I've started a journey. Let me introduce myself. I'm Krista McCurdy, 35, and I live in Portland, Oregon. I dye yarn for Pigeonroof Studios and also am a Pilates Instructor at Studio Blue. Although I have a BFA in Printmaking, for the past ten years I've only done art sporadically. Moving to Portland gave me the space, both physically and mentally, to start making art again.
It's a very different world for artists now than back then. The whole online marketing one's art and the many choices available, is completely new and a little bewildering to me. What I've come to discover (and been told) is that nowadays as an artist, one needs to brand themselves...and to get one's art as visible as possible!
Using social media to help brand one's self is a wide, wide new world. I come across many artists with thousand of followers, who sell instantly the works that they put for sale on Instagram, and are generally very successful. These particular artists are always pictured perfectly coiffed and made up, in a carefully "artsy" clean outfit. Their studios are large and light filled and airy and magazine looking. Their work ranges from the good to bad usually leaning towards the latter. They are extremely successful.
The usual state of chaos.
But that's not reality. Reality is my cluttered worktable, in my office in my house which does not have picturesque hardwood floors, but carpet. My materials are strewn all over the place. I do my printmaking in my dye studio, which is two cards of our 3 car garage. This studio is definitely NOT picturesque! Total chaos.
Reality is me, as an artist beginning again, so to speak, figuring out how to brand and sell myself without losing my soul. Join me on my journey down the rabbit hole. I'm going to be completely open about the setbacks and worries and, hopefully, joy. Selling one's art online, becoming noticed, doesn't happen overnight.
That's reality.
Much love,
Krista McCurdy.