Social media has transformed over the years, from something that connects you to your friends to a platform that can market your products and other services on the Web. Its importance during a time like this pandemic has been revealed front and center.
Many sellers have looked for ways for Facebook pages to earn profit. That’s good, but it’s also a tool that can go both ways. People can take a look at a work of art or some creation that took serious effort, and they can either make it a trend or destroy it, all in the span of mere minutes to hours.
Many aspiring artists have seen their efforts go down the drain because of social media. However, some have become overnight sensations as well. If you’re looking to market your work through social media, you need to know what to expect before jumping right in.
The Power of Likes
We live in a world where people’s validation can be as addictive as the most potent substance. It’s what fuels some people’s creativity. There are artists that have just finished their best work and found that nobody—or even just a few—liked it. It has devastated some to the point that they vow never to create art again.
On the other side of the fence, some suffer from the “high” of many people appreciating their art. They became addicted to it, pushing themselves harder almost to the point of depression. It’s not healthy, and that’s where the dangers in social media lie.
If you strive to create great art, social media can become a great tool. You should just be careful about finding validation and inspiration through the likes your art receives online.
Becoming Known Not Just Locally
There was a time when becoming an artist meant you started small. Then, you work your way up. You would start hosting art shows locally. Word would slowly get around before you could host a show with people from all over the world coming to see your art.
If you are an amazing artist with an edge, then you will have little trouble working your way up. Nowadays, it’s easier for people to become known. They could try to start slowly and then gain recognition in just a short span of time.
It’s a matter of knowing that social media is just a tool to enhance your reach, not a way for you to become more successful than you can really be.
Learn to Accept Fleeting Likes
Social media can be a very fickle landscape. One minute you have an artwork that attracts a lot of likes. Then, you don’t get any like the next minute. You shouldn’t look at it as a knock on your skill, especially if you know how good you are. It’s all just something that comes with social media—you could become quickly shoved to the side just as quickly as you become famous.
The trick is to know how to keep people looking for your art. That can entail producing a lot of quality creations. People love it when someone produces a work of art that’s borne of their expertise.
On the Legal Side—Your Intellectual Property
The world has become obsessed with consuming content to the point that many artworks have become the property of the world rather than of one person. If you value your art, then you should know that you’ll need to work on protecting your intellectual property.
Copyright laws in the United States help you protect your work from being reproduced without your knowledge. This includes the right to create and sell many copies of your art and to create derivative pieces (similar art, different ideas) based on your work.
You should know your rights and what licenses you can get if you want to protect your works. After all, it’s the price that comes with fame and being on a global stage like the Web.
What to Consider When Using Social Media
There will always be people out there who will recreate your artwork without your permission. That’s where things like terms of service and copyrights come in. It helps you protect your art from unauthorized use. However, this chasing the infringer will be a painstaking task.
If you create artwork and post it online, you should learn how to use social media properly. There are a lot of pros and cons to weigh. Therefore, you should understand the power of social media to build you up as quickly as it can destroy you before marketing your artwork through this method.
