Instagram for Artists (or, Social Media for Introverts, You Know Who You Are…)
(This is an excerpt of a lengthy article, a "bible" of Instagram for artists from my blog, in development as part of my social media coaching for creatives. See the Iskra Fine Art Blog for the entire article.)
As an artist and a designer I have been involved in blogging and social media for many years. I coach creative individuals and businesses in how to use social media, and Instagram is the platform I recommend most. I have found that many artists, particularly older ones, remain on the sidelines unsure if the distraction will be worth the effort and time. Although 60% of Instagram users are between 18-24, the percentages drop to 18% for 50-64 year olds, and only 8% of those over 65 use the app. Given that many artists reach maturity and do their best work at well over 50, this is a startling waste of one of the best marketing platforms available to artists today.
There is a common perception that Instagram is a shallow and narcissistic platform devoted to selfies, lifestyle, and Beyonce’s latest platinum baby bump. (True!) But dig deeper and type a few key hashtags into Instagram search: #abstractart (10.3 million posts) or #artgallery (9.3 million) or #painting (56.5 million). There are serious followers of art online: 79% of art buyers under 35 years old use Instagram to search for new artists. According to the Hiscox report 4 in 10 art buyers bought online in the last 12 months, in a market valued at an estimated 4.22 billion. If you are aware that the older generation of art collectors is, um – dying? – these statistics might get your attention.
The two basic strategies of social media for creatives
When I first started looking at Instagram I had my own doubts. I was dazzled by the caliber of art illuminated on my phone, and overwhelmed by the quantity. Was it true that Instagram could “make” your career? What if nobody followed you? Did you have to be young, beautiful, rich or pierced in strange places? Could you be a quiet introvert? I watched from afar for a long time, trying to understand what made this platform work.
In studying a wide spectrum of artists and creatives it became clear to me that Instagram, like other social media, follows two main strategies, paths that I call Audience and Witness.
The path of Audience is driven by entertainment value and puts the viewer in the driver’s seat: it aims to please. If you are following the strategies of Audience you respond to what the audience likes by doing more of it, and giving them what they want. “You,” in a sense, follow “them.” The path of Witness is related but different. Yes, there are viewers, but they are secondary to you, the maker. The viewers are there to fall in love with your journey, to learn from and to be present to you. They are your peers and your community. They truly are following you and not the other way around.
In social media both paths are important. Witness and Audience intersect in many places, and each has elements of the other. But it is important to know the difference between them and to know what you are doing when you are doing it. This article is an in-depth look at the important principles behind social media marketing for artists, with a roadmap for how to use them, specifically on Instagram. First, a look at a popular buzzword.
What does it mean for an artist to have an Instagram “brand?”
It’s a doctrine of social media marketing that you need to be on Instagram to build and promote your “brand.” An online industry has spring up to teach you how to harvest attention, get followers and (theoretically) Sell Your Work and Become Famous. “Branding” is a word that has evolved in popular usage far from its origins in Madison Avenue. It is often equated with “logo” or “identity” in terms of a unique identifying trademark. But its original meaning as used in 1960’s advertising is more complex. David Ogilvy’s famous definition is “The intangible sum of a product’s attributes.” In other words, what you say, how you say it, and what people associate with you. More than a recognizable symbol or name, it is how you are perceived. How does this translate into the highly visual platform of Instagram?
When people say you should have a “brand” on Instagram they often mean you should choose and adhere to a rigid formula of consistent composition, color and content. An unfortunate truth of the internet is that curation wins. In a world of billions of images the brutal war for attention rewards the person who can arrange a collection of pleasing, similar and colorful images in coherent order. If you ignore this completely in favor of anarchy, or a misguided idea of authenticity, attracting followers will be much harder. If you are an artist trying to attract collectors to your work, think very carefully about how you tell the story of your art, and how that story will attract the supporters you want.
The most basic rule of curation is very simple: get an Instagram business account. If you want potential galleries, buyers and the last two art critics in America to see your work, label the account clearly with your own name, and keep the focus on your art: you want people to find you, right? “CadRed” won’t cut it for your name, unless you are very famous, – and famous for being obscure – already. Once you get a business account you will have access to invaluable statistics on who your followers are, where they are from, and how they arrive at your images. You can also automatically link your Instagram posts to your Facebook business or personal page so your posts appear in both places.
