Comments on: 5 Recommendations for Online Success

By: joanne perkins

Thu, 09 Jun 2016 07:54:44 +0000

You say engage my followers I ask what they want to read about and nobody ever replies. I direct messaged one follower who loves my artwork and retreats my artwork regularly what else she would like to see and read about and she replied your art. I am wondering g how to turn her into a customer.

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By: Barbara Muir

Mon, 30 May 2016 16:04:50 +0000

Super ideas Alyson. Thank you. I would be happy to blog every day, but I don’t create every day. I like the idea of taking a few days to prep a post for the blog. One problem is that Google keeps every image I post, and when anyone hits my name, they see all my works in progress, partially completed or just started. So I am nervous about posting when a work isn’t finished. When I first started I wrote about whatever I wanted, but got more selective with experience. Facebook has been a help, because I can post there on any topic, and I enjoy it.

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By: Sophie

Mon, 30 May 2016 05:55:16 +0000

I brainstorm ideas for my blog regularly. I just sit down and start thinking and write down everything. I cross out things again but after half an hour I have dozens of ideas. While browsing the internet I often get ideas as well and I note them down. When I have time to write a blog post I go through my notes and choose an idea. A blog post often takes time to write, create images etc but I think it is worth it. My topics vary from inspiration, to ‘how did I do that’, exhibitions (of my work or something I visited) etc etc. Have a look:
http://www.sophieploeg.com/blog
On social media I try to post every day – even if it is just a picture of what I currently have on the easel. Sometimes it is a picture of my dog (who doesn’t like puppy pictures 😉 ) but I try to stay ‘out there’ as much as I can. To save time I often post the same thing on various platforms although not always as it seems different types of people follow me on different platforms! It is great to get comments from fellow artists and collectors!
I publish my newsletters once a month with a roundup of my blog posts and other bits and pieces of news – sometimes exclusively for newsletter subscribers. Sometimes my subscribers write back to me to either say thank you or how a story resonated with them personally. I love this contact and I love reaching out to them.

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By: Honey Lea

Sat, 28 May 2016 16:38:01 +0000

In reply to Anita.

I know some other artists who have chronic illness. I wonder if there is a special niche you might create for people who are trying to create and manage a challenging health situation? Maybe there are topics that really are highly specialized you could address. If you haven’t seen Words and Pictures, a movie with Juliet Binoche in which she plays an artist with Rheumatoid Arthritis, you might want to. Just an idea…

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By: Camille Engel

Sat, 28 May 2016 16:01:02 +0000

Thank you Alyson, I appreciate you outlining these simple steps. I am a realist painter specializing in bird paintings and because my paintings are so detailed, all of my time is spent in the studio . Lately, I’ve come to realize how important it is for me to understand how better to promote my paintings, through my newsletter and become more dependable on my blog.

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By: Camille Engel

Sat, 28 May 2016 15:55:27 +0000

In reply to mandy evans.

Thank you Mandy, that was very informative and I was able to easily leave a comment on your blog .

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By: Emma Pittson

Fri, 27 May 2016 15:11:39 +0000

Alyson: I do indeed know what you mean! In situations like that, a sense of humour is the best recourse.

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Fri, 27 May 2016 14:18:23 +0000

In reply to Emma Pittson.

Emma: People love to hear about struggles, and I think you’ll find empathy. Now, if you were struggling all of the time, that would be boring to read about.

I also think there’s a way to write about struggles that is positive – something you’re trying to overcome rather than something that just sucks. Know what I mean?

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Fri, 27 May 2016 14:16:52 +0000

In reply to mandy evans.

That’s a great post, Mandy. I tried to leave a comment, but it wouldn’t let me . Thank you for sharing.

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By: Emma Pittson

Thu, 26 May 2016 23:55:15 +0000

Anita: Those are all excellent options, indeed! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Alyson: I guess the only reason why I’ve hesitated to talk about my artistic struggles is because I worry that I’m going to sound like a downer (and I’d love to hear your thoughts on revealing “too much” about the struggle to make art). Most artist blogs/websites I visit give off the impression that their artwork just sort of magically comes to life without any setbacks or doubts. Not only that, but some artists are very much against the idea of showing works in progress (they think it will lessen the impact of the final reveal). Perhaps there are some artists out there who just happened to “wake up looking like this”, but I’m certainly not one of them! 😉

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