting them involved with it: Showing off them, as I showed my work. So new customers would follow it. It grew pretty fast.


I would look at my personal profile an just get overwhelmed.


I have about a 1000 folks on it, an couldn't even see my own kids post the way it was set up so I decided this was going so well. I deleted everyone on my personal profile but my kids. They still follow me, I just don't see their feeds. I'm just not nosy like that. I blocked a few folks who where on my personal profile & art page for the wrong reasons. I was so busy doing art, I didn't have time to post on it. Nor could I share a good bulk of the artwork I was doing the last ten years or so. It was the companies I worked for policy.


An it's not a bad policy to have: Respecting others privacy.


If others are in your artwork: Like photography, you should get written consent. My profile right now has examples of my work: But it's basically just family I will show work of on it. It shows some of my life, but not a lot of it. I created a page just for my private studio, so people locally can find it. I don't add much to it like I did the studio one because I'm not in a high volume location like I was. An can just ask my customers to like it. My circumstances have changed. Facebook has as well.


I know I have different types of customers.
I do different types of art.


My website is only place they all come together anymore. My approach on Facebook has changed. I'm starting over. From scratch. I use my profile to add local customers: I know who close enough I can do portrait photography for. Who are my taget audience for it. Facebook added that nifty see first: So I can always see my kids & families post first now. I've just now started using Instagram, mainly for those customers. Instagram has a measure of protection built into it for protecting artwork. People can't just copy it easily. If they do share it: They are going to advertise my work for me. Everything I do now, is waterproofed, an includes my signature. I post my other art, on my artist page for customers who really are interested in it. I only invite those who are.


I stay away from posting other folks Meme's. I created a private page, just for that so if I can't resit the urge to share something sarcastic it's got a place to land without messing up my branding. I use to share other artist works for them, cause they would mine: I created a page for that. To get me out of the habit of sharing anything not related to my own work on my own profile. My art page, shows my growth an progress as an artist alone.


It doesn't tell my story fully.


My website brings it all together: It all of it points back to my site like it should to get the full story. Sharing snippets of your life, art and story drives customers back to your site. It's content. Its not just about likes, or how many followers you have: Or even just influence. It's about building a customer base. An you want those customers to be interested in YOU an actually purchasing your art, product or service. Your business. Not you just spending your time entertaining them. Trust me, I got off social media cause I don't get paid just to entertain.


I'm a entertaining person.


An you have to be part clown to do portrait photography, or sell artwork. But it can't be all you do. Don't get into the trap of spending all your time on social media. Spend the bulk of your time doing the actual artwork. Build a portfolio with social media, a story of you. Entertain some but don't get lost in the crowd on social media.


I'm actually a pretty funny gall


I could spend all my time doing that an not get any artwork done. Let alone sell any. I'm not saying, not to show your personality. I'm saying think about how to use that to sell you & your artwork. My photography clients, who liked my page for the studio already knew I was fun. They had spent time in my studio with me. I entertained them every day. Personally in a interactive art experience. Let that bubble over into your profile or pages: but keep in mind---I got paid to be entertaining. To make a session a enjoyable experience. What your wanting folks to see is in your social media is enough to want to pay you to interact with them.


It's a tool to interact wit them, yes.


But save the best for the actual experience of working with you. Make it enjoyable as possible online an off but keep a boundary line there. You are running a business. An I think like I thought back before social media exploded: It's important for businesses to market on Social Media platforms. An for a long while, it's been free to do so: But the organic reach isn't there like it use to be. It might be smarter to just run an ad. In the photography business: I would. An I'd use it as a customer service tool. To keep in touch with customers an offer them the same attention I would in my store. This helps with referrals an repeat business.


I haven't really seen facebook work for artist to run ads though: Unless they had a specific product. Instead of running an ad to like my page or visit my site: I might show a specific product: Like a shirt. It's really going to depend on what your art is on how you want to approach social media, but think of it like someone entering your “store”. Of course you want them to enter. Check you out, but I didn't put all my effort into just social media expecting exposure to create an income.
You can't sell anything if people don't see your work.


But exposure doesn't pay bills. It can help with branding, enhance customer support, create leads an open up opportunities: but exposure is an expense. Just like taking a time to run an ad in a local newspaper use to be. It takes time to be on all these social networks, an you do not want to spend so much time on them that you do not get any artwork done. It should enhance your business, not distract you from it.


I keep using photography as an example because I've seen many different ways to do it. I see a lot of people open Facebook pages offering photography services. An right off the bat, I see a lot of them approaching it wrong because they are worried about building a portfolio an “exposure”. My photography portfolio was owned by several different companies I worked for. Most of it never was seen by the public. I just needed to give a few examples of my work online, because I was actually busy selling it to the person that would buy it. What I see a lot of photographers do, is post anything the do immediately to social media. They want that exposure, to show it off. An there is nothing wrong with that if the person paid for it before you post it an gave consent.


A lot of folks are taking advantage.


Saying they will pay for something later, go ahead an post it. Then take the work an never pay. They justify it by “giving you exposure”. Exposure is something you are going to get either way posting your work. It should be posted with a watermark, after the sale. Not before, an not if they didn't pay for your services. I see these folks more worried about showing off on social media then actually worried about the business or the industry they are in. A lot of them undermine the industry by charging a third of the price a professional photographer charges. All for exposure.


Most end up out of business within a year.


Social Media should enhance your business. Not create a loss for you. If it is creating a loss you are doing something wrong. I would rather have 500 people following me truly interested in buying my art then 2000 who won't. Or have a competitor following me trying to copy my style an selling it for half it's worth. To be a happy artist, doing what you love: You have to be able to make a living at it. You have to treat it like a business. Online & off.


Yes, show your work. Build up a portfolio by all means. But do not give away the house for free.


How do you do that with other types of art? By watermarking. By putting your name on it where it can not be easily cropped out with photoshop. Get these habits down, before you even start posting artwork. Remove anything from your social media profiles you posted before you got in this habit. A lot of us share with others just because we are excited about it before we even think about it being our business. I did the first couple of months, but I quickly went back an removed them to. Protect your work. Don't give it away for free unless you can afford to or have a specific reason for doing so. Brand yourself an your art as you go. Put those signatures on your work. Just like you would finishing any piece of work. Use photoshop! Not your phone to get digital copies of it. Photoshop allows you to put your watermark information right into the digital copy of it. An can't be removed. Upload your artwork to sites that protect it more, then share the link of it on social media instead.


It will display the same way, be shareable but on a site that protects it.


I focused on Facebook through most of this article, because it's been the bigger of the social medias. I do photography locally, an find it's best set up for local markets. But being on Google, locally is just as important. These two ways are the number one way people are going to find your services locally. Google, owns 60% of the market share on how people are going to find you: locally an nationally. Facebook isn't fully scanned by Google as far as I can tell. I tend to lean towards a local market on Facebook, for photography. A national one for traditional & fractal artwork.


You should also be on Pintrest.


Without having a website, I used Pintrest as a portfolio of my work an things related artwork & photography. I use it for art buyers nationally an to reach other artist. I've link every piece of artwork I do on it but the portrait photography. I have photography I share with other artist for photo manipulation. On it, I share articles buyers might be interested in: Like advice about how to get ready for a photo session. Advice I would give in studio, on a session call preparing for a photo session. I share articles that would attract other artist, who might be interested in using some of my photos for manipulation. Anything related to my three buyer types: art buyers, photography customers an other artist.


I get 10K traffic from it regularly.


Google scans it. I'm more easily found this way then any other. All without even having a website. I get the most art customers this way then any other. An it is a combo of using two social medias. I do not link back directly to my site: unless it is directly on my site an my site only.


The reason being is this: Clicks.


Most folks will only click once, or twice on a link then stop following it. I do not want to waste my potential sale. I send them right to the product, no matter where it is. So I don't loose them. That first click is valuable. I don't want to loose their attention or sale. An majority of my art sales come from this avenue still today. An I keep those links up to date. I don't post links that change very often on it so it's always correct. Out of all the social sites I am on, it by far out performs all the other social medias combined an I didn't even need a website to stay in the top results when searching for artist Dana Haynes.


Pintrest supports content.


