With social media being part of our daily lives, it’s easy to get caught up in the marketing questions of creative work.
What is the best way to advertise my new class (that I haven’t even produced yet)? Where should I sell my prints online? How can I get a gallery show? So-and-so has a bazillion followers – how can I get noticed on Twitter?
I’ve been reading Lisa Congdon‘s helpful new book Art, Inc. where she outlines practical tips for becoming a working artist. I’ve been bookmarking lots of pages about art licensing and editorial and commercial illustration. I’m almost finished with the book now and the process of reading it and thinking about all of the information has led me to one revelation.
I’m not ready.
Now is not the time for me to research agents or pitch my work. I need to take off my marketing hat (which sometimes I have to try REALLY hard to pry off my head) and put it on the shelf while I truly focus on doing the work and becoming a better artist.
Right now I’m searching for my artistic style. I jump from lettering, to thick layered paint swatches applied with a palette knife, to stark, geometric shapes, to abstract paintings bordering on modern botanical/floral designs. It’s fun…but frustrating. I just want to find what really feels like “me.”