Professional Artist Websites - Career Advice for Artists: 8 Common Mistakes & How To Fix Them (6/8)
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- Опубліковано 18 тра 2024
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🌟 Overview: Career Advice for Artists
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🍿 Watch Next (Key Videos for Artists)
→ Self-Taught Success: • 6 Steps To Success as ...
→ How To Make Money as an Artist: • 20 Ways: How To Make M...
→ Develop Your Art Style: • How To Develop A Consi...
→ The Art World Explained: • Explained: What is the...
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✏️ Recommended Tools & Ressources:
→ Squarespace for artist websites: squarespace.syuh.net/9W4rDY
→ Artenda for art opportunities: artenda.net
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ℹ️ About CAI:
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👨 About the host Julien Delagrange:
Julien Delagrange is an art historian, contemporary artist, and the founder and director of CAI. Delagrange studied Science of Arts at Ghent University, Belgium, and worked for the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) in Brussels, the Jan Vercruysse Foundation, the Ghent University Library, and has contributed to the international contemporary art scene as an art critic, lecturer, curator, gallery director, consultant, advisor, and as an artist. As an artist, he is represented by Galerie Sabine Bayasli in Paris, France, and Gallery Space60 in Antwerp, Belgium.
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→ To empower artists by providing adequate and industry-approved advice for artists for long-term success in the highest realms of the art world, sharing inside information and proven strategies based on real-life experiences in the art world.
→ To contribute to the online canonization of recent art history, having its finger at the pulse of contemporary art.
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Table of contents:
00:00 - Web series Introduction: 8 Crucial Career Advice Videos
00:20 - Video Introduction: How To Create A Professional Artist Website
01:00 - Major Career Mistake 6: Unprofessional Artist Websites
02:10 - MUST-AVOID on your Artist Website
03:59 - MUST-HAVE on your Artist Website
08:17 - Where To Discover More Information
09:49 - Outro
Dear readers and viewers, we have a more recent and extensive take on this topic, including a step-by-step tutorial. Feel free to watch the video here: ua-cam.com/video/2MfKKDw_WAA/v-deo.html
Chat soon!
Julien, I have an MA in Advertising, Branding and Communication. Do you think that is relevant to put in my CV?
Hello again. After watching this video, I completely redesigned my website to reflect your recommendations. I've subscribed to many channels that discuss art. Yours has been the most helpful. Thank you.
I've just done the same 😉Thank you, Tim, for consolidating and articulating my own observations regarding professional artist websites. Unfortunately, my art school did not provide adequate guidance on many of the topics you discuss on this invaluable channel. Your expertise is greatly appreciated.
This advice may make sense if your goal as an artist is to be represented by a traditional gallery that sells work at premium prices to wealthy collectors. But that's only one of many ways to make a living as an artist, and only a lucky few artists end up being represented by such galleries. There are many artists who make a comfortable living selling their work directly, especially online. (We are starting to see this with authors as well - some very well-known authors have chosen to self-publish new works instead of going through publishing houses.)
Dear Alison, first, thank you for tuning. And thank you for taking the time to write this comment, and yes, you are absolutely right. There are numerous artists who represent themselves and earn a comfortable living by doing so. Everyone needs to decide for themselves in which 'art world' they feel most comfortable. We are active in the gallery circuit and also believe that this is the way to go, not only to make a living in the long term, but also to succeed as an artist, meaning you actively participate in contemporary art history, and your works might even be canonized forever. Great comment, interesting debate, thank you! Have a great day.
The small problem with marketing one's work is the time it takes to do so but there is the benefit of direct appreciation.
I find it disappointing that a supposedly creative sector is so full of rigidly applied rules… Why is the art world so incredibly archaic ?
Because the art world has always been archaic. Your question often comes from crafters who confuse serious art with craftshmanship
Gallery visits are down 60-70% worldwide. They'll have to reassess their worldview eventually. They're putting on a brave face but the modern world is making them redundant fast.
It's not archaic. Only people who are not [lazy] artists, collectors/patrons, curators and other art "world" insider would think the art world is archaic. Art is a freakin professional, serious and competitive industry. It's not a game or fantasy period movie. Art is one the most lucrative investment commodities. Serious professional artists are expected to have professional CV's, bios and websites too. There's nothing archaic about artists keeping up with the 21st century marketing and technologies.
