An internet presence - A waste of time?

11 October 2008

An internet presence - A waste of time?

Posted by Charles Olsen on 9 December 2007 at 12:12am in Discussions

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 ;-)

Tags: internet, promotion, myspace, marketing, website, self

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Howard on 6 February 2008 at 1:42pm: All I can say is that there are a lot of artists out there - some good, some OK and some bad. But for most of us (the one in a thousand who cannot make a living from art) we have been beavering away at this mad art obsession for years. The online presence at least allows the dirty linen to be aired. At times the comments have been good and the education even better, but all in all I wonder where it is all heading. Really the Internet is just like physical world - some will do well from the new medium and others will achieve very little.
As for myself, I will give it a go - although, I would much prefer my art was more popular than my web profile.
Also, am I imagining things - there seems to be an exponential growth of artists in the last ten years.
Maybe everyone will have a web presence at birth in the future - a sort of personal IP address that's printed into your forehead, and categorized as artist, dentist, bricklayer etc. - or maybe, we will all be just artists, and only the epsilons will do the menial work.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Giulio Baistrocchi on 6 February 2008 at 5:24pm: 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; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pammm on 9 March 2008 at 3:52am: The internet is my life fuel at this point in my life. I'm not sure if this is bad or good... but my work keeps getting better or richer or deeper or whatever one calls it. I know for a fact that I would not be where I am today in my studio if it wasn't from the feedback I get online. People, all kinds of people, like (get something positive from)my art.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by artgenerator >> Werner Klompen on 6 February 2008 at 4:38pm: For sure .
But real contact en feelings must be a important thing .So , activity of art needs space .Not only on the web .Buildings and open space can be multi-functional .
Because nurds and a good link can not be the through thing .Making a own exposition is a possibility or a group to share .The people that are no artist ,have no gallerie or no job in the art-world , seems to be outsiders .Now , in this time is art a big issue (hype) and there is a lot of good art .It goes verry good in the art-world .And here in Holland ; art like's a own society that looks around at each other .Fear for the public opion ?
That's why here on the moment are starting many free space's , to let art-people come out wich are not settled .When there is a bottom there is a top .
The life of a origanal artist with vision is mostly strugle .The statement of work can be so a contradistinction to fit in the picture .
On the web are enough people that enjoy art work . That's cool .It's good that there is choice .
And qaulity say's not how much enjoy .It can be only a few that have a wauwie feeling .And even than it's important .Arty greatzzzz...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by artgenerator >> Werner Klompen on 10 February 2008 at 2:53am: 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; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Giulio Baistrocchi on 6 February 2008 at 4:58pm: Esdalevideo, had already solo and group show i even quite successful for a desert like udine my aim with internei is to have a more international exposure, especially because lived in london and would like go there more often. Here i sell quite a lot but need gallery representation because i m very bad to sell my work, maybe my lack of sucess on internet is due my incapacity to promote myself . I have an agent on real life maybe i should have the same on internet. Maybe it is only my fault , i m gonnave alook on the site you sent me but very slow
thanks
giulio; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Philip Noyed on 9 February 2008 at 6:12am: 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!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by DOGITAL on 14 February 2008 at 8:23am: see my comments on manage a trois discussion on same topic :-); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by DOGITAL on 14 February 2008 at 8:27am: I recently promoted an event on facebook

http://www.goldfactory.org.uk

it was well attended - facebook helped but it was local network of people who knew each other first - social networking can reinforce that but I doubt it can create....

international contact is very hit and miss like a lottery and there that problem of trust - does artist exist is work real...understandable .....etc etc

for excellent art debate go to

http://www.sharkforum.org

chicago art blog.....one of the best in my opinion; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by artgenerator >> Werner Klompen on 14 February 2008 at 3:13pm: 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; ▶ Reply to This