Reviews
An internet presence - A waste of time?
I'm loosing count of the number of profiles I've set up on the internet in the past year... maybe about 14... Artfind.co.nz, CreativeNZ, Fuel4arts, Dripbook, Virb, Facebook, Artelista, Issuu, WOW, IntrusiveArt, AniOman, Saatchi... That's not including the multiple profiles on Myspace. Is it a good thing I'm doing to promote my paintings? Or is it just one big bout of procrastination when I would be better off unplugging the computer and focussing on the paint, the canvas, the brushes? At least it becomes easier each time as I have images ready-prepared...
I've never sold a painting through the internet (tempting fate there) but occassionally I've met people who knew my work from seeing it online. It is a form of publicity which is out there for anyone to stumble across and you never know when chance will strike. But maybe I'm not using the internet in the best way? Or maybe the digital image is not the best way to show paintings?
Where are all the artists on the internet? I remember asking myself that when I first opened a Myspace page just over a year ago. It seemed it was all about bands and scoring dates and when I came across another artist it was like an exciting discovery. There were other sites which you had to pay for and they were full of artists chasing the dream of selling work but I was pretty skint and didn't want to fork out on a site that could probably live off the income from the artists and not worry too much about promoting me as an individual. So I jumped into the messy community of Myspace head first. I think it is because it is such a jumble of tacky images, glittery text, layout codes to make the techies ill... it's like a poor suburb with seedy backstreets, music blasting from every window, not a safe place to walk alone, you have your cheap flat and there is a great mixture of cultures, immigrants from the world over, you write with someone and she mentions a gallery you want to see and so you arrange to meet at the entrance to the underground station and she turns out to be someone different from the photo, even a different name, but she is involved with art... I think this is why it is attractive to artists. It's not about separating yourself from the rest - of being in a gallery or art magazine or website - but of being in there with everyone else. Everyone has a chance to show who they are and what they do and to share it with people who may never enter a gallery and the audience is potentially huge. It's not surprising that at least four of the finalists in the first Saatchi Showdown are active on Myspace.
An immigrant myself to Madrid, I guess that was in part the motivation to seek out other artists in Spain and I decided to create a webpage to gather artists together: Artistas de España. Luckily Spain has been slower than the UK in taking to Myspace so I was starting with something manageable. And now I have over 100 artists from all over the country and am starting to apply for funding for projects for everyone to get involved in and getting offers of help from the artists involved. Today I received a message from one of the artists, "Un hombre que viene de nueva zelanda se mueve más que cien españoles" (A man from New Zealand gets more done than a hundred Spanish!) I did it for free and have spent many hours on it and sometimes wonder if it is worth it all and that motivates me to make something of it. It's not unique - there are other artists collectives who have formed through myspace and there are individuals who have initiated participatory projects in their page. But there is a sense in which it is something untried, unstable, unchecked...
I like to think that the internet can be used as a creative tool, not just for promoting work but for initiating new work; for stimulating creativity. It's not just about showing what you do. The internet should be a place where you can feel at home, walk about in your underpants, pop down the pub with a friend and discuss the day to day things. We have to get away from marketing, and away from hoping to get noticed, and turn it into a tool for our own creativity.
So I guess well over half the sites I'm on have failed in this respect; in that they are just about having a presence and showing work. They are not about creativity. But we learn as we go along, no? I'd be interested in your reactions and ideas ;-)
I've never sold a painting through the internet (tempting fate there) but occassionally I've met people who knew my work from seeing it online. It is a form of publicity which is out there for anyone to stumble across and you never know when chance will strike. But maybe I'm not using the internet in the best way? Or maybe the digital image is not the best way to show paintings?
Where are all the artists on the internet? I remember asking myself that when I first opened a Myspace page just over a year ago. It seemed it was all about bands and scoring dates and when I came across another artist it was like an exciting discovery. There were other sites which you had to pay for and they were full of artists chasing the dream of selling work but I was pretty skint and didn't want to fork out on a site that could probably live off the income from the artists and not worry too much about promoting me as an individual. So I jumped into the messy community of Myspace head first. I think it is because it is such a jumble of tacky images, glittery text, layout codes to make the techies ill... it's like a poor suburb with seedy backstreets, music blasting from every window, not a safe place to walk alone, you have your cheap flat and there is a great mixture of cultures, immigrants from the world over, you write with someone and she mentions a gallery you want to see and so you arrange to meet at the entrance to the underground station and she turns out to be someone different from the photo, even a different name, but she is involved with art... I think this is why it is attractive to artists. It's not about separating yourself from the rest - of being in a gallery or art magazine or website - but of being in there with everyone else. Everyone has a chance to show who they are and what they do and to share it with people who may never enter a gallery and the audience is potentially huge. It's not surprising that at least four of the finalists in the first Saatchi Showdown are active on Myspace.