Now you are ready to set up a profile and add your artist websites. Instagram limits your profile to one live link, but by using the app Link Tree you can add more than one website to your bio. Go to Instagram’s simple tutorial for how to upload photos from your phone. If you want to upload from your computer it is a little tricky, but one way can be found here.
Back to the first step in finding an audience, eyecandy. Here are some suggestions for consistency and strategic interruptions, ie. the DNA of your visual brand:
Squares or rectangles?
Although the predominant format of Instagram is square, it now allows for rectangular posts. If you click on the little icon in the lower left hand corner of your initial image, your post will appear in nearly full frame, though it will be cropped to square in the IG search functions and home page.
Pick one format, and stick with it. The overall harmony of a page relies on repetition and consistency. I tried originally to mix the two, and trust me, it’s a mess. (There are exceptions to this rule of course, but to do this successfully another element like color or value needs to tie your page together.) The advantage of composing in a square is that it gives the most real estate to your image and insta-order. The drawback is that your artwork may not always be square, and your post may not convey a sense of the overall composition of your art. You can beat this by using the multiple page post function. Attract views with a striking cropped image, followed by the zoomed out full view (or additional cropped close-ups) in subsequent pages.
Should you have a color theme as part of your brand?
There are many ways to standardize your color tones on Instagram so that everything on your page looks like part of a seamless whole.
Tech tip 1: You can achieve harmony through the Instagram filters themselves, or through using an app like VSCO or Snapseed, which offer more options and more sophisticated fine tuning.
Cindy Hilliard, one of the artists who I follow without fail, creates a breathtakingly serene and contemplative world with her mix of original photography and water media paintings. She breaks format (squares and rectangles mixed) and content (photographs and paintings mixed) , yet her elegant sensibility transcends the inconsistencies. What comes through in her Instagram is the presence of a rare person with crystalline vision.
The problem with standardizing your color if you are an artist is that your work probably is not “standard.” It has its particular color, and that should be as accurate as possible, particularly if you want collectors to purchase your work online and not be disappointed. If the main emphasis of your art practice is commissioned art for interiors, and your art has a consistent palette, you may want to choose a color theme and stay with it throughout your postings. It can also be effective to make calculated deviations that clearly distinguish images of your art from images of your studio, self portraits or events like openings. One easy way is to use a black and white filter or a limited palette for anything that is not your artwork.
Oliver James Watt (above), specifically directs his work towards interiors and interior designers. His subtle palette is stylish and harmonious. When he photographs his studio in black and white it makes a subtle but clear distinction between his work and his life.
Tech tip 2: One of the best ways to experiment with layout and color options is in the app Preview for Instagram. It’s a deep app with lots to explore so I won’t go into it in detail here. By using Preview you can plan how the color balance of your feed will work, and schedule your posts days ahead. If it looks like rocket science, you can be sure it’s an app.
“Brand” is not just a visual effect. It is also a point of view. Although the principle of visual consistency rules, authentic anarchy gives it a run for its money. People are hungry for the real. And if you were wondering about my original doubts about who gets to play, no, you don’t have to be 23, model-pretty, blond, obviously tattooed, fashion-forward or blue-chip-famous to win here. One of my favorite artists on Instagram is Carl Heyward of the Global Art Project.
Ok, maybe he is actually fashion-forward. The Global Art Project premiered in Venice and offers workshops around the world. Check out Carl’s Instagram to follow his stream of vivid and spontaneous abstraction.
A completely different take comes from Polish artist Izabela Kita:
These looks are very different, and yet each succeeds in creating a mood, a voice and an ambiance that is indelibly “branded” in its association with the artist, integrating a portrait of the person and the work in just the right way.
In terms of the Audience/Witness continuum, today’s internet audience does want to see you. If you are an introvert, or not photogenic, this can be a challenge. I am personally a cameraphobe. I have always assumed I look like my avatar, Ozma of Oz, who is perpetually 17 and has long tumbling curls and an emerald on her forehead. Alas the camera refuses to capture that and instead I endure the humiliation of being an ordinary person who looks uncomfortable and didn’t get the right nose. This is life. Go with a blur filter, make videos that mostly show your hands, or narrate your daily path to the studio with a video that focuses on your splattered tennis shoes. Work up to eye contact….Showing your face makes a direct human connection with audience in the most basic way, and brings people directly into your life in the studio. There is always a way to show yourself that feels right, and I urge you to take it on as a creative challenge.
(continue at Iskra Fine Art.)
And please visit The Seattle Artist League to learn about my September workshop, Social Media for Artists: Finding Your Authentic Voice.