Years ago, having a website and a yahoo group was plenty to stay in touch with hobbyists about the goings on of the studio. Today we also have Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Etsy, and now Pinterest.
Pinterest has raised several questions due to their policies and the poster being responsible for their content. Art Biz Blog has a post about this. Almost makes you want to delete all your boards. On the other hand, it can be a very useful tool. Lesli Kathman has many boards organizing colors which are invaluable to the artist. I love to peruse others boards for inspiration. The idea of Pinterest is that you pin pictures from the web of things you like and organize them on to boards. It is full of recipes, crafts, home ideas, and all sorts of fun things, in addition to horses. Click here to go to Pinterest. You have to be invited to join, but it's easy.
Facebook has been around a little longer. They continue to change their settings, which many users find annoying. Their recent release, the timeline, shows your photos larger than before on the main page, which I like. When you are showcasing your work through photographs, larger is better. On the other hand, it is a bit more cluttered looking than the old version. I have gone ahead and adopted the new look. I like Facebook for its ease of use. It is possible to have a page for your studio separate from your personal page. This really appeals to me as I can post fun horse pictures, updates, and other hobby related items quickly and easily. This is a great way to stay in touch with the goings on here at Feldman Studio. Click here to go to Facebook.
Twitter is popular with many for quick updates, but I find it redundant with Facebook for my purposes. I use it more for my CPA related endeavors, but I do have an account. If you'd like to follow me on Twitter, my user ID is feldmanstudio. Click here to go to Twitter. Some artists use it more than others, so you may find you like it for a quick way to stay in touch.
Blogs are one of the biggest improvements to the hobby technologically-wise in my opinion. I love reading other people's blogs and check daily to see what's new. I keep a list of my favorite blogs (so far) on the side of my blog here. I use my blog as a gateway to other blogs. I have them arranged so that the newest postings show up at the top of the list. Blogs can be anything the poster wants them to be: helpful hints, sneak peeks, words of wisdom, photo journals, you name it! I hope you are finding this blog interesting and come back on a regular basis. And don't forget to check out my favorite blogs also.
Etsy is a sales venue for hand-crafted items and supplies. I opened an account there and have my DVDs listed, though it is just as easy to purchase them directly through my website. Etsy is fun because you can save your favorite items and sellers. There are lots of fun items and you are supporting artisans, which is great in and of itself. I did a great deal of Christmas shopping on Etsy this year. Click here to go to Etsy. I think Etsy will be a great venue to offer cast medallions and hand-crafted props if I ever get around to it. Sarah Minkiewicz offers her handmade tiles, magnets and other goodies on Etsy, too.
Yahoo Groups have not disappeared, as they still provide a convenient way to connect with others. I use mine as an announcement venue, as it will deliver emails directly to your inbox if you so choose. You can also select to not receive emails, and go to the website to view messages instead. I tend to post the same information in several places across these different platforms, as everyone has their preferences of how they like to receive that information. Click here to go to my Yahoo group. I always post sales here, as well as lengthier studio updates to my yahoo group. Members can also post their own sales of Feldman Studio models, as well as show reports, questions, or anything else pertinent.
Websites are still a very important venue for the artist. This is where we primarily showcase our work. Websites are not as easy to update as a Blog, or as easy to reach out as Twitter and Facebook, but they can be designed to your heart's content with any and all the content you wish. It is truly a reflection on the artist's studio. Click here to go to the Feldman Studio website. I also have a shopping cart on my website, so that you can order instructional DVDs directly through my website. I would be interested to hear comments with likes, dislikes and would-like-to-sees on my website.
Which venues do you use most? What are some of the pros and cons you see? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Another venue that I have not seen used by model horse artists is Artfire.com. I use it to sell my stained glass artwork. I have found it easy to use and the owners of the website do a good job of marketing Artfire so the traffic to the website is good. I just wanted to pass on the information about Artfire for the artists out there looking to sell their artwork.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tip! I'm sure there are many equine artists who would be interested in promoting their work in non-hobby forums.
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