I spent my life in music industry and print publishing The perfect packages we had to make to pitch our projects, the strict "rules" on songwritng-how long to get to the bridge, structure of the song, length of intros, copyright, and in print publishing, story structure, editing, character arcs, etc etc etc, then after it's all done, you have to PITCH it to their exact rules! The sad truth is, the business end of art is serious and you either have to hire someone to do it for you if you're rich, or learn to do it yourself if you're poor. The fact that professional musicians, artists and writers take this part seriously shows insiders how they respect the industry. Behind every successful writer, artist or musician is a boatload of this business stuff they have zero love for. They only have love for the artistic side, but those who don't learn this other stuff add a bigger chance of failure to themselves by looking unprofessional.
The artist’s website is a utility basically. It’s function is to provide the right info in the most streamlined fashion. Although it seems counter intuitive as being uncreative, it is designed to meet the buyer, curator, gallery owner, media person where they are.
Hi Tim, you are absolutely right. Thank you for putting this so well into words.
I'm not sure about the advice of not listing prices of artwork unless it's at a very high price point. As a potential buyer, I find it frustrating when I don't have an idea of the general range of pricing for a particular artist. When prices aren't listed, I have the impression they are likely too high for me. Therefore, I usually don't bother emailing to enquire. In most cases, I personally like the transparency of listing the prices. I have seen some reputable galleries list their prices and it honestly saves me the effort of sending out multiple emails.
Hi Kristina, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. This is why the artist's resume is so important-it communicates the level (and thus price range) of the artist in question. If you just see a hand full of shows at some unknown venues, you can easily predict the almost standard lower price range. If you see some big galleries or institutional exhibitions, then prices will be a lot higher. Another great way to find a price range is via Artsy.net to find the prices from their galleries, as you mentioned. If they are not represented yet, then the prices will be rather low as well.
If I included videos with my dog on my artist website, would that be professional?
I know that the “art world” has its unwritten upperclass rules. But I find most professional artist websites to be so frustrating and banal.
I genuinely appreciate those rebellious artists that present a bit of their values and personality.
It can be a personal touch to include your dog ;-) Yes, there is truth in your statement. But I believe the website is simply not the place for artists to share their rebelliousness. Thank you for tuning in!
A video of your dog on your professional artist website is no different than a video of a baby walking for the first time on a Exxon's website. Cute, but why??? And who give a crap? Being a rebellious artist is not including random videos of you with your dog unless your using your dog as a paint brush.
Hi CAI, thanks for the useful description. I have a question, you mentioned that on the Website you have to show only your very best work. What about Instagram? Do we need to apply the same rules as for the Website? Or can we freely show everything of our collection? Are there specific "Instagram" rules, as for the Website? Thanks in advance for your answer.
Thank you for more great advice. I always look forward to your videos.
The pleasure is all mine, thank you for following this video series!
Really enjoy your insight.
Thank you so much!
THANK YOU for this solid advice. I am inspired to put it to use .
That's great to hear, go for it!
Thank you! Perfect video
The pleasure is all mine! Thank you for tuning in
Nice advice, thank you.
The pleasure is all mine, thank you for tuning in!
Thank you so much...Very important advice....
The pleasure is all mine!
Excellent advice. Thank you.
The pleasure is all mine, thank you for tuning in!
Thank you!
The pleasure is all mine!
Obrigado também por manter este espaço de conversas sobre Arte.
Thanks Vicente!
thanks for the help take care
The pleasure is all mine! Have a great day
An artist needs to put their personality and artistic style into the website. Conforming to the status quo is being uncreative. Some basic external structure as mentioned can be followed. But being yourself is the most important thing. Also several artists have repeated artworks with slight modifications and changes over the time. Revisiting an artwork is not a crime.
Hi there, thank you for tuning in. Be yourself when it comes to creating work, but creating a website can be kept simple. If you would incorporate your artistic style into your website, it can quickly become a bit tacky or feel unprofessional. Be creative when it comes to being an artist
Thanks for the tips. Just one remark/question: writing about oneself at the third person does not only sound weird but also very infatuated. I always roll my eyes when I see people writing about themselves - often with emphase - at the 3rd person, because the artist is obviously the one who wrote these words. Comments?
Very good point, it needs to be done subtly. Even more, I believe if you don't have a text by an art critic, maybe it could be better not to write anything at all. The artist resume is a must-have, however, an 'about-text' or online artist statement is not. Thank you for tuning in!
I agree.
Completely agree. You need to come across as a human and show your personality as this is a big reason to buy your work
Thank you
The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for tuning in!