Your artwork is content: Link it..... don't upload it to it. It will pick the image up of your artwork you are trying to sell. It's a ongoing revenue stream. Without you having to talk to a lot of folks daily. It gets your work out there. An if I had to choose any social platform to use over all the others. It would be this one. People who visit it, are specifically going there to buy, or dream about buying something. For a long while, t his is the only social site: Id post on because it gives results. It takes a little work, but has longer lasting results then other social medias.


So I've covered Myspace, Facebook, Pintrest an a little about Google & Instagram.


Myspace isn't even worth posting on any longer right now. Facebook is dying, but still an important way to document your journey as a artist. It's time line is helpful in regards to that. Pintrest is important and works with Google well. But what about Google? It has a social platform but is it worth using socially? I tend to look at Google two different ways. Local an National. It's important to at least have your local business listed on it an best if your in the top three return for those results. My photo studio always popped up first because it was the most popular in the area. So I didn't worry about it too much. I had the traffic I needed from it because it was popular. Starting over, with my own private photograph studio: I watch it. I created a Google page, similar to a Facebook page to keep me on the map locally of people to call when they search for local photographers.


It's what you would call a splash page.


It has information locals would need to contact me, an schedule a photoshoot: A few examples of my work. But I do not spend a lot of time on it as long as I am coming back in those results: photographer in my area. It's not something I needed to spend a lot of ad money on. There are two other studios in my area that do, that would compete like my old company that would with ads. They are something to look into, an if I was going to spend money on ads for my photography business. This is where I would do it. An Facebook for more targeted user ads.


For artwork, it's a little more complicated to be found.


I tend to think of Google as a national market for it. So, I do have a google page. I haven't paid as much attention to it as I should for artwork because I was busy doing portrait photography an didn't really NEED to. But since I'm focusing back on my traditional art more being semi retired: It's way more important then Facebook. Why? Because it's a national audience. I can go into a whole article just on it. Websites. Tags. Hashtags & search results.


An that's just it about social media: Use it for your custom needs.


Instagram, I just actually started using. I ignored it for a long time because I am a professional photographer. Not a hobbyist. So was reluctant to mix my work with snap happy phone picture takers. Now that it's established as a social platform I intend to use it to show the difference. It protects work to a degree an find it more beneficial to use then posting my portrait work on other social media. So I'm going to use it as a way for locals to reach me for that by using hashtags. So I can be found. I don't have to spend a lot of time on it either. It's just another way to portfolio my work. Once in a while, to break things up: I might throw in a piece of my artwork so it stands out.


An that's the thing, each social media platform can be used or good for something specific. Like Facebook, I've found just isn't the greatest place to post writing. It's better for me to post it on Google, Tumblr or Pintrest so it gets picked up by a wider audience that are specifically looking to read. Facebook, it be better to promote my art business posting Memes of quotes by me on top of my artwork.


Twitter, is like my garbage can.


Everything I do gets automatically shared an linked there. I don't waste a lot of time on it because I just never picked up a lot of followers there. I didn't focus on it, so actually closed it from public view for more then five years. I can't tell you the best way or right way to promote yourself or your business on it. But might look into it further now that I have more time on my hands on the best way for me to or other artist to use it. You are welcome to leave comments about it, if you do understand it better. But for the most part, I've just used it as automated feed. I check for comments on it but I find it a little too political for me.


An knowing what kind of customer your looking for helps when being on these platforms.


I'm not looking for political debates, my artwork isn't about that. So I just never saw it as having the viewers or customers I wanted. It might an I have under utilized it. I am on it though, with a few links encase someone looks for me: I can be found. Instead of using it: I asked the younger generation what they use:


The answer was Tumblr.


I'm on it for that specific reason: It reaches a my twenty somethings better. An that's the part of being on social media you want to understand. Who are you trying to reach? What customers. Who buys your artwork? Who your photography? Where is your time best spent promoting your art work on social media? Who's your niche. I sell children's photography the most: So I want to reach out to who has them an who will buy them. In my photography, senior citzens buy more often then anyone. So Facebook is important for it. Tumblr, seems better for blogs. An LinkedIn for reaching professionals. Snap Chat might reach a younger generation: but I'm not on it. Because it doesn't save my work. It's a waste of my time to interact on.


I'm on all other social medias that are imporant, but how much time I dedicated to building a following on or network has varied. The last ten years, I was in a position that I didn't need to spend tons of time on social media to sell art. I sold face to face but always kept the social media accounts for back up: an would update others occasionally about what I was doing. They helped me get the opportunity I had. But depending on what you are doing, is going to dictate how much time is worth investing in being on them.


They are a part of my daily, weekly, monthly routines selling art.


I haven't really fully used them to their capacities since 2014. I spent my time actually doing the art. Artwork I couldn't share to protect the customers privacy. While the work I put into social media previously still produced fruit. Not as much as they are capable of because I don't have a full time marketing team behind me. The good news about them is, if you get busy people don't seem to mind if you fall off the face of the earth for a while. You can pick them back up, an continue to brand your art with them. Your effort isn't lost.


Now that I have time to work more independently as an artist: I intend pick right back up where I left off and use them to my full advantage. All the efforts, I put in before where without a website. They left a lasting impact. Opened doors for me as an artist with others but I did want to see what would happen if I left them for a long period of time. If my work could still be found because I used them.


I happy to report it can be.


So it's not a wasted effort marketing this way. An like I mentioned before: Loosing a great deal of digital work. It was a priority for me to know the work I put in would last. Marketing is a lot of work. But your art is a business, an this is the best way to reach customers today. You might have to follow the trends on social media, but content last. This is the cheapest way to reach others: Word of mouth.


It always has been.


But it's also the most priceless.


My last suggestion is not to come off as an advertisement, but your authentic self.
Your an artist, an that alone makes you interesting to others. Use social media to let others learn about you. Your story is told a little bit at a time on each one of these platforms. The more you can document it on them, an still get art work done the better. Just don't loose site, an be on them more then you continue to do your art. Marketing and networking is just one step, in selling your art. Not all of it. I slowed down on social media only when those where was covered by the companies I worked for. When I'm not working for someone else, working independently: I use them. But I don't spend all my time on them. Limit yourself an the time you spend on them so you actually produce artwork (content) for them.


An remind yourself, it's business: Not just socializing.


It's networking with clients & potential customers: Not just socializing. Interacting with them is important. Service is important. But it's not all you are going to do as an artist. It's just one aspect of being an artist. Running a business. I spent a third of my day talking with customers at my studio. Doing sales & marketing. I thought of social marketing, like newspaper and flyers. Just another important step in promoting my studio. The rest of the day, I was actually doing the artwork.


Keep this in mind.


You can't sell a product if you forget to take the time to produce it. Doing artwork takes time. Some things I do artistically takes a long time. Like murals. Painting. Drawing. Writing. Don't let marketing online, distract you from the main focus of your job: Art.


Use it to back up what it is you actually do: Make & Sell Art.
You want your art business: work to be popular, not necessary you.


Just keep in mind, major companies have folded because they didn't take the internet or social media seriously when marketing. Keep at it, but don't let it consume you or all your time. My grandmother use to say: If you just get one thing done a day. It amounts to something over time. So, try to get a least one post a day of your artwork done. If it takes longer: Post about working on it. The top people marketing on the internet post ten-twenty things all over different social platforms to be successful making a living on it.


Explore different ways to get your message across without being a walking billboard. Your an artist. Coming up with creative ways to express yourself an your art should be second nature to you. Just displaying your artwork is one way. Writing about it another. Creating quotes. Meme's. Photo's. Videos. Flyers. Podcast another.


Be yourself, an what you want your brand to be about.


I've watched one branding themselves: An all they do is post sarcastic memes. They are funny. It suits their brand. Their name. It sells their clothing line. Artwork. They post something simple about ten times a day, linking back to their work, to buy. It doesn't have to be over complicated as being all all these sites seem. So, think about the image you want to project. Who do you want to attract? How: What emotion can you express or illicit that will reach them? Be yourself in the process, giving a high level of response: Service in the process being consistent.


Social marketing does work.


If it's not working for you, examine what you can change in your approach to it.

From 1996 to 2001, I ran a website called Mommysbiz. It was for mothers, daycare & care providers. I did it all myself from programming, designing to producing all it's content. I competed with a company that had material resources an probably a full programming team an won. This site had everything on it from regular articles to preschool work sheets. It had a collection of fairy tales, children's song lyrics an lesson plans. Anything to do with babies, children or toddlers you could think of I used as content. An it stayed in the top ten rankings & had decent traffic because---


Content is King on the internet.
It is what drives internet traffic.


