image by courtneyBolton
I’ve had some truly gratifying experiences since beginning this blog back in May of last year with a post on Housing Projects for Artists. I’ve met a lot of really brilliant artists. Smart, funny, talented people who are making a real go of using the Internet to make their careers the way that they want them.
As I launch into the second year of the site, I would like to make an invitation to all of you:
Become More Engaged.
By leaving comments you help grow the conversation around the Arts, selling art online, and other important topics. The more you share your insights and experiences, the more other artists can learn. I can share a lot of information, but each of you have rich experiences to share that are valuable.
Also, when you leave comments, it’s good for your SEO. I long ago removed the NoFollow attribute from my comments. If you leave a comment with a link back to your site then you get full credit from the search engines. In other words, for you non-SEO savvy artists, if you leave a comment here, it makes it easier for Google to find you. This is good, yes? (warning: I still kill SPAM comments. no one likes SPAM)
Share blog posts. How many times have you read something on TheAbundantArtist.com and thought, “Hey, so and so would really like this?” Did you share it with that person? I’ve made it easy to share links from TheAbundantArtist with the Facebook Like button, the share on Twitter button, and a host of social media sharing buttons across the bottom of each blog post and page. You could share this post now!
Ask for what you need. Trying to figure out how to put your stuff online? Want to know how to leverage Facebook? Want to find the best website solution for you? Let me know by contacting me.
Write a guest post. Did I miss an important point in a post? Would you do something completely differently? Have a way of selling art or living an abundant lifestyle that you want to share? Write a guest post and I may publish it. Ideas are always welcome. Use the contact me page to get in touch.
Get a Free Website.
I want to celebrate my one-year anniversary. So, I’m giving away a website to one artist (painter, sculptor, performer, or similar artist). This website will be completely yours. You’ll own it, be able to make changes to it. You’ll even be able to upload your art and sell it. I’ll walk you through how to do everything on your site once it’s up and running. No cost at all!
Whoa, cool! How do I get this website?
It’s easy. Just two steps.
Leave a comment on any post on this site. It could be useful insight or witty repartee, I don’t care. Just leave a comment.
Share the site somewhere. It could be on Twitter, Facebook, or somewhere else. If you share it on Facebook or email, you’ll need to let me know in your comment, because I won’t be able to see it. If you share it anywhere else online, I’ll see it.
Hey, I already have a website! Where’s the love for me?
Don’t worry. I’ve got something for you as well. If you already have a website but you’re not happy with it, you can still enter the contest. If you’re happy with your website, then I’m offering two other gifts:
Free website evaluation. Perhaps you’re happy with your site, but you’d like to see how you can improve it. I’ll do a free evaluation of your site. You get a written report telling you how you can improve your site. I do this kind of thing regularly for corporate clients and charge more than $1500 – but I’m giving one away for free.
A 30 minute strategy session. We’ll sit down by phone for 30 minutes and talk about your art business. Get clarity and learn the best strategies for selling online. When I choose to do these strategy sessions, I often charge $100, but I’m giving one away for free.
I’ll pick the winners by Friday, May 21st. Happy commenting!
Where Should I Leave Comments?
You can leave comments on any existing post or on any new post between now and next Friday. Here’s a list of some of the best content from the last year.
15 Ways to Sell Art Online – A solid list of 15 websites that artists have had success selling art online.
Imagekind Power Selling Tips – Artist Tim Aldridge shares his tips for successfully using Imagekind.com to sell his art. You should also check out How to Sell Art on Flickr.
Business Plans for Artists – Download an example business plan for your art business.
Artists Marketing Directly to Fans - These artists are doing an end-run around the gallery and music label system to sell their work directly to fans, and they’re having a ton of success.
Google Wave for Artists Part 1 and Part 2. – In Part one I gave away a bunch of invitations to Google Wave and explained what it was. In Part 2 I showed how some artists were using Google Wave to collaborate, and showed a (really low quality) video of me and another artist drawing using Google Docs.
How to Price Art Prints – a breakdown of how to arrive at a price for your art prints. Very useful resource.
How Artists Should Pitch Interviews – If you want to get interviewed by the press, here’s a guide on how to do it. Includes tips for how to get in front of journalists, news organizations, and bloggers.
Newsletters: So Easy An Artist Could Do It – Artists know that their mailing list is their most valuable asset, but many artists also tell me that they have no idea what to put in their newsletter. Here’s a few ideas.
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[...] Zen: Remember that I’m still giving away a free website, a strategy session, and a website evaluation in celebration of the One Year Anniversary of TheAbundantArtist.com. All you have to do to enter is [...]
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