An immigrant myself to Madrid, I guess that was in part the motivation to seek out other artists in Spain and I decided to create a webpage to gather artists together: Artistas de España. Luckily Spain has been slower than the UK in taking to Myspace so I was starting with something manageable. And now I have over 100 artists from all over the country and am starting to apply for funding for projects for everyone to get involved in and getting offers of help from the artists involved. Today I received a message from one of the artists, "Un hombre que viene de nueva zelanda se mueve más que cien españoles" (A man from New Zealand gets more done than a hundred Spanish!) I did it for free and have spent many hours on it and sometimes wonder if it is worth it all and that motivates me to make something of it. It's not unique - there are other artists collectives who have formed through myspace and there are individuals who have initiated participatory projects in their page. But there is a sense in which it is something untried, unstable, unchecked...
I like to think that the internet can be used as a creative tool, not just for promoting work but for initiating new work; for stimulating creativity. It's not just about showing what you do. The internet should be a place where you can feel at home, walk about in your underpants, pop down the pub with a friend and discuss the day to day things. We have to get away from marketing, and away from hoping to get noticed, and turn it into a tool for our own creativity.
So I guess well over half the sites I'm on have failed in this respect; in that they are just about having a presence and showing work. They are not about creativity. But we learn as we go along, no? I'd be interested in your reactions and ideas ;-)
Tags: internet, promotion, marketing, myspace, self, website
Replies to This Reviews
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Permalink Reply by Giulio Baistrocchi on -
Yes i agree with u Robert ,too many artist. The reason why idid not wanted to be an artist, i thought it was better not to be a mediocre artist. Thought about being a diplomat like my granfather father uncle cousins, it would have been easier, knowing languages and environment . Tried to stop doing art at all but it came out so strongly that could not avoid it. So instead of a bad rich dipomat i will be a mediocre artist. went to study at middlessex uni london, and the tutors were very bad, found the quality of teaching in england very bad, and realised in that very uni that even if i m medocre, very bad artistist can make it with good managerial skills. There i realised that i got something to say, maybe not so interresting to many,but will persevere and from lacking confidence at all things are devellopping as my confi dence is.can only give my little experience, sorry to talk about myself
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Permalink Reply by Philip Noyed on -
Hello Charles,
Thank you for your nice reflection on the importance of web sites to artists and nice work on the Artistas de Espana web site. I have had an art web site for a few years now. It is fascinating to view the international interest in contemporary art by viewing where people are coming from to see my web site. At the same time, it's a bit like having work in an art fair. Many people passing by and taking a look, but not much in terms of engagement.
I participated in two Saatchi showdowns and found it fascinating to figure out what was driving some works up in popularity. The criteria of what was worth 10 stars was all wrong in my opinion. I never thought of the MySpace Connection. So, perhaps it was good for exposure, but who knows?
I have to admit that I am enjoying watching this Art Review web site roll out and being able to see what other artists are doing and thinking.
Best of luck with your work and your online adventures!
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Permalink Reply by artgenerator >> Werner Klompen on -
It's beautiful thing , that you whright that , Art is so amazing when it connect people .
I'm just at home from a interactive expo . Where you can see that most are repeated actions ,they came from people that are not artist , but the tension is there .
And i wonder that some city's can get so many people on the legs to see art .
Art is there a great happening what has his space in planning whith the society .
Greatzzz ... & thx Werner
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Permalink Reply by artgenerator >> Werner Klompen on
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Yes i understand we artist are mostly in a difficult position .
We are working to put great work in the world , even with problems .
So art can not alway's be simpel or just concept .Shit happens art two .
Than there is the world of big printers , machine's and computers that in my opion has "NO" spirit . And spirit make's work different , like we people are different .The time spirit let see all those differents .Than i know that it seem so miracle thing that so much work seems to be the same ?Maybe because that what is learn , getting repaet and again and again .But art is in evolution and the artist has progress his work .
