The Benefits of Blogging For Artists
The Benefits of Blogging For Artists
Ever wondered why some artists have a digital megaphone and others can’t be heard? We’ve been there, trust us. Then we found this: artists who blog regularly can increase their online visibility by up to 434%. Yeah, we did a double take too. Blogging isn’t just about pretty pictures anymore – the benefits of blogging for artists is about telling your story and connecting with your audience. We’ve seen it happen to an artist’s career and we’re here to spill the tea.
Table of Contents
Art Blogging 101
What is an Art Blog?
Starting a blog felt like venturing into the unknown. We remember sitting in front of that blank screen, paintbrush in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, wondering how on earth we’d translate our art into words. But let’s back up a bit – what is an art blog?
An art blog is basically our digital sketchbook, but way cooler. It’s where we spill our creative guts, sharing everything from our latest watercolor disasters to those ah-ha moments when a pattern finally clicks. It’s not just about showing off finished pieces (though that’s fun too). It’s about inviting people into our messy, colorful world of making.
We’ve been writing about our art journey and it’s been… well, interesting. While preparing our website, we’ve described how watercolors bloom on paper, or how we created the perfect repeat pattern while half asleep. It’s like we’re painting with words and honestly? It’s pretty fun.
Now, why bother with all this writing when we could be, y’know, actually making art? Well, turns out having an online presence is a big deal these days. We learned that the hard way after our first Instagram post of a floral pattern we spent weeks on got crickets.
Why Artists Need an Online Presence
Two Superpowers of Blogging
Blogging has two superpowers we’ve come to love. First, it’ll make us mini-celebrities in our niche. Okay, maybe “celebrities” is a stretch, but we’re definitely the go-to people for watercolor and surface pattern design. It’s wild to think people would actually care what we have to say about color theory or the best paper for botanical illustrations.
Second, blogging helps us find our tribe. We started to get connected with other artists who get as excited about perfectly balanced repeats or the way light hits a flower petal as we do since our launch. These connections will lead to collaborations, friendships and yes, even new clients. Who knows, talking about our process would actually pay off? We’re excited!
Starting from zero followers is hard, not gonna lie. But each blog post felt like we were extending an arm, inviting people into our world. We share our struggles with imposter syndrome, our excitement over new techniques and even our embarrassing moments (like that time we used permanent ink instead of water-soluble… oops). Oh, you will not miss that, we promise 🙂
Through it all we will find our voice and our people. Blogging turns our solo art practice into a community and we won’t trade it for the world. Well, maybe for a lifetime supply of Daniel Smith watercolors… but that’s a post for another time.
Benefits of Art Blogs
Let’s talk about the perks of blogging, ‘cause trust us, there are many. When we first started out with our previous website, we were just happy if our mom liked our posts. But as we kept at it we noticed some pretty cool changes.
Increased Online Visibility
Remember when we’d Google our own name and find nothing but a Facebook profile from 2010? Those days are over. Blogging has seriously upped our visibility. We’ve gone from hiding in the back of the art class to standing front and center.
We’ve started to see more traffic to our website than we ever thought possible. And this is just the beginning! It’s not just random clicks either – we’re talking about real art lovers who are actually interested in our work. Soon, we will share the stats with you as well.
The increased visibility will be a total game-changer for our art marketing. We’re not just shouting into the void anymore. We have already galleries reached out, and potential clients are finding us instead of the other way around. It’s like our blog is our own personal PR team working 24/7 to get our name out there.
Monetizing Your Art Blog
Okay, let’s talk about the money. We’re not gonna sugarcoat it – we haven’t hit the jackpot yet. But we’re starting to see the potential and it’s pretty cool.
Years ago, when we first started blogging we were just happy to share our journey. We never thought it could lead to actual income from a blog. But in today’s world, as we dig deeper into the world of art blogs we’ve discovered a whole new landscape of possibilities.
We’ve been looking at those “best art blogs” out there trying to figure out what makes them tick. And you know what? A lot of them are making real money from their passion. It’s like they’ve cracked some secret code and turned their creativity into cold hard cash.
We’re not there yet but we’re laying the groundwork. We’ve started looking into affiliate marketing – you know, where we could recommend our favorite brushes or website provider or that perfect sketchbook and maybe earn a little commission if someone buys through our link. It feels weird to think about but hey, if we’re already raving about these products why not?
One important tip is to decide on your pillar posts for your blog. This is especially very beneficial from a search engine’s perspective as well.
Sponsored content is another avenue we’re exploring. The idea that brands would actually pay us to create posts about their products? Mind blown. We’re not at that level yet but we’re working on building our audience and engagement. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll be unboxing the latest art supplies for our eager followers.
