Are you communicating with your audience? If there’s something we here at Praxis have advocated for since the very beginning, it is the importance of maintaining the lines of communication with your clients, patrons, sponsors, anyone who is casting an eye in your general direction as an artist.
Creating a beautiful website to promote your work is one step, the next, and we understand the much harder step, is keeping up a fresh presence on that site. A blog is the best way to do this and every single artist reading these words right now should have one. If you don’t, begin immediately. Simply put, blogging is the very best way to keep your audience informed and engaged. It is the opportunity to speak to them about whatever is going on in your life, studio, exhibits, anything you feel they need to know about.
Of course, just writing a blog and hoping that some folks stumble upon it will not get you far at all. There is more involved if you want to cultivate an active audience. That’s where newsletters come in. These directed mailings (emailings, that is) bring your blog right to the virtual doorstep of everyone you want to reach.
Praxis student and artist Paula has seen the power of blogs and newsletters first hand. She posted in our virtual classroom recently to share her experience:
“Those newsletters and blogs Brainard suggests really work. I sent out my newsletter Sunday morning and had a sale within a few hours.”
Your blog doesn’t have to be poetry. Your entries don’t need to be voluminous accounts of every single thing you are doing every moment of every day. On the contrary. A blog is a way to check in, a medium sized blurb about what’s up.
It’s best to post on a regular basis. Try to work time to write into your calendar. Once you have readers, they will come to expect and even look forward to your latest news and insights so it’s important not to disappoint.
That said, don’t put pressure on yourself to create something spectacular every time. There is no need to rival Shakespeare every time you sit down to blog. Just speak from your heart, let the words flow, and you’ll find that you can tell your story.
At Praxis Center we know that there are so very many moving parts for you to keep track of. It is our mission to support artists just like you as you navigate your way along your blossoming artistic career. We have designed our entire suite of courses to give artists the boost they need in every corner. Our virtual classroom gives you access to experts and colleagues who know exactly what it feels like to stand where you’re standing and are ready and waiting to share their experiences and advice. Enroll today and learn how to reach out to your audience and bring them into your artistic world.