Thanks so much, your videos are all absolutely amazing and a great help for each step!! I would question you, who is a multidisciplinary artist how should be her/his website? for example, I am a writer and poet with publishing books at the same time a researcher with a Ph.D. in the history of art! I have photography projects too! but an emerging artist in painting! so shall I put all my personal potential in various fields? or just concentrate on my painting with no sign of another camp as a literature project or photographs to demonstrate a professional simple website?
Great advice. I love these videos. Next step- new website
Thank you so much. Go for it!
Merci, CAI, d'aborder si richement ce sujet intemporel.
Les galeristes et les artistes travaillent, virtuellement ou en personne, pour l'accès des gens aux arts, mais ils ne sont pas rémunérés comme les musées. Regarder l'art fait à une époque lointaine apporte autant d'avantages que l'art fait aujourd'hui et sa recherche pour l'avenir.
Merci Vicente!
Thanks so much for this series, it's been very enjoyable/helpful.
I'm a photographer rather than a painter/sculptor and I was curious about the best way to show 'selected works' in the case of photography. In terms of the metadata for a work, for instance, the size is variable and not fixed like a painting. When printed, the medium would generally be 'silver gelatin' but the work as displayed is not usually a print yet. Also, I take photographs in a variety of genres, such as landscape, documentary, etc. Is it best to separate them into categories/projects on the web site or lump them together into one 'selected works' page? It seems like most fine art photographer web sites I see do the former.
Dear Andrew, the pleasure is all mine. When it comes to the metadata, mention the title, year of production, print technique, dimensions, the edition and how many artist proofs. When it comes to organizing them, categorizing is a great option. Doing so, the website visitor will experience your works as more coherent and less 'random'.
@@contemporaryartissue Thank you!
Hi, we're all very lucky for following your channel and such good tips.
Would you recommend a Art Reel in a portfolios? And if yes, should it have various paintings, or only the best ones?
Thanks for your time
Hi there, thank you for tuning in. I'll be sharing another video on artist websites tomorrow so feel free to stay tuned for a more extensive take on the matter and a tutorial. Concerning your question, I would not include an art reel in your portfolio. It's not common at all in the professional art world, so it might send the right signal. Always confine your selection in your portfolio to a concise, powerful, and representative selection of your very best works. Kill you darlings and leave them wanting for more. Have a great day!
Thank you for the series, I have enjoyed it very much. I still don't understand how art is valued by a website and not by art itself.
Hi Monica, thank you for tuning in and following this series. Art is partly valued by the overall profile of the artist, and the website is a part of this profile. However, having a good artist website does not make your work more expensive. It simply increases your chances to be invited by galleries, which is on the long run may result in an increase of value of your works.
@@contemporaryartissue thank you very much for taking the time to respond. Have a good one!
Thanks for information.
I have a question what is different from Artist dossier and portfolio letter? Thanks
Hi Solmaz, we do not discuss these terms in this video. When it comes to documentation by the artist, we can identify the portfolio (a selection of works), an artist statement (a written text about the work) and the artist resume (a list with factual information). Hope this might be helpful!
Thank you for this series. Do you have any advice for curating an artist’s Instagram page?
Hi Troy, first, thank you for tuning, and secondly, thank you for this great question. Social media is a great way to network and link up with people from your scene and across the world. You can show your work to everyone and build up a following. Especially Instagram. You would be stunned by how many collectors and gallerists are discovering artists simply by scrolling on their phones. It is by far the most accepted and powerful social media platform for artists to this day. I believe the best strategy to curate your Instagram as an artist is to offer variety in your posts. Meaning you don't just simply share the cropped pictures of your works, but also installation views, studio views, etc. You can and should be professional on Instagram, but if there is any place to add some personality online, it is Instagram.
Hello Great video! The biggest issue i have with my website is that i work in photography as well as paintings. Is there a professional way to showcase both works? Thank you!
Hi there, great question. Absolutely, you could either create two different pages for the 'selected works' pages, becoming 'selected paintings' and 'fine art photography', or you could have two subpages below 'selected works'. Another option which could also be interesting if your paintings and photographs are strongly linked to eachother, is by arraging them mixed together, but specifying the medium in the metadata. I hope this might be of help!
@@contemporaryartissue Very helpful. Thank you!
Thanks for this video! However can you explain further why having a web shop isn’t a good idea?
Why can’t artists sell directly to art buyers? As you said there are more artists and art than galleries. Is it a prestige thing?