I had built a brand doing it an was just starting to monetize it when a few things ended it. One, my computer crashed. I needed an upgrade. I went through a divorce, costing me a great deal of money. An I got to the point I just could no longer afford to give away the house for free. I was broke and expecting my third child. So broke, I could no longer keep up with the cost of my host provider.


I lost my work.


Five years of work. Poof! Gone.


I had a backup of it but I let it go. I just had to much going on to personally to continue even though I was in the process of creating a portal---a network—similar to Facebook today. One only for care providers. It did get me job offers though. Even though I was doing it, an doing it right: I opted for returning to college to learn even more. So when I say: I explore something fully. I'm not really kidding. I learned about 10 different programming languages. An when I tell you, you can get lost just learning about computers, the internet & all the software involved I'm not joking either. What I did gain though was experience few have: Running a successful site the way businesses into today's market should.


If your doing Content is King: transitioning to social media isn't hard.


When I ran my site it was before Social media really took off. But when it did, I took a different approach. An one I no better then but did it for a few specific reasons. One, I really hate programming. I had burnt out on it. I grew tired of having to learn a new language ever so often. I got tired of having to purchase new software. Of re-learning something. I saw it as a waste of time because art is what I really loved. An business management is what I did for a living. Computers was just a means to a end to me. To do those things.


So when social media exploded: I went at it differently.


I was either going to get on here an it be about art, business or management. Or I wasn't doing it. The reason why: I was not going to see another five years of my life go up in smoke over something that didn't produce enough money to support me. Maybe as a hobby: I'd still learn new stuff but I wasn't going to waste anymore of my time on “pipe dreams”. Even though I still believe in the internet. It's power to change the world. A firm belief. I've watched it change mine. An so many others.


But the the loss of that five years worth of work changed my approach.


I just wasn't willing to loose anymore work an I did something: I know better then to do. I operated without a website. I posted on social media. I posted my artwork on other art sites because content is still king but I wasn't going to loose my content again. Especially artwork. I took the long haul approach. Leaving a legacy approach.


What do I mean by that?


Humm... well if I ever got into a personal financial crisis again. My work would still survive it. My data wouldn't be lost. I made bets on which sites would survive over time: in case a site, computer or backup ever failed. I would have records & copies of my work else where. An I'm glad I did. I've had three computers die on me since. Had to take a couple of websites down due to money crunches. An lost three backup drives of my work. I even lost my original art portfolio & some murals hiring a mover to move my stuff from one house to another. But because I was worried about loosing everything again. All my artwork has survived except a few things written when I first got on social media.


This is my biggest reason for telling other artist to join art sites.


To put the work in posting your work to sites like: Redbubble, ImageKind, Fine Art America, Devaint art. Don't just pick one but several. Most of them are free, an low cost an give you residual income in the event something should happen to you. Your website. Or your backup drives. It's extra work but it ensures a backup of your work while promotes you to others across the web. They get picked up an scanned by search engines & your work can still be found. You could just pay for a backup on a cloud site: but again. If something where to happen to you: like death, a long hospitalization or financial situation where you couldn't pay it: Or simply forgot to. Your work could be lost.


It's not full proof.


I've joined some sites, like Artist Rising or Art250 to see them fold an close up shop. But chances of them all doing it at the same time are slim. But the first thing you want to do with your work is ensure it's survival long past you. I didn't join these sites for residual income. Although it can be a nice stream I didn't expect to get rich doing it. I did it so my work wasn't lost. I will always have access to a copy of my work. A record of it.


The advantage of doing t his is it leaves a footprint across the web of you & your work.


I recommend water proofing it so it can not be easily stolen but see it as a must do. My site original site was giant. I lost a lot of work. So, my first recommendation before you even start creating artwork is always going to be: Creating several backups of it. One on your computer, two backup drives of it, a website & cloud back up of it if you can afford it and across sites that will last. It's not that I set out to make more work for myself, because posting to numerous art/photo an social sites is a lot of work. I just didn't see the value in doing something that could be easily lost.


An digital can be.


So this is the first priority in doing any kind of art, even traditional because even a actual original you can hold it in your hand piece of art work can be lost. Or sold. You will always own the copyright of it so you should sell prints of it anyway. I'm thankful, I took the time to take quality photos of mine for that. Because when I moved an they didn't make it to the new house. I about flipped my lid. Some of them took a day to do, others six or more months. An I didn't calm down over it until I realized I still had backups of them on these sites. Losing your work, is like a death of a loved one or child.


It's not something you want to go through.
This is the true benefit of being on these sites. While, there is a down side of driving customers to these sites instead of your own: The peace of mind of knowing your lifes work won't be lost far out weighs the few customers you might loose. That is the only down side of them.


Backup is the biggest reason I suggest using them.


Most have a free portion that will be maintained even if you can no longer pay fees to them. They will maintain them. The plus sides are: You will be part of a community of other artist. Have emotional support by other like minded individuals. The sites do promote art, an you as well. Not as much as I'd like to see them do for individual artist but it's better to be apart of something: then nothing. An like I mentioned, the search engines scan these sites: helping you promote yourself and get your name an art out there. It helps in branding your art. Gives recognition to you as an artist. I've been honored to be spotlighted on Red bubble. Included in articles on Imagekind an featured on other sites. It boosted my work. An on each one, you can drive folks back to your own website an on social media to learn more about you as an artist. Your work and your story.


It's extra work but worth it in the long run.


Helping you establish yourself as an artist. No matter what type. They made it easier for artist to be found. Twenty years ago, having someone find your artwork & site was harder. Websites only had one means of being found: Directories & search engines. Being apart of one of these sites drives extra traffic, viewers and customers to you work.


So it has added bonuses to make it worth doing.


It takes a little more time & effort but helps you brand yourself on the internet. An while you may not always be able to keep a portfolio website up: You will always have some place to direct people to your work. It's helped landed me commissioned work, apprenticeships, customers & jobs. Being involved with these opened up opportunities for me I might have never seen without them. An some artist actually do make enough revenue off them to make a living. Not all, but a lot do. So, I won't promise anyone a future taking this approach materially. But if you are in art career for the long haul. Leaving a lasting legacy of your art work.


I recommend involvement with the majors listed on my website.
Depending on the type of art you do, is where you will want to go.


I don't however suggest that you think you will become an over night sensation. There is a lot of competition on these sites. Sometimes I feel like my work is just mediocre looking at some of the other work others do. It's not, but sometimes we can get into the habit of beating ourselves up an comparing ourselves to others. Try not to. An if you catch yourself doing that, stop. Look at others work for inspiration. Or how to improve your own work without being internally critical.


I also don't suggest thinking involvement will create a lot of income. It hasn't generated tons for me but some. They say only 1% of one percent of artist actually sell work on the Internet. That it's a rarity. I have sold work, not enough to live off comfortably each year though but enough to know it's a valuable tool in branding my work that's brought me other opportunities in my “real” that did benefit me financially. I feel someone has to be honest about this. It's not a get rich scheme.


Art is work. It takes dedication. Discipline.


The one's that make the majority of the money on these sites is themselves. Yet, They are promoting art. The art community an offer a valuable service to artist. If your doing it to just make money, it's going to seem to you like a lot of extra work for little return: Unless you understand the a long term game plan in using them: Like backup of your work & establishing your art & branding it. Yourself.


Then the investment of time in them is worth it.


But content is King, still today on the internet. As an serious artist, you should have this in abundance. Content others want or can use. Don't loose it or waste it. Use it strategically to further your art career. In a way that relates to your achievements of long-term or overall aims and interests. They will establish your progress as an artist. Show your growth. Create a foundation of solid work.
Joining these art sites, gives you an advantage.
A portfolio of your work, that isn't easily lost.

Content is King, This hasn't changed since Bill Gates stated it in 1996. Some these days now are saying: “Content is King, but is anyone listening?” No. They are reading less. They are viewing more.
What are they viewing? Art. Design. Photography. Video. Etc
Artwork Is Content. It Is The Mother Of All Kings.

If nothing else Art is most certainly Queen on the Internet today.

It's more valuable then you think. Save yours.
Artwork is work worth the trouble of preserving.