And then there’s the holy grail – art sales. We’ve seen other artists use their blogs as virtual galleries, showcasing their work and attracting buyers from all over the world. We’re not there yet but we’re hopeful. Every time we post a new piece or share our process we’re potentially connecting with future collectors.
We’ve even started to dream about creating online courses. Sharing our techniques, our struggles, our triumphs – all while earning some income? It sounds almost too good to be true.
We’re not quitting our day jobs just yet. The road to turning our passion into a profitable art business is long and winding. But for the first time we can see the possibility. Each blog post feels like a step towards that goal.
We’re not making lots of money yet but we’re building something. A platform, an audience, a body of work. And who knows? Maybe one day we’ll look back at these early days of blogging and think this was where it all started – the beginning of turning our art into more than just a hobby.
For now we’re focusing on creating great content, connecting with our audience and honing our craft. The money? Well that’s a nice dream for the future. But the real reward? It’s in the creating, the sharing and the growing. And that, my friends, is priceless.
Creating Engaging Content
Writing Compelling Blog Posts
Let’s talk about the meat and potatoes of blogging – the content. We’ve learned it’s not just about slapping some pretty pictures on a page and calling it a day. Nope, we’ve gotta dig deeper.
We’ve found that sharing the behind the scenes of our creative process really connects with people. Remember this, when we post our non-repeating, not seamless design. Yeah, we blogged about that disaster. Turns out people love seeing the messy real side of making art.
We’ve also started to create tutorials. Let’s see if our step by step guide on creating seamless patterns will be a hit as well – who knows that so many people wanted to learn how to turn a simple floral sketch into a repeating design?
And we’re not just navel gazing here. We’ve been challenging ourselves to write about broader art trends and exhibitions. It’s a bit daunting but it’s forcing us to stay connected to the wider art world. Plus it makes us feel pretty cool.
Designing an Art Blog that’s Visually Beautiful
Now onto the look of our blog.
We bought a good camera (okay, we borrowed from the husband) to take high quality photos of our work. No more grainy, poorly lit snapshots! We’ve even started to experiment with video, showing time lapses of our painting process. It’s nerve wracking to put ourselves out there like that but as we do, people seem to love seeing how a blank page turns into a finished piece.
Choosing the design for our blog was harder than we thought. We wanted something that reflected our style – clean and modern with a touch of whimsy. After much debate (and maybe a few arguments) we settled on a minimal layout that lets our art take center stage.
We’re still messing with things here and there. Should the background be white or off white? How many posts should we show on the homepage? It’s a work in progress just like our art. But with each update we’re getting closer to a blog that truly represents us and our work.
Creating engaging content and designing a beautiful blog has been a journey in itself. We’re learning, growing and sometimes tripping over our own feet but it’s all part of the process. And honestly? It’s kind of cool to see our little corner of the internet grow along with our efforts as well.
Building an Audience
Content Calendar
Let’s get our ducks in a row. Before we even launched our blog we knew we needed a plan. Enter the content calendar – our new BFF.
We spent a whole week brainstorming, mapping out themes and scheduling posts. It felt like planning a dinner party before we even had a kitchen but we knew it would be worth it in the long run.
Our calendar is color coded and everything.
We’ve also scheduled posts about our favorite art supplies, deep dives into color theory and even some art history tidbits. Variety is the spice of life right?
The real challenge has been creating content in advance. We’re stockpiling posts like squirrels hoarding acorns for winter. It’s a bit nerve wracking writing about things we haven’t even created yet but it’s forcing us to stay accountable to our creative goals.
We’ve also planned out our social media strategy. Each blog post will have accompanying Instagram posts, Pinterest pins and maybe even a YouTube video or two (we’re still working up the courage for that one). It feels like we’re launching a rocket instead of a blog but hey, dream big or go home right?
We’re not used to being this organized. Usually our idea of planning is remembering to buy more paint before we run out. But there’s something exciting about having this roadmap for our blogging journey. It’s like we’re laying the groundwork for something big even if we’re starting from scratch.
Yes, by the time we wrote this we haven’t posted a single thing yet. As we are building our website from scratch ourselves we’re still working on the final touches of our website.
But, dear reader, by the time you read this post we’ve already put our ducks in a row with this content calendar we feel prepared.
We’re ready to hit the ground running with a plan and a whole lot of excitement. Who knows? Maybe this organized approach will rub off on our art practice too. Stranger things have happened!
What if not? Well, honestly, I can’t think a better, more colorful way to fail 😉
Working with Other Art Blogs
Now, here’s where things get really interesting – collaborations. We’ll be honest, reaching out to other artists and bloggers is terrifying at first. We feel like the new kids at school, afraid no one would want to sit with us at lunch.
