Portrait painting (or portrait photography) can be a lucrative occupation for working artists, but it's vital that you know your market if you want to earn enough to make ends meet. . . read more
Have you ever found yourself so excited about a topic that you couldn’t fit everything you wanted to say about it into a mere 400 words, let alone a single blog post?
If so, then that’s the perfect time to consider taking that one idea and turning it into a series of blog. . . read more
Even though artists tend to be, by nature, a rather romantic bunch, we often overlook one potentially lucrative market for our work: weddings. . . read more
As artists, we’re used to recycling our original artwork. We scan or photograph our art and use it as images for postcards, greeting cards, posters, framed art, and even licensed products. But have you ever stopped to think about recycling your blog posts?
Between your images and your. . . read more
You've done it - you're landed your first solo art show! Congratulations, that's a real achievement in the career of any artist. Now it's up to you to make sure it's a success. . . read more
If you think your local community doesn’t have much to offer for an artist, you may be missing out on great opportunities to build a following. Your neighbours need artwork to hang on their walls and the local doctor’s office could always be brightened up with a sculpture or. . . read more
Over the past few years, I’ve written a lot about guest posting on blogs. In 2010, I wrote about getting visitors to your blog through guest posts and later wrote a second article on how to more effectively use guest posts.
Then in 2011, I shared some guest posting guidelines, and in. . . read more
One high school summer vacation I worked as a Mobil Holiday Hostess—a fancy name for a gas station attendant in the days before self-serve pumps. The company trained me in a strict sequence of actions designed to make the customer glad to pay for the service. While we pumped gas, we were to. . . read more
If you’re like me, you struggle with writing headlines for your blog posts. It is never easy condensing a 500+ word post into ten short words or less. But it’s something we’re constantly asked to do—and with good reason! Headlines pull readers in.
Headlines are the first. . . read more
My car warned me this week that I have driven 563 miles past the “recommended service check.”
I don’t notice anything wrong with the way it drives, but I believe in preventative maintenance so I’ll take the car in this week. I know nothing about engines or suspension so I leave that. . . read more
With so many art blogs competing for your audience’s attention, it’s very important that you find a way to stand out from the crowd.
Sure, you can always try to win more readers by offering free gifts or fun competitions, but the best way to build your readership (and keep them. . . read more
When it comes to sharing our art, our feelings, and our thoughts online, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. But what happens when that vulnerability is attacked?
How do you deal with mean-spirited people? Do you reply? Do you ignore them? Do you try to justify your position? Do you allow. . . read more
Have you ever felt envious of another artist’s blog?
Maybe it’s because their blog flourished and gained mainstream media attention while yours is struggling to reach 100 visitors a month. Or maybe it’s because they seem to sell a boatload of art from their blog when you. . . read more
Have you ever thought about the number of visitors, or lack thereof, that come directly to your art blog from the search engines? And if so, did you ever stop to consider the importance of those visitors for your art business?
When a person uses a search engine (like Google, or Bing) to look. . . read more