The other day, I wrote the general outline of everything I do online. The list of actual sites is longer then that an I went about checking out where I left off with things. With the health problems I've had the last few years, I just shut down my computer. I needed a break from it because I would go to work, then come home an work. An the kiddo's had a bone to pick with me about it. Frankly, I just needed a vacation an deal with the root of the medical problems I was having.

This is not the first time I've dealt with a cancer scare. Right after I found out I was pregnant with my youngest, the doctor told my my pap came back abnormal. I would have to wait until after I had her to know, but the pregnancy would slow it down. So after her birth, they did the tests. On a scale of 1-10 I was a nine. My cervix was on the verge of cancer. I had it removed. I call my youngest, my guardian angel because of it. If I had not gotten preggers, I would have never known.

I considered myself extremely lucky.

Even though I had gallstone attacks for over a decade. Lucked out an a doctor finally figured it out an I had the surgery to remove them. The thing is, I just worked myself into a teesy. An this last scare, I was just exhausted. Mentally, emotionally an physical just done. I worked my regular photography job until I just couldn't go no more.

I quit “the internet” an digital artwork.

I was frankly just too damn tired to mess with it. So, I've let it just float the last two or so years. Because of that, and is it even worth the time an effort I'm putting into it. I didn't expect to see a massive return on my time an effort anytime soon. I defiantly have a long term game plan an approach to the whole thing. Internet entrepreneur ships, successful ones just don't make money over nite. But the other reason I quit, is I needed to step back an really take a look at what's really going on. I meet with my former boss of Picture Me! And basically said to her:

“I'm just trying to understand why “the real world” an the internet are not working together”

Why people aren't making they money they should be in these industries, on or off the net. An what needs to be done to correct it. In my mind, by now brick & morters, real world businesses should have a real grasp of what is needed to survive in techno culture. Why are so many long standing studios, companies going belly up? Why art artist making less.

I mean this was really effecting me because I work online and off.

I've watched, 5 majors in the photography business fold up, sell the company or file bankruptcy. Two of them had very strong internet strategies. All they are seeing is trickles in profits compared to what they should be seeing. An I've watched artist jump on this site or that, upload their work just like I have an putting a lot of effort in, to see little return. While those companies they have uploaded to make 5 million a year.

It's flustering.

It's a lot of work, so why do it is where I was getting to. Like I told her, something is not working between the two: internet & real world. I was tired. I just had invested the last ten years of my life in both. An frankly, I get annoyed on a lot of these art sites as well because I have a programming background an go, why the hell doesn't it have this, why don't it have that? An I get equally annoyed with the “real world” businesses because they aren't using it to it's full capacities. Almost to the point, I want to go just create one myself. Then I think about it an go: NOPE. I'm tired. I know how much work goes into running one already an say forget it. An that's pretty much what I have done the last two years because the two sides of the industry are not playing well together.

Yes, there is an niche in there.
Yes, I know there is an opportunity in there.

No I do not think we need another one. There are to many art sites out there now in my opinion. So unless someones going to do it RIGHT. I don't think another one should be built. An I never will unless I'm positive it can be done right. Trust me, I could pick apart each artistic site there is. What's not working, what is working. What they need to add, what they need to stop fricking doing. But I'm just now getting to where I feel better or good enough to even sit at my computer.

The problem “real world” businesses have on the internet is they don't respond to their customers. I created just a little Facebook page for my store. I responded every night to my customers. I watched in horror as the main corporate site ignored customers. They didn't respond to them on social media. An watched as complaints piled up on their internet accounts. The internet is no different then a customer walking into your studio or store: You have to give them the same level of service you would face to face.

An yes, I get it. I've been in retail over 32 years: Some people are just assholes.

Yet, in the real world you have to respond to them. You have to listen to them. You have to correct the problem. Even if they are totally wrong half the time. It's rare to ban a customer, asshole or not. CPI failed at customer service on the internet. An Lifetouch, wasn't much better. That's why they have been swallowed up by Shutterfly. I use to get customers, that where so grateful to have me just because Lifetouch was so bad at dealing with customers. Hopefully, with Shutterfly they handle themselves better. My guess is yes but then I see the Shutterfly site doesn't handle professional photographers very well on the internet themselves. It's just about selling prints.

An that's what a lot of these artistic sites are only interested in.

Few of them really promote promote the artist as much as they should. Some of them aren't even search-able by internet engines. The slap a few things up related to artist, like giving them a support network of other artist: Which we need but they all are about promoting their own companies. Nothing wrong with that but artist still are not getting picked up as much as they should be on the internet by them.

Some of it is the artist themselves own fault.

I'll give you few examples of my own blunders: Cuz I know better an would still get in a hurry uploading an wanting to move on to the next task is this: Artist don't write good descriptions of their work, an bad at key-wording it. As, I looked around yesterday at all the updates I need to do if I'm going to jump back into this is I made the blunder.

Well what the hell am I talking about?

Okay, the biggest thing artist/business who are not computer savvy need to know is: You won't be found on the internet if you don't do this. An I'll use myself as an example: Go to Google an search for Dana Haynes

My artwork comes up half way down the page in the images section.

But none of my stuff comes up on the first page. I have one listing of me on the second. Most people won't click beyond the first ten results on a search engine. This is BAD. I know better. Every piece of artwork I posted, which is over 500 something by now should have had a well written description for each piece an at least had my name as a keyword. Sites like Redbubble & ImageKind let you do this. An I was very good about it when I started posting my pieces. But as time wore on, I would upload an run. An I probably didn't use the best keywords I could have for each pieces. An here's why:

Most people are not going to be searching for my name.

Not as an unknown artist. Yes, you should keyword it with your name but it's not the most important keywords your going to use. What you want is keywords people actually search for when buying artwork. Example: Search artist dana haynes an I am the first one that comes up. But this still requires someone knows my work to begin with. Yes, you should still use those: because someday maybe lots of people will know your name.

I used Fractal art & artist on everything I keyworded.

None of it shows up in the search results, an I'll tell you why: The art sites I posted on are not searched by search engines. This is why, I stopped what I was doing. This is why I looked at my ol' boss an said somethings off. Because the only way I get results back is if I search: fractal artist dana haynes. Then I show up in the top ten. Then all my artwork shows up.

But it's still requiring someone knows my name.

Unless you are very active on social sites posting your work, introducing people to your name and brand you can't be found. An you won't make many sales either. There are two ways to look at this: Hey, at least I'm getting my name out there. An that's wonderful. It's a part of leaving a long term legacy. An people get to know you because your using these sites. An yes, it feels good to be featured on ImageKind as an upcoming artist. Or spotlighted on Redbubble. The attention to your art by other artist feels good. But attention & likes don't pay the bills.

It's a way for customers to find artist & artist work. But it doesn't mean you will be found on one of these sites. Let alone sale anything that amounts to a real income & I'll tell you why: The flip side of it is this:

I spent a shit ton of effort, posting to every where to get my name out there. Now, some people know my name an can find me to purchase. The problem is it all leads back to these art sites an I could just as easily loose this one little old customer that found in me: the needle in a haystack. They can get easily distracted an buy someone else art or product instead. So, being on these sites is a catch twenty two. The goal is for them to purchase yours.

Well, how do you do that? You have a website that's key worded an the meta tags are in place so that they visit your site first instead of one of these sites first. The job of those sites, is to get you found. Not for you to loose potential customers to. Everything you do should point back to your site. Your name, your brand. An I will admit it.

I have a programming background, but haven't kept my site up an running. Mostly because I've been sick the last few years but anywho, you catch what I'm saying here. These sites, they come across like well t his is all you need. But I'm here to tell you, don't believe it. It doesn't look professional. So if you are serious you will put up a website with your own url. They just cost so little these days, there just isn't much of a excuse not to. An now that I'm feeling somewhat better, mines going to go up.

I have a little freebie one right now.

Just playing around with my design I want. An you can use weebly, or wix an any other “cheater”. They don't take a lot of programming background to use. At bare minimum, just post a small portfolio of your work an how to contact you. If your serious about selling your artwork you will. Might be worth it to invest in a web designer. They can set up a site for you that's just as easy to use as Shopify. An they don't have to cost an arm & a leg either. You can generate leads this way or commissions. Sell stuff you already made, but everything you do on the internet should point back to you. Your art. Your name. Your brand.

But be sure to understand meta tags & keywords.

Without them its hard to generate new customers: That's the goal. Increasing Sales an retaining old customers.

