In this day and age where social media seems to be taking over the globe, it is important to make yourself stand out from others as an artist. If you’re any type of artist, may it be a painter, graphic designer, singer, makeup artist, photographer, etc., it is imperative to create brand-awareness. With so many artists out there on the market, where do you start distinguishing yourself from others? Hopefully, this article will help you get started on creating your own brand awareness.
The first thing you should do is create a social media page, may it be Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and/or Facebook, etc., that lets you exhibit your art. Find out what platforms the artists in your division are using and get started from there. You don’t have to invite your immediate friends and family to like the page if you don’t feel comfortable yet, even though having people close to you who motivate you helps. The key to success is confidence, motivation, and practice, and if you feel that you do not have the confidence to exhibit yourself to them now, it’s ok. Hopefully, over time, you’ll get over your fear and self-doubt and have the courage to reveal yourself to them after having the determination to create your own page and gaining a following. Now here comes an important question, how do differentiate your content as unique?
An issue that many artists have is how to brand themselves. The best advice I can offer you is to find something that makes you unique, your own aesthetic, and work creating something inspired by it. The best way to create your own aesthetic is by finding pictures that inspire you and have the same vibe, lighting or muse, online or from different magazines. Afterwards, cut and paste them on a surface, may it be your notebook, folder, or whatever else you want. For inspiration, look at your collage and try to create artwork that mimics your unique aesthetic. If you’re a singer, for instance, focus on creating your own music with a certain genre that makes you stand out; you can even put your own spin on different songs to differ yourself from other artists. Another important thing is to watermark your art, and if it’s a video, then put the watermark in some corner of the video so that people recognize where the art is from and so that other pages don’t repost it without giving you credit. Here is an example of my “aesthetic notebook”:
Another important question, how do you gain a following? Sometimes new artists get discouraged when they see the huge amount of followers that already trending artists have, but it’s important to keep in mind that everyone starts from scratch. An essential tip to help you gain followers is using hashtags. Many people go through hashtags looking for a certain aesthetic, and if they find your page and love your content, they’re sure to stay. Another tip is to follow artists with a similar aesthetic. You’ll see that as you add random users that follow your aesthetic, you will gain an amount of followers. This is because either they went and saw the people that recently followed the page you just followed, or you appeared to them as recommended, since you share similar content. Another great idea is to write message to your favorite artists saying that you admire their artwork, or feel inspired by them, and ask them for a few tips that they could give you. Although online connections are very important, never forget to network in real life.
It is essential to get your brand out there by going to events related to the industry you’re in. For example, for rising fashion designers, it is important to go to runways and create connections with local designers. If you sing, you can go to random karaoke sessions in local restaurants and ask your friends to film you. The more you familiarize yourself with the local art scene, the more people you will meet and the more connections you can create.
I hope that these tips serve as a guide for you and help you achieve whatever goals you may have. Hopefully you’ll be able to distinguish yourself and have a better idea on how to brand yourself.