Why are some artists featured in magazines, newspapers and on TV, while others seem to remain under the radar? Why do some careers take off while others falter or flounder?
The quality of the art work, that’s always the starting point, but that is seldom the complete answer. There are some magnificent artists whose work seems to be stuck in perpetual twilight, while there are always who bathe in the sunlight.
This is rarely a matter of simple luck or serendipity. Those artists who achieve that type of media coverage have generally taken their career into their own hands. They are actively working to market their art. The most successful artists generally see marketing and PR as a part of their job description.
And effective PR is not about selling, it’s about storytelling. Presenting your art on its own is not enough. The media and the public are interested in stories. They’re interested in process and in the artist’s journey.
Van Gough, Gauguin, Lautrec, Picasso, Dali, Warhol, Basquiat, all of those artists are known for their backstories as much as for their art. That is not to say that your story needs to be dramatic, tragic, or theatrical to be effective, but that you need to showcase your work within the context of a story. Everyone has a compelling story. Every artist has taken a captivating journey. Most of us are too close to our own experiences to see the true stories, which is why working with someone who can view you and your story through a fresh set of eyes can help.
Public relations and marketing are nothing new in the art world. Centuries ago artists had to promote themselves to patrons, now the focus is on galleries, collectors and the public. In the mid-1930s, Eleanor Lambert was the first Press Director of the Whitney Museum of American Art and helped with the founding of the Museum of Modern Art. Jackson Pollock, Jacob Epstein, and Isamu Noguchi were a few of the many artists she represented. Some are surprised to discover that Pollack and Epstein hired a PR specialist. It goes against the myth of the artist –the myth that true artists simply create and wait.
And that myth is precisely that…
A myth!
It is nonsense and it has destroyed careers. Pollack cared enough about his work to ensure that he would build a bridge between his art and his audience.
And as an artist, that is a question you have to answer for yourself.
Do you care enough to give your art a chance to succeed?
That will mean different things for different artists. Those that can afford to hire a PR firm, should. Those who can’t, can learn PR and marketing steps that they can start on their own. But the bottom line is that you begin to shine a light on your art
And that you start –
Now!
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