The thing about meta tags and keywords, whether its on your own site or one of these art sites is getting the right ones. Don't think about what you would search for. Think about what your customers would search for. Not just the ones that know your name. That's an easy one. Any idiot can do it. Think about what the customer that doesn't know you is going to search for.

I'll give you example.

The family business is a tavern in town. Regulars know the name. They will search for that. Great, but don't you want the people that don't know your business to find it? Or are you okay with landing on the fourth or fifth page of a search engine result where you will never be found. Because most folks won't look that far into a search result. So, if you where a customer looking for somewhere to new to go hang out, what would you look for?

Name of the town, an probably just the word bar or tavern.

Am I making sense? Are you following me? Use the word bar, tavern an any other word you can think of a new person would use to search. What most web designers if they are good will do this for you. If they don't they aren't that great. But a decent design includes doing a search of what meta tags an keywords to use. If your designing your own or having someone else do it for you: Go to Google. Run searches on your competitors. Open up their site programming: Look at the words they use to comee up first in the results. Chances are the designer used more keywords then your site an it's why they are getting the results an you are not. You could be the most popular place in town an be coming up low in search results for this reason an this reason only.

If your artist, think about what a stranger would search for.

Art, painting, abstract fractal blue gray dog donkey ect

This is your biggest expense an usually cost you nothing to do it right. This is how you leave a footprint on the internet. This is how you get found. Also, be sure to embed keywords in your photos an use them in your descriptions. Don't forget to do this. You'll come up more often then someone who forgets. LOL like I did sometimes. Only about half the artwork I've done comes up in search results.

That's still mighty good but it could be better.

An all that is with me being gone for two years, with no website. Which, I'm fixing to get started on this next month. It's important an can't be ignored. I've just been putting it off because I'm trying to figure out a way for it to stay in place long after my death. Cuz I'm betting the kiddos will remember to pay the small monthly fees to keep it in place. An that is one reason to post on these art sites. Most of them are free to a certain degree. An if my website goes down, or my backup drive fails like my did all the work you've done still exist somewhere. An the sites are pretty good about protecting your images.

An so will your social media account.

As long as that site is live. I have witnessed popular art sites like artistrising.com a subsidiary of art.com go down. No longer in use. Vango.com, who sold only original paintings for $250 quit. Say they can no longer do it. An in 20 years, Facebook might not exist. So there are marketers out there that say social media is a waste of time. Or websites are. An countless regular old people who just socialize on their computers that won't get your actually not just on yours to be social but running a business.

Are they right?

Is social media marketing a waste of time? Is having a website too? Well, I just went two years not doing either. Kinda testing the theories while I was sick. An just told you about two companies that failed because they didn't take social media or the internet seriously. They had websites. Not very responsive ones. Who didn't give the level of service they would face to face. Both of them the two largest in the nation.

So I'd say, yes it matters.

When you see large companies crumble because of it an ask yourself why?

The answer is having a bad social media / internet reputation. Bad word of mouth. People went to better photographers who would respond on social media. I haven't really done much art except at work. It couldn't be displayed publicly or I didn't personally have to post it. So I haven't had much to share anyway. Did people notice? Yes an no.

When you disappear from the internet life goes on without you. But you can get right back in there an pick it up like nothing happened. It's kinda the same in gammers land. Where ya been, oh! Well, welcome back. We missed you. An you pick up where you left off. As long as you didn't leave people angry. You can take vacations from social media. I didn’t leave angry customers laying around so it didn't really effect me, my brand or art sales. I sold art without any more effort on my part. So soical media didn’t matter, but it did. Cause it’s what helped me get search results years ago too.

Which is nice to know that residual income will come in long after you've put that kinda effort in. Which is an argument for being on a shit ton of art sites. Just encase something happens to you. Or like me, loosing a hard drive. At least I know now what will happen to my work if I pass. An I'll left some kind of legacy when I'm gone. So, while its not the greatest sales in the world right now because I haven't continued to work it. It is something.

An I still do get tickled when someone from Germany or Florida buys my work.

But back to the question of do you really need to be on social media? Depends. I say artist an businesses do. An they need to be just as responsive as if someone walked into their store or studio. There are people who do not do social media & businesses that won't. They generate leads a different way an don't need to. But its Rare. One of these “gurus” spouting off you don't is being very generalized saying that. He only has two products. He doesn't run a service oriented business. If your unsocial online why would I expect you to be in your business.

Why would someone hand you there business if your not?

If someone is going to buy a Snickers Bar, a good product, who do you think they are going to buy from? The unsocial one or the one that’s social with them. That makes them feel welcome. An with artist & photographers especially it's important. You need to leave a impression of who you are with people to sell your work. You could be “hell kitchen dude” with a tude, an it work for you. I've watched a clothing company generate leads just posting sarcasim. It works with their brand. Might not work for yours. Depends on what you decided you & your brands about. An who you want your audience and customers to be.

I have very diverse customers. My customers for my photography is usually dead opposite the audience and customers I sell fractal an traditional artwork to. Being on social media helps you discover who likes your work, types that don't an gives you an idea of who you want your customers to be. It helps you narrow it down really quick.

Social Media gives the ability for people to respond to you, helps you improve your work, service an business.

So while I agree with that “guru” that your product needs to be great. An it's the most important thing. He doesn't seem to understand service in our day an age is a “product”. An you can't just order it. You actually have to interact with your customers, fans an “audience”. An it is like putting on a show. While it's a little more work, it is what will make you stand out competing with someone else that sells the exact same product or service.

Do I think you should spend all your time doing just that? Social Media? No.

I think it's just one part of customer service these days an putting on your “show”. That's just part of sales. Does social media increase your sales? Yes. If done right. Does it have to be time consuming? No.

Depends on how large you or your business is. Some of the companies I worked for should have hired at least one person to do nothing but respond to customers online. They didn't. An it hurt their brand enough to put them out of business. The other one, had poor phone responses. It took a nose dive. I've heard complaints about another larger one having the same issues.

Service matters.

Service is interacting with people. So yes, social media matters. And I've said that right from the beginning of it. AOL sold a lot. An so does word of mouth.

People understand I'm an artist... but what exactly is it I do? I do it all! Seriously, it's probably why I'm sick. I worked myself into a frazzle. Cause I kinda am a “want to do it all” kinda person.

Which makes me what they call “stack-able” these days.

Instead of going to art college: I decided I'd just go get the entry level job that taught me about “Art” in the practical world. For example: I wanted to learn more about print because they hired graphic artist. So, out of high school I got a part time job at the local newspaper, in the in lower in house print shop as an assistant. I quickly got bored with making note pads an envelopes. The pay was awful. An found out the pay for the graphic artist was not much better, an left.

But in my early years, this is how I took art “classes”.

I just go get the entry level jobs an learn about it that way instead of paying for classes I couldn't afford. I decided I'd learn more that way. At the time, retail management jobs paid better an that's the route I went. I took one accounting class, an just focused on business as a career. It was a secondary interest I had. An I enjoyed it. I felt being in management was more stable then being an artist. I loved interacting with people & learning a new business model. I worked in taverns, restaurants an gas stations. I helped open new ones. I cleaned up old ones. I loved accounting, inventory, P&Ls, auditing an learning all about marketing in a practical sense. I loved the first of the month, rolling out new ad campaigns all the nitty gritty details of operating a business.

Up until 21 years ago, I just focused on my retail management business career & did traditional art “on the side” because I found there was an art to business too. Then I had kids lol an had to balance business, art an them. Then the internet happened an I couldn't help myself: Suddenly you could learn things they didn't even teach in colleges yet. I spent my free time teaching myself html, programming an how to draw on computers. I invested my time in developing a website. I learned all about how the to make the internet works I didn't spend my time just socializing on it like most.

To me, the internet was going to be HUGE. It was going to change the way people did business AND I was going to be able to do ART & business for a living. So I finally knew what I wanted to return to college. Before that I had just took the basic classes to get them out of the way. I just did not see the point of investing tons of money into a college degree when I could go out in the real world an learn it from the ground up hands on. But, this time was different: I had a vision in my head of what the internet would become. An it's here.

An there is more yet to come.

So about ten years ago, I decided I needed an to finally put an traditional art portfolio together an focus on art instead of my practice site: Mommysbiz for Daycare Providers & Parents. So what exactly am I?

