Artwork Is Content: It Is The Mother Of All Kings.

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.

---