But we suck it up and start small. We reach out to a local watercolor artist whose work we love and will propose a blog swap. To our surprise, hope they will say yes! Then, voila! We will write a guest post for their blog about our favorite pattern making tools and they share their watercolor journal techniques on ours. It will be a win-win we both got exposure to new audiences.
Feeling braver we’ve started participating more in online art communities. We joined a few Facebook groups for surface pattern designers and started commenting instead of just lurking. We even dipped our toes into art forums sharing our experiences and asking for advice.
These collaborations and community engagements have been enlightening. We’re learning new techniques, staying current with industry trends and even picking up some blogging best practices. Plus it’s nice to connect with other artists who get our love of the perfect brush stroke or the joy of a seamless repeat.
Building an audience is slow going we won’t lie. Some days it feels like we’re shouting into the void. But then we’ll get a comment from someone saying our post inspired them to pick up a paintbrush again or another artist will reach out for a collaboration and it’s all worth it. We’re not just building an audience we’re building a community one blog post at a time.
Success Stories and Tips
What We’ve Learned from Other Successful Art Bloggers
We’ve been doing our research, folks. We’re not newbies to the blogging world. We had a very successful blog 15 years ago and we enjoyed it and learned many valuable lessons. But we’ve also been studying the pros like they’re the Old Masters of the digital age. And let me tell you we’ve learned some valuable lessons not only from our own experience with blogging but also from others as well.
First off, consistency seems to be the key. Many of the successful bloggers we’ve seen post on a regular schedule whether it’s twice a week or once a month. They stick to their schedule rain or shine even when it feels like they’re talking to themselves. Slowly but surely their audience grows.
That resonated with us. We want to share our work with the world but we know we need to pace ourselves. It’s a marathon not a sprint, right?
Then there’s the quality over quantity debate. We want to provide high quality content with helpful valuable information to you. Some of the most impressive art blogs we’ve found post less frequently but their content is packed with value. They break down complex design concepts or painting techniques in a way that makes us feel like we could conquer the world with a paintbrush or stylus.
We’re taking this to heart. Sure we could post daily about what color we’re using today but will that really help our readers? We want to create content that people will bookmark and come back to.
Patience is another big one. Many successful bloggers openly share that their early days were slow with few readers beyond friends and family. But they kept at it because they loved what they were creating.
That’s the kicker isn’t it? We’re not in this for overnight success. We’re in it because we love art, we love creating and we want to share that with others.
We’re also learning to find our voice. It’s easy to mimic the style of successful bloggers but authenticity seems to be the magic ingredient. People don’t just want to learn techniques they want to connect with the person behind the paintbrush.
So here we are armed with these lessons ready to start our own blogging journey. We’re nervous, excited and maybe a little overwhelmed. But mostly we’re inspired by the success stories we’ve read. Who knows maybe one day we’ll be the ones sharing our blogging wisdom with wide eyed newbies.
Conclusion
Art Blogging
As we’re about to launch our blog (by the time of writing not the time you’re reading) we can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. It’s like we’re about to jump into a pool we’ve done our research we’ve got our floaties on but we still don’t know how cold the water is going to be.
But here’s what we do know: art blogging can be a real game changer. We’ve seen it happen for others and we hope it’ll happen for us too.
We’re dreaming big here. We see a loyal following of fellow art enthusiasts, people who get as excited about a new paintbrush as we do. We’re imagining our blog posts popping up in Google searches helping other artists solve their creative conundrums. And yes we’re even daring to imagine a day when our blog will help us monetize our art.
But it’s not just about the numbers or the potential income. It’s about sharing our journey, our struggles, our triumphs. It’s about connecting with others who understand the frustration of a watercolor wash gone wrong or the joy of finally getting that tricky pattern repeat right.
We’re looking forward to being voices in the art world. Not experts we’re far from that but as fellow travelers on this creative journey. We want to share what we learn, inspire others and in turn be inspired by our readers.
As we hit publish on our first post we’re reminding ourselves that every successful art blogger started exactly where we are now. They had doubts, they made mistakes but they kept going. And that’s what we’re going to do.
We know it won’t be easy. There will be times when we’ll wonder if anyone’s reading times when we’ll struggle to come up with content ideas. But we’re in this for the long haul. We’re ready to pour our heart and soul into this blog to share our art our process our passion with the world.
So here’s to art blogging. To the connections we’ll make the skills we’ll develop and the creative fire it’ll fuel. We may be starting small but we’re dreaming big. And who knows maybe one day we’ll look back at this moment as the first step towards taking our art career to places we never thought possible.
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got a blog to launch and a whole lot of creating to do. Wish us luck!