I'm a Artist with a business management background an internet technology geek that does photography for a living while working on traditional art in her spare time.

LOL Hey, when your idol is Leonardo Da Vinci...

Your going to get into a lot of things. But it's turning out that taking the long way around to actually getting some art done is paying off. I can teach business how to market themselves correctly on here. I can teach artist and photographers how to treat their art like a business so they can actually support themselves doing it. Who would have thunk it?

Business Art & the internet is my mix.

What seems like a weird combination for me to learn turns out to be exactly what is needed in today's world. Because I see, really good artist struggling to sell. I see brick an mortar business still not using the internet correctly. Loosing out. But I don't want to be one of those “fly by nite guru's” on here. Most of them get on my nerves. They've all got it figured out an going to teach you in 20 minutes how to get rich on the internet. It doesn't happen that way folks.

It's complicated.

Yet you've got to keep it as simple as you possibly can or you will never get any artwork done. Nor make any sales online or off. An today's businesses an artist need to be in both worlds. An artist has to be both, an if you don't understand this: Then your a hobbyist an most of what I have to say or teach isn't going to be of much value to you. If your serious about being a successful artist, I will walk you through what you need to do on the internet. Business can learn from it as well. An we can get into specific businesses later: like photography.

Don't get your hopes up.

I won't sit here an mislead anyone it's NOT easy to do. It's very a competitive market even when you do not add artist to what it is you do. An you have to do more then a regular business on here to make it. But if your interested in the long haul, an leaving a legacy. I can walk you through what I do. I will go into details in with follow up writings. An I'll probably stick it all in a book later or something. I just want other artist to understand this is a long haul game.

It's not going to give you income quickly.

An only while art sales on the internet have gone up 40%, only 1% of artist are actually selling anything. It's why I'm not fond of the most of the internet gurus. They are making a living telling you it's easy when it's not. It's hard for a regular business to do this correctly to increase their sales but if it's done right you will. It's not an over nite thing. It's long term approach to having residual income an you will sell long after you are gone. You won't see results over nite from it. Think of being on the internet like a faucet, that leaks. It trickles at first, then eventually it gets turn on an pours.

An I can't promise you will.

An here's why: Not all artist are good. An I don't say that to discourage anyone. It's just a fact. We all aren't but what might not look good as a painting: might just look great on a piece of clothing. Or a coffee mug. An you get better at something with time. You could be loosey today, an be the best at something ten years from now with practice. Discipline. An that is what my approach to art, business & internet is about.

I didn't get good at anyone of them without putting in the work. So you have to be willing to do it daily. Or at least five days a week. Several times a day, depending on what your doing. My approach works, although I haven't been doing it as much being ill. So here's the run down:

You have to have art / product / service. It has to be good.

You need a website. Content is King. Your Art: Product or Service Write / Blog Do Photos Make Videos Voice / Podcast / Livestreams You have to have a portfolio of your work on it. It has to be updated regularly: Daily, Weekly, Monthly It has to have meta tags researched & Keyworded. You want to be found by search engines. It has to be simple to navigate & user friendly. It has to be eye appealing on the internet, tv & phone Example my Traditional Art Portfolio contains:

Fractal Art
Acrylic
Charcoal
Colored Pencil
Pours
Murals
Oil Pastels
Pen & Ink
Poems
Tattoo Designs
Watercolor

I work on it regularly. It expands me as an artist & shows what I can do. An I use it for content. I have probably over 350 pieces of work. It shows my progression as an artist as well. I can offer the orginals for sell right off my website. But I design as well an I do photography for a living. I have a portfolio of each as well. One for my clients to look up their session an order from. Book a session with me or for new clients to see they kind of portrait photography I do. An since I am a photographer, I have Specialty Art as well that's not of everyday clients. I add to that regularly, again creating more content. More stuff to be found by internet search engines: to get “my name” out there. Some of it simply gets used by other artist designing themselves. So I have a portfolio of clients others can see of my work. Plus a photography portfolio of:

Auto & Gas
Animals
Bands
Churches
Citys
Conceptual
Country
Dramatic
Emotive
Flowers
Garden
Holidays
Macabra
Musical Instruments
Park & Perserves
Quotes
Statues & Ornates
Social
Skys
Surreal
Tavern
Things
Word Art

I keep up with all these things on top of doing regular sells in portrait photography. You have to have real world sales! At minimum as a photographer I set the lowest goal of the day at 3-4 sessions when I worked full time. In season its 15-40 sessions a day depending on your location. Now that I'm ill & semi retired: I still do 3-4 sessions a couple times a week to keep honing my skills. I can't stress enough that you have to have real world sales an the ability to sell face to face. Either by setting up a location or studio to work out of for people to visit & buy. Or by doing art fairs. But this piece isn't about “real world” brick an mortar, which I can get into another time: Having a internet site is just as important as having a real world location. Think of it as the same. It's where people will go to learn & buy from you. An just like in real life you want them to be able to find it.

It's not enough just to have a website. You have to be found in and on search engines.

Ten years ago, many gave up on websites. Everyone had one, but they didn't understand what made one a good one or a bad one. They didn't put in a lot of effort to them an they failed. Or they didn't understand the science to them. If your doing this alone, like I have been all my life with no budget you can build one. It doesn't have to cost you much as long as you understand you have to keep putting content on it. It's like a living breathing thing: Just like someone visiting your studio, store or business. It will help you bring in more business if you invest time or money in to it. Ten years ago, their was about ten directories & search engines you could be found on.

A lot of folks gave up, it wasn't enough of a return on their time or money. Now it's a standard. Just as much as having a brick an mortar location. If you don't have one, your business / art isn't going to be found.

People research stuff before they go shopping.

So it's all the more important. An I could spend days on just talking about websites, an how to do them so you stand out in a crowd but I'm trying to keep this simple. So the average person can understand. Ten years ago, if you could keep yourself in the top ten of search engines, you'd be found. You generated visitors by word of mouth. One website owner, sharing another website owners address. They would all link together in a network or “ring” of sites. There was only one major social platform: AOL . On it you could pay an arm and a leg to advertise your brand. But you couldn't really sell art work that way. An most businesses didn't have that kind of budget. Let alone artist.

Selling for artist got done the same old fashion way: Word of Mouth.

Your buddy would tell their buddy, to check you out. Word of Mouth would spread. Sales still work this way. In real life and on the internet. But now instead of ten search engines, we manly have one people go to. An instead of one expensive social platform we have at least ten I can think of. Not only do you have to do artwork daily, sell regularly in the real world, update your website consistently. You have to be on social media! Businesses need word of mouth! But artist need it even more! You have to communicate to the world, your lifes work. There are at least 11 social platforms you should be on:

Google
Pinterest
Facebook
Youtube
Instagram
LinkIn
Twitter
Tumblr
Lifestream.aol
Podcast

And I'm sure there is more actually, but those are the majors. Some people insist you don't have to do them. An that you don't really have to update them much. An you don't if you can generate enough word of mouth without them in the “real world”. But if your interested in more customers, an getting more world of mouth is a good thing for you: Then you will. I could spend weeks on just this top alone.

Because it's not just about marketing, or becoming famous, how many likes you have or followers. Although those things may or may not come with it: It's about word of mouth: The best and oldest way to get what you do out there. I meet a few new people a couple of months ago. Never spoke to them in my life: but they knew: One I was an artist. Two: I was good. Three: I could do what they needed done. You can't buy word of mouth.

It's free and it's priceless.

Yes there is a right way to market on them an not offend anyone, without paying for ads. Which, I recommend for some an not others. It depends on what your art is. What your service is. Your product. I worked for one of the best studios to work for, CPI. In some of the best locations. An they have decent products, good service, great locations: but they could not beat the word of mouth on the internet. They could not compete with photographers on the internet. Not because they where bad, but because they didn't respond to customers on the internet. They didn't show their work as often as they could. So, great solo photographers grabbed the market because they where on social media. They showed better work & where doing the internet right. An they where getting all the word of mouth.

My studio went up 20K in sales all on word of mouth.

I had people traveling 60-100 miles just to come see me, do a session with me and buy my artwork. When the company was failing as a whole. Why? Because they heard about me.

