There are an alarming number of artists who are dragging their feet when it comes to joining in on the conversation through social media; does this sound like you? Perhaps you want the world to see your work, but you are struggling to understand how to use Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook to your advantage. Maybe you have a fear of becoming a social media zombie, or you’re afraid to leave your comfort zone of simply blogging or having a website for people to view your work. Being able to interact with other artists and art lovers might seem intimidating, but it is detrimental to the growth of your personal brand. Social media isn’t going to disappear, so if you choose to be a laggard on adopting this medium you’re only going to slow yourself down. Here are three concerns most artists have about entering the social media stratosphere, and solutions on how to overcome such obstacles.
risk-plagiarism
Copyright infringement; manufacturers stealing original designs and mass producing them; fraudulent downloading and printing of original material
Solutions:
-Register for Pixsy. You can synch your original photos and Pixsy will scan the internet for replicas, even “checking under the couch.” This is especially helpful for photographers. This is currently in private beta mode, so pre-register now in anticipation of when the site goes live.
-It never hurts to conduct a Google search using keywords that would describe your items every now and again to monitor the results.
-Watermark your photos close to the center to avoid being cropped out, and upload smaller, more compressed files. Watermarks are annoying and ugly, but a necessity for photographers. Document work at an angle instead of straight on to make it harder to copy.
The original “Olympia” is considered public domain today, but if Manet had internet in 1863 he might have watermarked his image like so (This is actually a “master copy” I painted in art school)
Challenge- which Apps to use
Figuring out which social media platforms to use or bypass; updating on a regular basis; making timely and relevant updates
Solutions:
-Instagram and a Facebook page are a must for artists. Check out my previous blog post on how to rock Instagram here. Posting your work on Pinterest is great for weavers, ceramicists and craftspeople. Twitter is perfect if you’re involved in a lot of art shows and events. Plus, Yoko Ono is on Twitter and she’s really fun to follow.
-Set up a HootSuite account for your social media accounts. This allows you to schedule in advance, and saves the trouble of posting similar updates on different SM platforms. With the free version, you can link up to 3 accounts at once to HootSuite. You can also schedule reoccurring material if there is something important that should be shared more than once.
-You can also use ScheduGram or other apps that are designed to schedule specifically for Instagram instead of bombarding your viewers with a ton of photos at once. For instance, I made the decision to unfollow Ai Weiwei after my Instagram feed was taken over with his “leg as a gun” campaign for weeks on end–the frequent posts became too much. Your followers will become bored or annoyed, and may decide to unfollow or tune you out if you overdo it.
Challenge: fear of using Hashtags
How to use them; what’s appropriate; what not to hashtag
Solutions:
-Hint: There is no need to hashtag your own name. You are searchable by your name and username on Twitter and Instagram.
-Find and follow artists and peers whom you respect and admire before you post to see how others are talking about the same subject as you.
-If you can find specific hashtags that are popular or trending amongst your community, use them when it is appropriate. For instance, I used #pancakeart and #discgolf for this Instagram post:
http://instagram.com/p/vJAwzNIixR/?modal=true
This lead to the post going slightly viral by the time I woke up on Monday morning. Not only did I receive a shout out from master Pancake Artist Kevin Blankenship, but my disc golf pancake was also featured as the cover image in a “best of Instagram” blog on All Things Disc Golf. Instagram gets very exciting once people you don’t know start liking your posts and following you.
Conclusion: Unless your name is Lisa Yuskavage and you’re selling your work for millions of dollars in a New York gallery, you’ll want to get online so that people can discover you. Though there are risks and challenges, it is also a very fun and rewarding medium that you should get to know and embrace.
Want to keep learning more about harnessing the power of social media as an artist? Follow my blog! http://www.sarahrado.wordpress.com
Sarah Rado 
Sarah
This was a great post. I have never heard of Pixsy but it sounds extremely useful. It is definitely something I am going to try out when it goes live and suggest it to many of my friends especially those that are into graphic design. SheduGram is also a unique app. Like you, I hate when I’m bombarded with a ton of random photos that have little interest to me (Think Kim Kardashian). They become overwhelming and the overall message or purpose of them gets lost. An app like this can definitely help with getting photos and information out but at a more appropriate pace.
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I don’t think I can handle KK on Instagram. You know who is worse than her? Miley Cyrus (on Instagram at least) and also check out Human Ken Doll (@justinjedlica)
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I love your blog! It expresses good information, it has great pictures even starting with your header. Load colors and interesting pictures grab the readers eyes. Good Job
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Thank you! I have put a lot of work into it. The header was made in Photoshop, with a snippet of an original painting in the background.
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Hi there, great links here. Its interesting to compare how artists use social media with how graphic designers use social media.
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Thanks! I agree, my sister is a graphic designer and we butt heads over social media pretty often. It will be interesting to see if I can sway her over to “The Dark Side” (aka using hashtags, and everything I mention here)!
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Great post! Showcasing artwork online is very important. You can further discourage people from stealing your artwork by disabling right clicks. Although this will not prevent people from taking screenshots of your website – it does further protect your intellectual, artistic, property.
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This is such a great post! I learned first hand that is way too easy for people to steal your art. I am in no means an “artist” but I do have a Flickr account that I use in the majority for posting my “urbex” photos. I’ve had a few people steal my photos that I have actually called out on and they claimed that they “weren’t aware it wasn’t OK to take photos without permission.” I don’t necessarily care but sometimes photocred would be nice, especially when using my photo for your main website! One of my friends, however, got sick of her photos being stolen and used so she started putting a subtle watermark on photos that would be impossible to crop out without ruining the photo. Anyways, like Karissa mentioned, disabling right clicks is a good starting point to deter those from stealing artistic property. And I definitely agree that social media is an amazing way to become “known” as an artist.
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Definitely a great idea to disable right clicks, although Karissa is correct, people can still screenshot, crop and re-upload…people do this on Instagram and it drives me nuts! I am glad there are reGram apps that let you repost responsibly. Watermarks really are the way to go at the end of the day, for photographers.
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