TIA
Hi Amanda, thank you for tuning in and for a great question. Artists can and should sell directly to art buyers. However, a webshop is a bad idea for several reasons. First, the nature of a webshop is rather commercial. It is perfect for selling commercial products, but if we present our art in such a manner then they are being degraded from high art to commercial products in the form of decoration. As a result, it is frowned upon in the art world. Webshops are also rather indiscreet when it comes to pricing. The prices could scare away galleries to work with you if the prices aren't "right", or it could scare away a collector because everyone can simply go to the webshop and see how much they have paid for the artwork. In the art world, sales do not happen with webshops. If you think about it, art galleries are all about selling artworks but yet they do not have a webshop. Sales happen via direct contact. After all, we are not buying a new toothbrush. Instead of using a webshop as an artist, you can mention your email address for all further inquiries. If they are actually interested in your work, they will email you. So you need to have an up-to-date catalog with available works including prices. This way, there is actual contact between the artist and the collector. You can hold on to their contact info for the future as well, to invite them when you have a show for instance.
@@contemporaryartissue thanks so much for this explanation!
Makes sense!
I’ve spent so much time procrastinating about designing my website and what I need to include. I feel confident to proceed with my website and will follow your advice re web-shop.
Great series!
@@contemporaryartissue this seems really outdated. If you walk into MOST art galleries the prices are on the wall. If they aren't it just seems snobby and annoying I find.
the dog is stealing the show lol
She always does 😂
Valeu!
Most appreciated! Thank you
What are the best words to use if one has not had a formal art school education? Thank you!
Hi Colleen, thank you for tuning in. I would say self-taught, self-trained, or autodidact. However, I don't believe it is always necessary to address this. If you write down your artist resume and you want to fill in the education part, and you haven't had any formal art school, or art history, you aren't obligated to fill in self-trained. You can also simply ommit this part of the resume
@@contemporaryartissue Thank you
Lol. Ok, I am enjoying this series BUT some of the advice is both contradictory and questionable in today’s day and age. Don’t self-market??? Ok, so we are just supposed to hand over all of the power to a gallery ( if we are even able to get representation)? You said it yourself in an earlier video - there is more art (and artists) than there are walls to showcase. It seems to me, an artist would be doing themselves a disservice by relinquishing the only power they have (other than actually creating art) with the hopes that they will be discovered through the efforts of a gallery and the economic whims of an art market mainly interested in rising asset values.
Hi Jason, thank you for following this series. Self-marketing can be extremely frowned upon in the world; think of cold calling galleries asking for an exhibition, constantly talking and writing about your own work, having a webshop in which you become not only the creator of your works but also the dealer, etc. The reason why is that there is a role conflict when doing this. Creating your work and then saying this work is good, you should buy/exhibit it, is less powerful and credible than when another person is saying this. If you self-market, you should do it in a very subtle, polite, and non-imposing manner.
So, better to have your friend or family act as your representative?
@@danrazART Not at all. Just responding to the suggestion that all of the artists' eggs go in the gallery reps basket (again, if you are even able to get representation).
@@JasonRobinsonArtDesign no, seriously. Historically, some artists had their family or friends act as their representatives.
Fine Art market is such a clown.
They really act as if they are not a market at all.
It is a closed door casino of sorts.
@@danrazART Hi Dan. I misunderstood your reply. Agreed. The art market has very little to do with "talent", "taste" or earning ones position in art history canon. Historical analysis bears this out. The various documentaries peering inside the art world bears this out (at least anecdotally). The odds of "making it" in the art world are astronomically low; one has a better chance at becoming a professional athlete by comparison. And if you are a woman or person of color...forget about it! Historically, the art world didn't/doesn't think you are talented enough to have a place in its pantheon. It's laughable.
What if you started painting very ;late in life and have no resume? Should you mention what you did all your life up to that point, especially if it involved work the arts, creating music and print, and publishing in those fields?
A common question and concern. If your professional experience is art-related, I would most definitely include it in your resume. Make sure to have a look at our video on how to improve your resume with no experience as well for more tips here!
less is more got it !!!
Exactly!
Merci pour ces artistiques remises en questions .Tres europeen comme approche, tres vieille ecole c'est triste de voir que la mentalite n'aurait pas avancee au rythme que l'art et la technologie a avance. Nevertheless, I am taking notes and reviewing my position but how pertinent for artists out of Europe is it...perhaps the next 2 video will shed light on this question.
Dear dsarvia, today the high-end contemporary art world is very globalized. These rules apply for any artist from any country. Thank you for tuning in!
