Blogs have really come a long way since they first began as online journals or diaries. Now they’re often used as a means of self-publishing, and are a very practical way of getting information online to reach a large number of people.
Many artists have been successfully blogging for years, whether by writing articles like I do or publishing images of their own artwork on a daily or weekly basis. In fact, I’ve found so many benefits to blogging that if you’re an artist and you don’t have a blog, I believe you’re missing out.
So take a moment and consider these 9 reasons why every artist should have their own art blog. They just might convince you to start an art blog of your own.
1. Having an art blog can increase online art sales
Want to know the main reason why many artists end up blogging? Because internet search engines don’t understand pictures—they only understands words.
That means that if you want to sell your art online and just put up a portfolio site with mostly images of your work, no one will ever find your art through the search engines. But, if start a blog and spend a few hours each week blogging about your art, people will eventually begin to find you through Google and other search engines.
Then just sign up for an online gallery like Imagekind or BoundlessGallery, and you can easily direct visitors to the correct place to buy your art.
Of course, there are many other options, too.
For example, foliotwist (a company I co-founded) offers a blog, portfolio AND PayPal all together on your own website. So there’s no need to send people away from your blog, over to your artwork on another site—everything’s right there.
2. Art blogging will help you grow as an artist.
If you dive into blogging, you’ll soon find yourself interacting and learning from other art bloggers in the ever growing community of art blogs online. By reading other blogs and getting to know other artists bloggers, you‘ll constantly be exposed to art and opinions that you‘d never have come across otherwise.
Personally I’ve met hundreds of other artists through EmptyEasel, which is absolutely incredible. And even though I started EE to help others, I know I’ve gained a lot from doing it as well.
3. Blogging can show your personality to the world.
Your art blog will allow both art buyers and art enthusiasts to connect with you personally, building real friendships as well as potential customers.
People generally like to know the artist behind the art—especially if they enjoy your artwork. Blogging is a fantastic way to not only keep fans up-to-date about your work, but to also let them see the “real” you.
4. You can use your art blog to explain your art.
Blogs are like conversations—and art always benefits from discussion. It’s really a perfect match. With an art blog you can explain your art thoroughly, each piece if you‘d like, in your own words. There’s no limit to how much you can write, or even HOW you should write.
Even if you already have descriptions of your art up on other sites, you probably can’t go in-depth—it’s their space and their format. With your own blog, you’re in complete control, and can even do things like publishing artwork-in-progress articles, showing the step by step creation of your art.
5. You can express your own views through blogging.
If you’ve read things online about art that you disagree with (perhaps even on EE) then starting an art blog is your chance to tell the world how YOU see it.
Your opinion is important, just as mine is, and there’s no reason why one of us should have a blog while the other doesn’t. The internet is a great equalizer, so whether you’re an 18 year old kid making digital art, or a 90 year old grandmother painting in her backyard, a blog can make your voice heard.
6. Blogging will help track your progress as an artist.
If you have trouble starting or finishing paintings then setting a goal to post a new painting each week on your blog may help you stay on track.
Plus, as you paint each day, blogging about your creative process will keep a great record of where you’ve been artistically and where you’re headed in the future.
7. You can teach others through your art blog.
One of the greatest things about the internet is that you can share knowledge instantly, and yet know that others will benefit from it for years and years to come. Artists especially have something that people will ALWAYS want to learn—the ability to paint, or draw, or sculpt, etc.
By having your own art blog it’s extremely easy to share what you know, and to inspire others to become artists as well.
8. With a blog, you can link to other art blogs, like EE.
OK, so this one’s a bit of a stretch—but linking IS a big part of the whole blogging experience. If nothing else, having an art blog will let you enjoy the experience of “link love” when other artist bloggers link to you because they liked your artwork, or because they liked what you had to say.
It truly is a good feeling to know that other people appreciate your ideas or opinions.
And finally, every artist should have their own art blog because:
9. A year from now you’ll wish you’d started one.
If you don’t start blogging now you’ll always wonder what could have been.
And let me tell you, the benefits to art blogging just keep getting better the longer you do it. As the months go on, you’ll gain more readers, more comments from other artists, and possibly more sales of your own artwork—but if you never start, none of that will take place.
So. . .what are you waiting for? Get an art blog going today! If you have absolutely no idea where to start and want a free, easy solution, I’d recommend WordPress.com.
This post may contain affiliate links.