All because I was good and asked them join me on social media & like my Facebook page. I'd get home from work, post my work of sessions customers gave me permission to an respond to them. The company as a whole didn't do that. They had great service, products an usually better photography but they didn't do that on the internet. An it hurt them enough to bankrupt them. So I can't even begin to tell you how important it is to have word of mouth: not just off line but online.

Now, that's about what it takes to run just a normal business real brick an molter business. The basics of it an I haven't even gone into details. An artist has to do one other thing, as if that isn't enough right?

Artist need to be on as many art sites as they can find. Why?

Your branding your name: Sometimes it's gonna be your name an your name only that sells your artwork. Remember, your wanting to leave a legacy that lives on after you do. That requires you be found as many ways as you possibly can. So search engines pick you up. You'll need to upload a decent copy of your art work on:

Redbubble
Fine Art America / Pixel
ImageKind
Deviant Art
Behance
Aritist.com
Etsy
Sedition
Society6

There are more then that and I recommend you get on as many as you can handle. I started out on ImageKind. To avoid the fees, I just posted my fractal art, a portfolio of the latest. You have to decided what your budget can afford. If you can be on all of them great. If you can't do what you can afford to. Most of the sites I listed are free, or low based. Your work will come up more in Google, generating more hits. An more sales. Don't expect the sales to make you a living. It's more about getting noticed, making a name for yourself and it living on after you do. A legacy. It does create residual income. Even if it's low, it's worth the effort. I personally just keep adding a site to put my artwork on.

I'm all over the place, so I can be found.

It's NOT easy. It's time consuming an only you can decide how much of your time it's worth to do this. My main portfolio of portrait photography is rarely seen. It's made me the most. I'd post it all if I had time to. Or owned all of it still. I myself, am getting away from that. My advice, is start with one of these websites, so you can sell prints & products of your work. Get a idea of how long it takes you. I'm pretty fast at it, so I can usually do a piece of work, post it to ten different sites an update all those social media accounts. Plus pay attention to people on them.

I have make the time to. I make the time.

I do mainly: Traditional Art, Design, Photography an thinking about going into the digital specialty art of photoshop manipulation. Each thing I do goes through this process.

Make the art
Update the website
Post to art sites
Post to social media
Sell the art

Sometimes it's reversed depending on the what kind of art your doing. In photography, it's smarter to sell it to them first, then post to social media. It just depends. But as you can see, I'm working four main things artistically an on about 30 sites to make that 1% of sales artist make on the internet. So when I tell you, it's NOT for the faint of heart.

I'm not lying.

I just mentioned art sites but graphic designers & photographers should be on:

Dreamstock
Shutterstock
Foap
Bigstock
Istock
Fololia

Some use Flickr, Pica an shopify. It depends on what your doing artistically. There's 3DOcean & Envato for designers or more tech savy. Plus freelancer for jobs if you think doing all those aren't keeping you busy enough. My point is, artist who are pretty disciplined about doing artwork to begin with make it. You entertain others with it as you post, creating more word of mouth. That thing, that most artist need to sell. I've been brought up on ImageKind, spotlighted on Redbubble an others told about me helping me out with my photography sales. Even if I didn't sell a lot online, it helped me sell a lot face to face in real life. It helped me get jobs in the arts. So while most artist don't have a marketing team behind them. Let alone a lot of money to throw around:

This is the way you go: Stackable.

It's a computer networking term, the takes one thing and connects it to many. It leaves a big foot print on the internet & in real life: A Legacy. I just have to remember I'm not a computer some days: an human.

What's in a name? I had someone all upside down because I use my original real name on the internet.. It's my father's last name, an everyone knows it yadda yadda. Can't have anyone spoiling his name. First of all, in the scheme of things: Most of the world, doesn't even know who the hell my father was. So it's MY name I'm putting out there.

"Well I'll just have Facebook remove it"

Ya gonna go over the astrologer Dana Haynes too. Tell her she can't post her astrology stuff cause you didn't approve it? How about the author Dana Haynes? There is one out there. He writes fiction. Never read it, but he's taking up my name on Google search results when you search for the artist an it's annoying to me. Mainly because I'd like my art to be found, but he's got a budget for Adwords I don't have right now. Shows up more then any of us. There is also some tv personality out west that goes by Dana Haynes. Guess they should just go tell them they can't use the name Haynes, because someone died who once carried it.

What's in a name anyway?

I follow a guy named GaryVee on social media. He is branding his name. His parents ran a family business he helped blow over the top on the internet. I like him because I have a few things in common with him. One, the industry that he was in, my family was too. His was a liquor store, mine a tavern. Both he & I have been around since the early days on the internet following the trends. Busting butt on it. The difference between him & I is I had a divorce in there an lost my momentum.

You disappear on the internet pretty quickly if you don't keep hounding it.

Like him, I had spent time building a family business I didn't own an wasn't going to get credit for. It's your parents. I might have been Vice President of it on paper but just like him: It wasn't getting me anywhere. An if it did it would only be at the death of someone you love. Which doesn't feel so great. An I wanted to do art anyway if I had a choice where I was going to put my extra time and energy in. The thing I like about him so much is he got the internet was just as much a reality as “real life”. An when I talk about people I use to hang out with online or respect: He's the kind I was drawn to. The creatives that mixed business & the internet. That saw how important the internet was going to become. Who where interested in branding on it: Not just creating a website an leaving it sit out in open air an hopes someone visits it. Who weren't interested in get rich schemes, who saw the actual work you had to put in. Understood it. An interested in where it was heading.

I had my niche, to practice with: Daycare Providers & Moms.

It's what my life revolved around a lot at the time, so it was good practice on how to get up there to the top. An it took a lot of work to stay in the top ten. Discipline. I didn't have a full time marketing budget or anyone else but me to do the work. A few signed on to volunteer to write occasionally an that was about it. The ended up going into online teaching because it was starting to pay a little. Most couldn't afford those early days of really making a website work. Or the effort it takes keep one fresh: An keep on branding. Let alone have a budget to keep programming.

I just had to keep learning, an following the wave to stay on top.

It all came to a end, right about the time I was figuring out how to actually make it produce a income. My computer crashed for one. Which has messed me up several times, but I was getting a divorce. My husband at the time, an countless others around me just couldn't see why I thought this was so dang important. The most people used computers for at the time was bookkeeping. But there where other artist online, who just like me where learning to draw on theirs. Others learning how to build websites. Few where into all aspects of it like I was.

I was getting noticed so much a local Marketing Company contacted me.

They wanted to “interview” me. They said they where a publishing company an just getting into building websites: Would I be interested? Getting divorced of course I was. I went & got grilled basically about this or that topic. I was pretty much told afterwords, we like what your doing but you don't have a degree in it so please come back after you get one. An it was very much came across as “we are the real world”, the “authority” on this, you are not. What they had was something that was dying: Publishing & a hardware geek telling. They didn't undersand the internet. They just understood how to profit off people who knew they needed a website. They didn't have what I had. The ability to actually have people visit the websites. My self doubt, an listening to others tell me the “internet wasn't the real world” lead me back to college. I shouldn't have listened to them. I should have stayed on course an continued doing what I had been. It was working. Had I continued I'd have a site worth tons of money today.

I let people around me sabotage me.

They didn't, an a lot of them still don't understand the internet. They have a old school business model of how things work, an it's like pulling teeth to even get some to use their little computer phones correctly. When they finally did get it on it, I suddenly got attacked a lot in real life. Omg, she's saying this, she's doing that. No, I won't make a myspace page, or a Facebook page. She's a bad parent! I'm going to take her to court, an try to take away her son. I'm going to take her to court an have the judge stop her on Facebook. Even though everything I was doing was actually exactly what I should be doing. I had to deal with someone walking into court with a 100 pages of my facebook feed printed out. With them going on about how crazy I was, an how I was sabotaging them. The judge threw it out: basically stating all he sees me staying on it: Is leave me alone.

It's a fact, recorded down at the Winnebago Court house.

Literally trying to take away my free speech. It's the same people that always have sabotage me in real life, an my grandmother. So I pretty much ignore them as much as I can. But it's a little hard to ignore when they are calling police on you with false accusations, harassing you in court, through courts and the system. I've had police called, the health dept, dcfs an all kinds of stuff done to me all in the name of trying to shut me up. It's all on record. Documented.

An it's why I left the internet, an went an worked in a another town completely.