Some things makes sense, but others do not. If you are NOT yet a gallery artist, how the hell can you afford to have ZERO prices up and not be in other art markets?? This is 90s gallery mentality. The reality is emerging artists sell online: ebay, etsy, saatchi, etc. before they can afford to just have art galleries represent them. Most artists to just SURVIVE need to sell their work aka via online art markets. I strongly disagree with this dated approach.
Art gallery representation is free of charge-so not something one can not afford but most often has not been invited yet. Having a web shop or selling on online marketplaces can prevent you from having gallery representation because, in the high-end/traditional art world, it is frowned upon. Instead, selling directly when you do not have a gallery yet can work the same way as galleries sell the work of their artists. Not via a webshop or via a third-party online market place but simply by sending over a catalog with available works via your contact page on your website. This allows you to sell directly and maintain a high-end profile to optimize your chances for gallery representation.
What do you think the best website templates are?
Hi Darren, excellent question. Artlogic is a great platform providing websites for artists, but I believe they are a little bit expensive. We will be sharing a video later this year on how to create your own professional artist website based on a template designed by CAI. So stay tuned for more!
@@contemporaryartissue hi. Thank you so much for responding
So I wrote several helpful paragraphs on the design of artists websites, with nothing critical of you, and you delete them? What gives?
Hi Christopher, thank you for tuning in. I am unable to find your comment with helpful paragraphs here. We do not delete any comments - not even the rude ones to be honest - so it should still be here. Due to the sheer amount of comments I had a serious delay in responding to them the past few weeks. However I am currently catching up. I do recall responding to one of your comments just a few days ago about working on spec, but it was in the previous video if I am correct. If not, feel free to write your helpful paragraphs once more and I look forward to discuss them with you. Have a great day
Isn't art all about taking unnecessary risks?
Hi Tyler, thank you for tuning in. Art arguably is, so in your studio you could definitely take unnecessary risks. But with your website, there is a different set of rules. Feel free to watch our latest and more extensive video on this topic. Have a great day!
@@contemporaryartissue the way you treat art and talk about being an artist is so far detached from what art is truly about, but I guess we clearly have different views on that which is fine.
seems like he wants to sell a website
Hi Arte Ativa, we don't sell websites...
I watched most of your videos yesterday, and found this one particularly interesting. However making it in the art world seems to me like buying a ticket at the lottery. Would a tutorial on how to win at the lottery be interesting? Maybe... Let's remember that Tracey Emin got her big career break by stumbling totally drunk in a TV show. Should I line up the bottles of whiskey? Maybe... I know a Spanish artist Utuber who does all the contrary of what you advise, has a website with the prices of all his work, sell them this way, and advise to do it so. Is he taken seriously by the art world? Maybe not. He is certainly making tons of money and buying now his second house with the profits of his work. Are YOU to be taken seriously? Maybe... Maybe not... Maybe, with a grain of salt. At the end of the day, you are just trying to sell us yours and other companies' services. No? Maybe? ;)
Dear Marie, thank you for tuning in. Making it in the art world is less like buying a ticket for the lottery than most people seem the think-when you are doing the right things. There are indeed more paths to success, and it also depends on how you define success. Generally speaking, there is the influencer model via the likes of Instagram, UA-cam, Tiktok, etc, and the long term model via the traditional gallery circuit in which the artist tries to climb the ladder in the art world. We are more comfortable in the latter, and I also believe it is the better option in the long run, but everyone needs to do what they feel comfortable with so I don't want to impose anything to anyone. But please note that with this influencer model, it is also very competitive, and even though short term results are more likely, you'll hit a ceiling much quicker. Influencer artists will rarely sell works above 10K. Further, as soon as you stop creating the social media content, the demand for your works will drop. So you also depend on these media. We have an Instagram account with 60K followers which resulted in many sales of our artists the past few years, but Instagram recently changed and pushes short-form video content with those reels trends. So it has become almost worthless for our business, or we have to do whatever the platform wants us to do to remain successful on that platform; which isn't great for your integrity. Further, with UA-cam, if you have a channel with 100k subscribers, you'll easily have an income of €2.000-€4.000 per month via ads-so the question here is if you are a professional artist or a professional UA-camr? Further, this channel is informational, not commercial. Our mission is to make this industry-approved information accessible to all artists and for free with these free videos and free articles on contemporaryartissue.com The advisory report service came later, due to the high request for it per mail and we offer it at the lowest price possible. So I would definitely say we are doing this with the best intention for all artists out there. Have a great day!
I think much of this advice is a bit old fashioned.
Yet, still applicable today! Thank you for tuning in
Valeu!
Thank you so much Vicente!