The human source of the hart , feelings and thinking needs a way to expres .
All those reason's behind this issue has his cause in controlling , have grip on art .
Because it's a changeable living movement .It's like speech , discourse ,sense is the way to get art in you ?
Arty greatzzz.......... artgenerator
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Permalink Reply by Giulio Baistrocchi on
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i think the problem is there should be balance between 3 people the artist, the businessman and the actual person, this it is not easy, because it creates a certain schyzofrenia
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Permalink Reply by artgenerator >> Werner Klompen on
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Hello Giulio Baistrocchi first thanks
When tou read my artcile where you have give a answer on you have read to control .art is information , it's like spoken words with deeper sense .
You can see it in the past .Art is used or burned . And in Irak you only could paint saddam hussein in his regiem .So you see art has freedom in it .
That for me important to have my freedom in making art .
But i understand that we need more art-lovers .It;s give live a up feeling in together being on motherschip-earth and a understanding in be or feel different or other happits culture food music and so on
We must keep moving on Giuillo Baistrochi When you come to The Netherland let me know greatzzz..... artgenerator
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Permalink Reply by artgenerator >> Werner Klompen on
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How much a art-work can stand for something ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Iraq_header_2.jpg
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Permalink Reply by Nicholas Forrest - artmarketblog.com on
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I think that all the online publicity will help any artist without a doubt but there has to be a balance between promotion and artistic practice. It can be very tempting to spend all your time getting attention but if your work does not live up to the expectations then all the attention you are getting is worthless. Quality before quantity I say!!!
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Permalink Reply by Benny Droscher on -
well spoken. Online attention can only be a vague substitute for the real work. I haven't heard about anyone so far that have succeded in making a career out of networking online. Back to the studio guys and let your works do the most of the talking for you!
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Permalink Reply by artgenerator >> Werner Klompen on
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Yeh sure artist are no machine's .But the issue is more what is quality ?
If there is quality and quanity together is that no problem . Just a hard working artist .
We humans have a simulaire feeling system and that means that our feelings mostly can enjoy from the same taste . So that there is not much differents but the influence of where , what , how.... makes the most different's.
For me as artist i am critical at my own work , own sense in my work .And that's alway's a big matter and time of looking .The contact with my work .So i am the first one that overpaint it , say it's not ready or distroy's it , when like it.But sometimes i think that people make a fealure with technics and being quality .And think that it is the same .A photo is a technical thing but there must be more than that to give quality in the art sense . greatzzz.... artgenerator
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Permalink Reply by joe kelly on -
hear hear dude......i have the opposite problem. I'm not saying that my work has or is quality but I haven't done any marketing online or otherwise...indeed, it has relatively recently provoked me into more action......for too long I have shied away from exposure as I didn't consider my work worthy of critical consumption. in fact, the internet is only really a stepping stone to developing thicker skin....i guess it's easier to take critical analysis online rather than face to face.......needless to say, the internet is useful but ultimately limited, i will still remain a hermit, chained to proverbial studio sink but at least some of my work has now been seen......any opinions greatly appreciated........perhaps its down to the fact that I work exclusively with junk/recycled materials that I have always assumed it is worthless.....maybe it starts out as worthless and is imbued with some sort of worth due to my intervention/craftiness,dunno....I have been called the Fairy Godfather of Junk.......although i prefer Junkelstiltskin....but I'll take that, as I'm a big fan of James Brown, anyway, I recently worked on a piece at GoldFactory,Nottm, check out the slideshow on the GF website....all the best, joe
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Permalink Reply by Laura Z on -
The sad truth is, we are artists, but we must make a living. I have many, many pieces in a storage closet while I make a paltry living as an english tutor. We can't wait until we're dead...I refer to my art as it is now as life insurance... We are only human. We have productive periods, and what I know as depressive episodes... Somewhere in between is the need to make money, to eat. Sad as it is, it's the truth. I can promote my art any time; when I am creating it, I am anywhere, everywhere, though nowhere is a better description. I am in the ether then, far from any website or promotional outlet. In the meantime, while I struggle to earn a living, and have little time to create WORTHY art I will promote what I have already done.
Good art speaks for itself, but it still needs to be seen, online or otherwise... I have a son, so I don't intend to wait until I'm dead.
Laura Z
