To Dot Com Or Not To Dot Com,
That Is The Question!

                                        Part I

 Last month’s editorial has generated a wide range of
response to the issues raised in that short article, for it
seems that a raw nerve was touched, while trying to put
things in perspective. By seemingly trying to dispel the
the myth of just by being on the Net, one can be assured
of wild success and boundless riches, I opened the gates
to many other questions that deserve to be answered
and many other issues that need to be addressed, hence
this more detailed article. Many artists, especially those
emerging or younger ones, face the modern dilemma of
establishing a web presence and whether it is worth the
expense or the hassle. The most important questions to
examine, from an artist point of view, perhaps, are:

 

Please let me deal with these points one at a time.

Of course a web-gallery will not take the place of a
physical gallery, however, that is not to say, that you
shouldn’t bother to investigate and make use of this
new marketing technologies to expand and enhance
your career. For starters it is a vastly different medium,
it doesn’t pretend to duplicate the same experience or
present itself as an alternative medium. Besides, many
talented artists have no access to any form of gallery
representation whatsoever. 

A web-gallery, as you can see, does have different 
functions for different artists!

If you were, somewhat an established artist, that is to
say, have exhibited regularly and your artwork is
represented in public and private collections, with a
reasonable demand from galleries and clients, a web-
gallery will serve you as a quick means to communicate
with your agents and will help you show new artworks
almost as they are completed for an interested buyer
or your regular gallery outlet. It will also have a visual
record of past works, sold or for sale and will give you,
the artist; a voice to speak directly to the world at large
and put forth your vision and philosophy behind your
art, that written word will add more weight to your
visual work. A web-gallery will also have your portfolio
and CV online, a further publicity tool that is surely
guaranteed to impress and generate interest!

 

 On the other hand if you were an emerging artist, a
web-gallery will be a most valuable tool for you to
utilize. It will serve as a stepping-stone towards a
more pronounced presence, it will put your artwork
on show when you want to and the way you want to,
where this is really a difficult matter to achieve outside
cyberspace and it is no secret that most galleries are
reluctant to deal with emerging artists, no matter how
talented they are. Let me tell you friend, if you were
an emerging artist, exposure is the name of the game.

The more you spread your wings the better is your
chances of gaining some recognition and following as
an initial goal on your way to artistic success.

 

Now…you are probably wondering, how effective is
such a web-gallery in marketing one’s artwork? The
answer to that question, which I have dealt with
occasionally in previous articles, is depending on how
serious are you in your desire to utilize this relatively
new way to market your art.

 
Firstly you must be realistic in what can be expected
in relation to your endeavours, expertise and to the
time span that you will allow to cultivate your web
presence. As I have often said, it is a total waste
of time having couple of free pages with all your info
and work; it will just sit there and will not achieve any
results, neither in sales nor in exposure. Doing this; is
like putting up a billboard in a forest, and hoping to
get your message across, sure some people will see
it sometime, but which kind? People who just surf in
will surely surf out without any result. Targeting your
audience is an art as much as it is a science, you
better off leave it to the professionals “ like us ;~) “.

 

Targeting your audience and bringing in qualified
visitors is an on going job, a full time job, as I have
learned, and must continue day in and day out if it
will bear any fruit at all, nothing happens overnight.
I say how serious are you about using the Internet
to help your art career? Or more appropriately, how
serious are you about marketing your art??

There is a common syndrome that is afflicting many
emerging and/or young artists that is referred to
as the Van Gogh syndrome, which translates to:
” Oh I am a starving artist, I can’t afford to spend that
little amount on a web-gallery, being a starving artist
is an important element in my artistic struggle … one
day I’ll be very successful then I will get around to
having the best web”…

Get real will you please…, to be successful in the
business of art you have to be successful in the art of
business, getting there is not a simple thing, you have
to use each and every way and it will not happen just
by sitting and dreaming. Establishing a serious web
presence shouldn’t cost you an arm or a leg and if it is
done properly, it will benefit you immensely for a very
little cost. At www.oz-artfocus.com it will cost you very
little, in fact less than A$1.00 per day+ the Aust. GST,
that is very economical indeed and you will not have to
worry about a thing, except your art!

 

              Next issue we'll continue this article

              Answering the rest of the questions.