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Too many times we feel defeated when trying to sell art and compete with the all the other amazing artists in the world. Well, I hope that I can provide you a few tips that will help you and give you the upper hand advantage.

It seems that my career has gone from Art to Technology and back to Art. It goes in this cycle quite a bit. One thing I can tell you is that technology rules and it is taking over so you really need to get on the bandwagon. If you feel like you are not computer savy, then learn and learn quick. The internet can provide a wealth of information and even help you sell your art. There are tons of services online to help you market and I will talk about those in a minute, but first you must understand technology.

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Pod Casts, the wave of the future. We are reaching a technological age where anything and everything is broadcast over the internet. From sites like YouTube, MySPace, Blogger, and Odeo.com can make you famous in your private digital world. Digital information is passed through the internet like a chain letter with no end. In some ways it is frightening because you can never see who is receiving on the other end, but it can also be exciting because there are limitless ways to share your world with someone else. Pod Casts have become extremely advanced and will only get better. Ipods and other electronic devices can practically download and play anything these days. If you are looking to expand your business, market a new product, advertise a new website, or just communicate with friends and family, there are literally more than a dozen choices to pick from.

Podcasts are an excellent way to get started. They give your product, name or service a personalized voice that people can trust. Rather than just reading text on a page or seeing the product, your customers get a personalized introduction. Radio advertising is one of the most effective types of advertising because of how personal it can be, so why not start your own Podcast and let the world know who you are.

Odeo.com is a great resource for starting your own Podcast. It is free to sign up and takes less than two minutes to sign up. All you have to provide is a name, email and password.

Clickwhell.net is another great service. This site deals more with comics, but it easily creates great video podcasts. You can create comics or stories about anything, upload them and broadcast your content to the world.

There are tons of great services out there to help advertise your art so take the time to search around and find something you really feel comfortable with. Many services are free, but do have an advanced paid service, which give you all the upgraded features. If you are looking to do anything long term and want to look professional. The upgrades are well worth the price.

“Find buyers for your art by blogging online!”

Being an Artist takes professionalism
Many artists just getting started may hear things like, “starving artist” or “all artist do drugs”. These are typical stereotypes just like any other group or culture may experience. Being a professional fine artist is much like running a business. You can’t just go out and paint every day and expect to somehow magically get recognized. It takes effort, willpower and self motivation to make money in the arts.

We all get a bad wrap…
Artist generally get a bad wrap because of art history and the carefree perspective that many have on life. The truth is, many people just don’t understand artists and their way of life. Some people don’t care to understand, which is just ignorant. The sad thing is that on average the common person walks away from things they don’t understand due to personal fear and trying to, “not look stupid.” Other than the common things like death and taxes I live a relatively carefree life. Why? Not because I lack motivation or did drugs, but because art is the most relaxing and stress free
thing anyone could ever do. I paint to be happy and de-stress. Most non-artists can not comprehend or associate this
feeling.

Don’t be a “Starving Artist!”
What I see most commonly happen is an artist wants to open up their own gallery. They spend days and months preparing work only to give it away as gifts. Before they know it half of their work is gone and what they have left is sold for half the price they wanted to sell it. Don’t get in the habit of just giving away your art. Take more pride in what you do and don’t sell yourself short. Don’t be overly harsh about giving away work either. If Grandma Rose is in the hospital and needs a little cheering up, give her a painting, no problem. Giving away paintings to friends and family at Christmas is definitely a way to loose business. The problem is that you create an image for yourself when you give work away for free. Do you ever see major art galleries giving away work or advertising sales? That’s right, NO! So why should you!

Make Yourself Known
Don’t stand around and wait for someone to pick you out of the crowd because it will never happen. With the ease of the internet today anyone can virtually become a celeberty if they want to be. So why not become a famous artist online that everyone talks about? YOU can make this happen! Once people begin to know you and your work, you may be able to host an event or show offline. You will be surprised at how many people show up. If you don’t know much about computers or the internet don’t worry because many artists don’t. Alot of people hire their local computer nerd to put together a simple site. Now days you don’t even need to build your own website because their are companies that provide website templates and free online portfolios. Seriously, just go to Google.com and type in, “Free Online Portfolios” you will find tons of awesome software and online services that provide “Free Online Portfolios”.

Blog Your Brains Out!
By now if you haven’t heard of blogging you better get a time machine and come to 2006. It is one of the biggest online trends of the century and everyone is doing it. Even business owners, celebrities and grandma blog, so you should to. It’s easy and free! There are tons of blogging services that have different features so check around. I use “Blogger” to host this blog and it is good if you know a little HTML. If not, there are plenty others. Check this link to find a blog. Once you have your blog up and running you can upload photos and send the links to all your family, friends and clients. Many blog services have included many other features that allow others to get regular updates of your postings so once you start, don’t give up because you will lose your potential market. Every blog service has tutorials on how to set up your blog account, so even if you know nothing know, you will soon!

5 Steps to “Making Yourself Known”

1. Get your head on straight and stop making excuses. Don’t be a starving artist!
2. Find an easy-to-use online portfolio and start uploading your work.
3. Create a blog, like the one you are reading here and upload images, descriptions of your work and a bio about you.
4. Create a nice looking professional sounding email to all your friends and family about your new online portfolios and blogg. In the email, include a link to the site(s) with your work. Let them know to feel
   free to forward the email to any of their friends if they want to share your artwork.
   
5. Wait for the response!

I hope you have gotten something good out of this article, so good luck and let me know how you do!