How to Navigate the Creator Economy as an Artist or Small Business
Wondering what platforms to showcase your work on? Or how to build and connect with an audience? We've got you covered.
Photo Source: @Morganpaintsstuff via Instagram
Last time we discussed the creator economy, we looked into how musicians are using social media tactics to reach larger audiences. Today, we're examining how artists and small businesses can use the creator economy to their advantage. From tactics similar to those used by musicians, to art-specific advice, let’s dive into how the creator economy has changed the game for artists and small businesses.
If you are just starting out in the creator economy, and it’s never too late to do so, the most important first step is to identify your niche. The creator economy has become increasingly saturated in recent years with independent creators looking to make money through their content, which is why it is more important than ever to connect with an audience that is genuinely interested in your work.
The next step is to decide which platform is right for you. While there are various platforms for creators to choose from, the ones that are most supportive of your craft will help you boost your following most successfully. As an artist or small business owner, podcasting might not be your best bet if you are looking for people to purchase your pieces, while platforms such as Instagram and TikTok offer a place to visually display your work.
Once you’ve identified your niche and gotten up and running on the platform(s) of your choice, it is then time to curate your community. If you remember from our last creator economy article, there is a difference between an audience and a community, and building a community is a great way to ensure your followers are engaging with you.
A few ways to connect with your followers include giveaways, interacting with other creators in your niche, Q&As, and most importantly, through your authenticity. Rather than only posting photos and videos of your finished work as a marketing tactic, share videos of your process, your studio and your day-to-day life as an artist or small business owner.
Humans love stories, and curating an authentic story around your work includes not only your background as the creator, but also how you define your brand, where you display your work and the story behind each piece itself. The more connected people feel to you and the story of your work, the more likely they are to support you and purchase it.
Another important thing to remember as an artist or small business owner navigating the creator economy is that a bigger audience does not necessarily correlate with making more money. According to Forbes, micro or nano creators with only a few thousand followers often see higher rates of engagement than other macro influencers. So while you still want to expand your reach, be sure to continue actively engaging with your community, even as it grows. This data also provides further evidence that having a micro influencer within your niche promote your work can be even more beneficial than spending large sums of money on a macro influencer with a less engaged audience.
Also according to Forbes, a shift is coming in the creator economy that favors artists and small business owners who are looking to sell their physical products. While collaborating with brands has been a major source of income for those looking to monetize their content in the past few years, the economy seems to be moving towards fans being the primary point of income rather than reliance on external companies. And selling directly to invested fans is what artists have been trying to do all along!
If you’re a bit skeptical of trying to showcase your art through social media and earn income through the creator economy, take a look a these TikTok success stories. Matt Chessco (@mattchessco) has amassed 2.7 million followers since early 2020, his TikTok page is full of process videos that display his pop-art style celebrity paintings. Morgan Gray (@morganpaintsstuff) posts closeup videos of her intricate and vibrant artwork for her 230,000 followers to admire. Derrick Freske (@dfreske) has captured 93,000 followers with his impressive photography. In addition to uploading his photos, Freske also documents his work with different brands, magazines and celebrities, as well as offering his audience photography tips.
Photo Source: @mattchessco.com
TikTok and other social media platforms are the perfect spaces to begin displaying your work and building a following without the barrier of booking a gallery, but your social media presence can also help expand your career. According to Kelly Heylen, a curator, the best selling exhibitions are often the ones where the artist is active on social media and connects with their audience; she even now takes an artist's social media presence into account when deciding whose work to show in a gallery. If that is not evidence enough that the creator economy is integral for artists and small businesses, I don’t know what is!
Best,
Nina for the Don’t Count Us Out Yet Team
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