Then they called me “paranoid”. It's not paranoia if its really happening to you. They told everyone I had mental issues, tried to have me locked up in a mental ward an that I'm bipolar. When I was actually going through a breast cancer scare an pretty much starving cause I was too exhausted to work. They got away with taking my child away from me because I was too broke & sick to fight them off any longer. All sorts of dirty tricks pulled. An a lot of money lost combating it.

That's how real the internet is. An it's how real a bully is.

I suffer from PSTD from what happened before I was 13, an what happened after my grandmother & dad passed. I've had clinical depression from it. A normal reaction to BULLSHIT. In fact the first time I didn't go along with the program at 21, one of these people who was behind this tried to say I was crazy back then. So, I went to the a shrink. Told him all I had been through up to that point in my life. An that's exactly what he said: Your not crazy. Any normal person would be depressed having gone through what you have. Myself, I'm going back to what it is I do: Art. An I really don't give a rats ass if a few select few who bullied me back then or over the years don't like it. They where the major ones saying “the internet” isn't real. Scared of the technology to begin with. They don't understand it, aren't very good at it or the art of it. They are just running around with phones, thinking they are experts now since everyone uses one. Deep down bullies live in fear an try to push that on to others.

And the internet is competitive enough without having one of these bullies bothering you. Block them. Get a restraining order if you have to.

I am if one more thing happens to me.

Most people doing that won't have an major significance on the internet. They have little in real life. An if they do have some kind of influence, It won't last without them putting in the work I originally was talking about anyway. Few are willing to go the mile it takes to really be a “influencer” or successful on the internet. I had a 51% influencer rate back before I stepped out to deal with these bullies. Don't even waste your time with them. They are nothing but making themselves an obstacle to your success.

Much like that little marketing company did me. They knew a little bit, but not a lot. They knew a one side, but not all of it. Promoting even a small business on here is a lot of work to brand it. To really be successful on it, you have to be on about ten platforms at one time. But if you are an artist, not only do you have to do your art, sell it in real life, run a website, be on ten social sites at once but every art website on it there is.

It's a shit ton of work. It’s not just about Likes.

You don't have time to get side tracked by a bully who's jealous, insecure or doesn't understand what your doing. The art world is pretty competitive to begin with. You really have to stand out to sell art in the first place let alone on the internet. You really have to work the internet to stay alive in real world sales too. You can no longer just sell in the “real world”. You have to be in the “internet world” too. It's becoming “the world”. Just like Gary Vee says, I've said.

You can not rely on one or the other an make it.

Internet sales for artist are growing by 40%. But it's less then 1% of artist who actually make sales on the internet. I am one of those 1% who actually made sales. I've watched a whole art industry (photography) take a nose dive in “real life” because they just didn't have a strong internet presence. They can't compete with the internet photographers. An that was with them having some of the best locations in the “real world”. They are being forced to step up their game, include the internet or get out of the business.


I am a actual successful artist on the internet an in real life.

I'm telling you, I don't even know if I want to put in the effort required to “make it” with the health problems I have going on. I'm tired a lot, but I also don't want to give up because I know what's just around the corner an can be a guide. I'm going to listen to my gut on this, not someone else's who doesn't know what they are talking about. An isn't supportive.
I've been right to many times in the past for me to question it.

My dad made fun of me, few years before he passed because I said I wanted to go into tattoo. Asked me what the hell would I want to do that for? Well because it's an artform an I want my own businesses doing just art for a change. Not all this hassle. He was all, no no no: Whatcha need is to go into publishing. Print. Open us a newspaper.

See?

My dad, thought old school business. An not a lot about art. I was right: years later tattoo exploded. Publishing was/is loosing money. I should have listened to MY GUT. Instead of getting caught up in his approval or not. I'm going to listen to guru's that have been on this thing as long as I have that actually know what they are talking about. Those are the types I've missed. But I would advise you to be cautionary about even that: A lot are self professed guru's that haven't really put in the work. An not really going to teach you all aspects of something you need to know.

Just like there are a lot of self professed photographers running around these days. They've never worked in studio. Don't know sales. Don't understand branding. They haven't invested in software. They aren't good with enhancements. Don't know Photoshop or Lightroom or even much about a camera. Let alone much about the internet. Yet they got a social media account an think they are going to be the next Anne Grddes. It took her decades to build that kind of portfolio & income.

It doesn't happen over night.

You can claim to be whatever you want to, but it’s the real work involved that makes one an expert. Even on the internet, unlike what so many want to believe: You have to put in the work.


I've got so much work out there, I can't even keep track of it anymore. I've worked at companies, I can't even show a quarter of my work. But get this?

A bully will sit around an tell you: You never worked. Don't listen to them.

Art is WORK. Even if you aren’t earning a big paycheck.

It just doesn't feel like work to most of us because we enjoy the work. I've put my share of 18 hour days on it. An that's the other reason I like Gary Vee: suggest if your interested in making a name for yourself, your business or company you listen to him. He's done the work in real life. He gets the internet because he has done it successfully. Most of what he say's can be applied to any business. He's very matter of fact about it. An gets what's going on. But if your not willing to put in the work, or handing it off to someone else you probably won't get very far.

A digital footprint on the internet doesn't last very long. Followers stop following if you have poor marketing. An the likes get less an less if you don’t have a sense of humor. An it really doesn’t work if your marketing to the wrong audience for your business. Or not being authentic. Fake doesn’t fly so well. An things disappear.

Things I worked on 21 years ago, can't be found. Poof gone. Just like in real life, it's hard to get your name out there, let alone remembered. Everyone remembers Nike, but few know the founders full name. Few, remember my dad's: Let alone knew him. Even fewer my Papa's who gave him, then me the last name to begin with. I don't sit around an think up ways to shame it. An I'm pretty sure the people that have the exact same name as me could care less what I’m doing. I really don’t pay them that much attention, nor them me.

My goal, an I'm sure theirs is for it to be found & remembered. We all just kinda go at it differently. For different reasons. They are doing themselves, not me. An I dont sit around telling them they can’t use their own name. It’s just a concedence we have the same name anyway. It’s what each of us chooses to make of our own identies that matters anway.

It's human nature to want people to remember your name while you are alive, an gone. But it's even bigger deal to an artist. Sometimes our name is what sells a piece of art.

We brand it.

Cause we all want to be like Dali. Not only great at the art we do but successful.

So I don't really get in a huff over someone having the same name as mine. Or last name. My name's my name. I can do whatever I want with it. They can do whatever they want with theirs. So no amount of bullying is probably going to stop any one of us from using our names. An if you are, you probably need to rethinking what your doing. People have a right to be who they are. Those 3-4 people with the same name as mine: I don't have any right to go stepping on their toes, any more then they do mine. An wonder why anyone would.

Don't like astrology, don't read her site.
Don't like his book, don't buy another one.
Don't like my art don't buy it, use it or unsubscribe.

Get over the fact I intend to leave a BIG footprint when I leave this world. I wish some would stop asking me or trying to get me to stop being who I really am just because they have a expensive phones. I'm an artist, an it's usually a goal of most artist to leave a footprint before they leave this world. No matter what their gene. I’m not stepping on your little corner of the world. Nor have I. I'm not gonna disappear, just because the bully finally showed up to my world. It's not my fault you didn't get it. You could have had a big asset on your side.

I've had a lot of time to work on building my brand. MY NAME.
An it's what happens with artist. We need our names recognized.

An most don’t care who the other Haynes are if they are looking for a specific one.

Believe it or not I'm doing exactly what I should be. Managing, writing, drawing, painting, photography, programming, branding, media, promotion, sales & the internet. An others serious about it should give Gary Vee a listen. They aren't just “good idea's” They are the right ones to compete into today's market. I'll help brand him cause he knows what he's talking about. An he's gone through the old schoolers call him crazy too.

So what's in a name anyway? Plenty.

It seems okay for some to drag yours through the mud but god forbid you speak up when they do.

Me dad use to say your word –name-- should be is as good as gold.

Mine will be if God gives me enough time on this earth to do all the work I want to do. An that isn't taking away from my father, or my grandfather. An I don't go around asking those that have the same name as mine to shine less so I feel better about myself. If I want people to remember me, I have to work. My name isn’t going to be remembered because of my uncles, fathers, mothers or some stranger I don't know. Mine. This name is the one I was given by my father that most people know me by: I'm sticking with it lol

I've got too much work invested in being me.
I don't have time to be someone else.

Dana Renee Haynes