NYFA Blog

Creative People Using Facebook Creatively

April 25, 2011 at 2:52 pm Michael Royce 3 comments

“Friend me!” is a phrase no longer reserved for teens. Although Facebook was conceived as a social networking platform, many businesses use the site to brand and market their products (in fact, Facebook is so pervasive that Obama recently hosted a town hall meeting at Facebook’s headquarters in Silicon Valley, CA).  Along with services like Twitter, Myspace, WordPress, Flickr, and Youtube (just to name a few), Facebook has become a marketing tool and virtual public utility.

What does this have to do with artists? The demand for professional development programs for artists indicates that a successful career in the arts requires not only talent, but also business sense. If businesses and entrepreneurs are benefitting from using social media, perhaps it is a strategy artists should also apply to their personal business models.

Many artists have already taken the cue that social media can be professionally constructive. Zoe Keating, an avant-garde cellist, has so successfully cultivated her online presence that she can support herself and her family solely through her artwork.

Ms. Keating helped conceive of CASH (Coalition for Artists and Stakeholders) Music’s web apps that allow users to get a free song if they tweet or Facebook about an artist. She also has 1.3 million twitter followers.

Ms. Keating uses her blog and Facebook not only to promote her music, but also to build community within her fan base, receive feedback on her work, and thank her fans and patrons. Brian Newman, speaker at NYFA’s discussion “Reinventing the Arts Through Technology,” notes that we live in a participatory culture. Social media feeds into that culture by creating forums for conversation. Through fostering conversation between her fans, Ms. Keating has carved out a niche for herself in the arts world.

Whether looking to find a better audience, searching for new ways to connect to your fans, or wondering if a social media campaign is worth the effort, Max Fenton (tweet @maxfenton), technological assistant for creative professionals, has a few opinions and tips for the curious artist.

Before creating a Facebook presence, Fenton suggests that an artist create a personal website. Mr. Fenton cites Tumblr, a blog host, as an easy platform to create a personal website. For artists who heavily rely on video, like Film and Performance Art, Mr. Fenton explains that Vimeo is a simple place to post videos that are high quality and respectful of filmmakers.

A professional website allows the artist to have a professional, curated portfolio of his or her work. A Facebook presence, on the other hand, gives an artist the opportunity to connect with his or her fans and for the fans to interact with each other. A professional website and a Facebook page are both free, self-controlled press—however, they each serve a unique purpose.

After creating a personal website (or if one already exists), an artist must create a Profile. From there, he or she should set up an artist Page. Essentially, a Profile is a personal page for the artist as an individual, usually for family and friends (for example, what the artist ate for breakfast could be posted here). A Page is about the artist’s work (here the artist could post pictures of a work in progress or a recent grant received).

Additionally, anyone can Like (and thereby subscribe to updates from) a Page, whereas both people have to agree to be friends for access to Profiles.

Lisa Call’s blog Make Big Art offers helpful Facebook how-to’s and practical tips as well as more detailed information on the difference between a Profile and a Page.

But are there drawbacks to Facebook-ing? Despite the many benefits of Facebook, some artists are wary of the software. For one, the image policy dissuades many artists from posting images of their work. Artists, especially Visual Artists, do not want others to lift the images from Facebook or other software and use the images for other purposes.

Fenton says that while there are such instances, if an artist puts up the best representation of his or her work and takes advantage of the perks of social media, the benefits outweigh the costs.

Additionally, some may worry that time spent on Facebook means time not spent creating work. USA Today documented the Facebook habits of several artists in the article “Artists Draw on Facebook to Connect, or Sell Their Work.” Author Mary Marcus writes,

Many artists say they value the beauty of Web surfing and discovering a gem of a painting, the pleasure of meeting other creative souls they might otherwise never have known, and debating critics and bloggers. But they also see the limitations of the virtual world and grapple with how much time to spend online away from their studios.

Can a balance be found between using social media and working? Are there other drawbacks or benefits to using Facebook as an artist? Do you have any tips for fellow artists using Facebook?

Comment below!

Entry filed under: General Arts News, Interview, Professional Development. Tags: Artist, Facebook, Inspiration, Professional Development, Social Media, Technology.